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Arkansas wasn’t new to division during 1860, the long going division of slave and non-slave areas, failing banks, and weakening political control played ongoing problems. Although these problems remained prominent, the state’s focus shifted to the election of 1860. The Democratic Party had split and nominated two candidates, Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckinridge. The former Whig Party nominated John Bell. The Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln. Many southern states didn’t even put Lincoln on the ballot, but the northern states alone had a large enough population to elect a president. In Arkansas, Breckinridge won and no votes for Lincoln. In the nation, Lincoln won with a total more than any of the other nominees. What did this mean for Arkansas? Does this mean Arkansas will secede from the Union? Many thought it did, others thought the state should wait for the actions of the newly elected president. Again this brought more division to the already divided state.
Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 10, pages 212-214

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Largest Battle West of the Mississippi River - 1862

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Largest Battle West of the Mississippi River - 1862

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General Samuel R. Curtis led federal troops to push the Confederate forces, led by Sterling Price, out of Missouri and into northwest Arkansas. When this was happening, the Confederacy sent General Earl Van Dorn to take control of Arkansas. With Dorn in control he worked with Price and McCulloch to plan an attack on the Union forces. The plan was to keep the campfires lit to create the illusion that the Confederate Army was in that area, but the force would split into two and attack the Union forces during the night. Van Dorn attacked from the north and McCulloch attacked from the west, but the attack in the west went downhill when McCulloch was killed. The battle lasted all day but the Confederate forces could not break the Federal line. The next morning the Federal forces attacked the Confederates, forcing them to retreat. This was the largest battle fought west of the Mississippi River, but it created even larger problems. Now the Confederacy could kiss the idea of winning Missouri goodbye and say hello to the Federal army marching straight into Arkansas.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 10, pages 220 and 222

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It was finally over. In the spring of 1865 Robert E. Lee, a Confederate general, was forced to surrender. Shortly after the Army of Tennessee surrenders to the Union forces. Then the Confederate army of the Trans-Mississippi surrenders. The Civil War took more lives than any other war in American history. This war ironed out two major problems the United States faced, one being the nation couldn’t be divided and the other being slavery couldn’t exist. But just because these two problems couldn’t exist, doesn’t mean it changed the nation into a perfect world. More problems were just getting started. Arkansas would have to pay a dreadful price.
Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 10, page 232

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Issei, the First Japanese Americans - late 1800's

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Issei, the First Japanese Americans - late 1800's

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It wasn’t until the last nineteenth century that the first generation of Japanese people came to the United States. They settled mainly in California, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Many worked as fishermen and farmers, eventually making enough money to bring brides from their hometowns to the United States. Japanese Americans built communities within a community, they had their own banks, churches, and hospitals. Jean Nakatani explained how as a child she knew how far she could go within getting into a community that “wasn’t theirs”. It wouldn’t be until decades later before the country they came to to seek a new life, would take away their freedom.
Time of Fear, documentary film

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Radicals took upon the view of wanting to punish the Southern states for the war, this became known as the Radical Reconstruction. In 1867, Congress passed Reconstruction acts that would force former Confederate states to follow rules to form a new state government. Radical reconstruction began in Arkansas in 1868 with Powell Clayton as the new governor. The era was confusing, people were agitated, and stereotypes were labeled. Two stereotypes were scalawags and carpetbaggers. Scalawags was a stereotype for those who were native to the South but supported the Republican party. Carpetbaggers was a stereotype for native Northerners who moved to the South prior to the Civil War said to only come to get rich. Under Radical reconstruction, adult black males were given the right to vote.
Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 11, pages 240-242

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By 1847, the Democrats took control. Their view of a new state constitution was a response from the impact of the Radical reconstruction. Although the Democrats kept support for public schools, it changed other aspects like making it difficult to raise taxes, changed a state governor term from four years to two years, and people running for state offices would be elected. The Democrats had a tight grip on Arkansas. It was made up of planters and businessmen, mostly former Confederates. By 1877, the state debt was declared to be cleared in reasoning that the state shouldn’t be paying for the actions during the Reconstruction, this resulted in many losing money and refusal of investment for many years. Low taxes weakened the public school system due to low funding, and by 1900 about half of Arkansas children attended schools. Although problems still haunted Arkansas, Democrats remained in control until the middle of the 1900’s.
Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 11, pages 246-247

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In 1874, women did have the right to own property, it was still a hard life for many women. Women who lived in rural areas were constantly doing extreme chores and looking after their children. Women who lived in urban areas had greater opportunities to create more wealth with growing possibilities. The 1880’s were a time of expansion for women, they began creating groups that focused and channelled cultural enlightenment, civic reform goals, and the temperance movement. Alcohol abuse was a serious problem that needed to be addressed, which was a goal of the Arkansas Federation of Women’s Clubs. Although women did not have the right to vote during this time, their power influenced a series of laws that controlled, and in some cases banned, the sale of alcohol. This was just the beginning of the influential power women had on Arkansas and its future.

Hopper, 7, chapter 12, pages 260-261

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Effects of Farmers' Protest in AR - 1890's 

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Effects of Farmers' Protest in AR - 1890's 

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The Jim Crow Laws were a major effect of the farmers’ protest. Four acts were created to keep African Americans away from political power. One act gave the Democratic party full control of voting and the process in which to vote. The second act created difficulty in voting for those who didn’t know how to read and write. The third act put a price on the ability to vote. The fourth act stated the only whites could participate in primary elections, elections in which nominees were elected. The Jim Crow Laws resulted in a decline of 30% in voter turnout and would hamper with any progress in Arkansas and other southern states.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 11, pages 250-251

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Over three thousand miles of railroad tracks had been laid in Arkansas by 1900. The national government gave railroad building programs land grants along their routes. The eastern, southern, and central regions of Arkansas had the most tracks, parts of the Ouchitas and Ozarks were still out of reach. Railroads expanded Arkansas routes to its neighboring states and eventually the nation. The power of railroads influenced towns and people. Towns were created along the routes of the railroad, but towns that were far from and passed by railroads eventually faded away. Together, the railroad companies and the state used the new routes as advertisement to target new settlers, in particular European settlers. Many German, Polish, and Italian groups settled all over Arkansas.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 12, pages 258-259

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African American Success Stories in AR - 1900

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African American Success Stories in AR - 1900

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Going into the 1900’s, Arkansas was home to six hundred eighty African American preachers, four hundred educators, ninety-one doctors, twenty-seven lawyers, and over one hundred more professional occupations fulfilled. A woman named, Charlotte Stephens, was Little Rock’s first African American teacher and she worked for the district from 1869-1939. Wiley Jones of Pine Bluff started his career as a barber and eventually built Pine Bluff’s first streetcar line and ran a park and racetrack. In a time of still building a life after the effects of the Civil War, African Americans created their own success stories and a hope for generations to come.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 12, pages 263-265

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The Progressive Movement and Women - 1900's

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The Progressive Movement and Women - 1900's

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The right for women to vote was shot down in 1911 and 1913, but that didn’t stop the women. The Arkansas Woman Suffrage Association formed to deal with the issues. National Woman Suffrage leader, Carrie Chapman Catt, came to Arkansas to help local leaders. Among many women, local leaders included Bernie Babcock who wrote The Daughter of a Republican, Dr. Ida Jo Brooks who was a professor at the University of Arkansas Medical School, and Rosa Marinoni who would later be Arkansas’ poet laureate. The Women’s Suffrage movement held rallies and parades for women, children, and men to dress in white to show their support. Arkansas finally became the first southern state to allow women to vote before the nineteenth amendment. A town in Washington county, Winslow, elected an all women town government. This became national fame and was so successful that each woman won a second term. This was big for women all over the state, and it was only the start.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 13, page 283

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Arkansas had about four hundred schools and about ten thousand teachers, only 800 of which graduated at the college level. Arkansas teachers were paid $34.46 every month. Schools were usually one room buildings with one teacher that taught everything for every grade. Schooling terms revolved around farming schedules so students could help their families during harvest and planting seasons. Schools were separate for African American students, and received less funding than white schools. During the 1920’s, Arkansas spent about $23 per pupil each year. The state finally addressed some of the problems. People, mostly women, were trained to be educators at state teacher colleges called, Normal Schools. The Arkansas State Normal School in Conway opened its doors in 1907, later it would be the University of Central Arkansas (woo hoo). It was during this time that around 1,500 state teachers formed into groups to continue improving education. Laws created meant school age children must attend schools and standard textbooks for schools were needed. With these improvements and support, education was beginning to take off and paved the way for children learning more than ever, universities being built to further education, and extracurricular activities raising in popularity.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 13, pages 286-288

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During World War l, African Americans fought with courage for the United States. But when the war was over, African American didn’t come home to peace. They were greeted with criticism. Many didn’t like or agree with the fact that African Americans fought for the United States, they thought they should have stayed and fought the war of segregation. While they were fighting a war in another country, they weren’t fighting a war that was in their own country.

The Elaine Riot: Triumph and Tragedy, documentary film, part one

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The Red Summer got its name from the violent attacks that left the streets covered in blood. In the United States, three-hundred and fifty cities had racial riots. For example, in Chicago alone twenty-three blacks and fifteen whites were killed and in Washington D.C. two blacks and four whites were killed. This led to more violence all over the country.

The Elaine Riot: Triumph and Tragedy, documentary film, part one

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During the 1920’s, the “Progressive spirit” opened the eyes of many to improve the state’s reputation of being an unhealthy place to be. In 1913, Arkansas joined the public health movement and formed the state Board of Health. A year after that the Bureau of Vital Statistics was created to keep records of births, deaths, and marriages. Laws came into effect that require doctors, nurses, dentists, etc to obtain licenses. The Arkansas Federation of Women’s Clubs hosted events that promoted and recognized therapies, baby health, health in the home, and prevention of crimes. This movement set standards for children's health and required children to have normal vision or corrected and fitted glasses, normal hearing, good teeth, corrected posture, and so on. These standards also required children to be vaccinated. In 1925, the first and free children’s hospital was built in Arkansas, known now as the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. Soon after that tuberculosis sanatoriums were established in Pulaski county and Logan county. (my hometown is Booneville and the tuberculosis sanatorium is creepy but very interesting, it’s cool to read the history around the property!)

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 13, pages 291-292

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By mid-April, the flooding had begun. It was normal for Arkansas to receive around forty-eight inches of rain yearly, but by April, forty-two inches fell. It wasn’t all rainfall, snow in Canada was melting and filling the northern parts of the Mississippi River. This led to the Arkansas, White, and St. Francis Rivers to be filled and flooded. In Arkansas alone, two million acres of croplands, fifty-thousand homes, and lives were destroyed. This was just the beginning of hard times for Arkansans and eventually the rest of the country.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 15, pages 324-325

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With product and wages increasing rapidly and not enough to buy the goods, things were not looking good economically. There were signs of failing businesses as early as 1926 and 1927, but people just didn’t want to believe or see that the last of the good times were ending. October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed. Although the Great Depression was caused by many factors, this day known as Black Tuesday, marked the beginning of the Depression era.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 15, page 330

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With a national problem of overproduction, cotton overproduction was most evident in the southern part of the country. During the 1930’s, many southern states tried to reduce the production of cotton but it was unsuccessful. The Agricultural Adjustment Administration was a New Deal program that had a lasting impact on farmers. The program was made to, “achieve parity by paying farmers to take as much as a third of their land out of production”. Eventually this program did reach its goal of reducing crop production, but negatively affected sharecroppers and tenants, creating a new problem.

Hopper, An Arkansas for Young People, chapter 15, pages 336-337

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December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked by Japan. In the early hours on Hawaiian Islands, Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. A direct attack on American soil resulting in one-third of the Pacific fleet being damaged. President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, later Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The United States entered World War ll and joined the Allied Forces. The attack on Pearl Harbor was just the start of immense loss for our country.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 16, pages 350-351

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Men all over Arkansas signed up for the war effort. Over two-hundred thousand Arkansans signed up for the armed forces. A large number were Black Arkansans, yet they were still put in all Black units with white officers. They contributed in battles in Europe and in the Pacific. On the homefront, families who sent loved ones away to war placed a white banner with one star on home windows, a golden star meant the loved one was killed in war. Arkansans did anything they could from home to help with the war efforts, war bonds were a popular way of paying. Many also collected scrap metals and rubbers that could be made into weapons. Some families planted gardens to help feed the country during this time of foods being rationed.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 16, pages 351-352

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When the men went off the war, the women stepped in and went to work. Women working outside the home increased from 13.9% to 30%. Women worked as line workers producing parts for weapons, operated radios and crafts, and metal, wood, and drafting work. Rosie the Riveter swept the nation as a symbol of women working. In Arkansas, women had to move states due to the lack of aircraft plants. Not only did women pursue jobs in defense plants, they also took over jobs as bank teller, cab and bus drivers, mechanics, and more. This was a time for women to relocate and participate in major social role changes. When the war ended in 1945, many women went back to being housewives, while others continued to pave the path for working women.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 16, pages 357-358

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With the fear of communism rising in the United States, the Cold War began between the United States and Soviet Union. In the same year, North Korea attacked South Korea, with North Korea being an ally to the Soviet Union and South Korea being the United States ally. President Harry Truman sent American troops to protect South Korea. The purpose of this action was to prevent the spread of communism. Closer to home, many Arkansas veterans who had fought in WWll, fought again in the Korean War. When the war ended in 1953, North Korea and South Korea remained in the same position as they were before the fighting began, leaving the Korean unpopular in the eyes of Americans.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 17, pages 372-373

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War and postwar recovery promoted many changes in Arkansas. Many begin to shift from rural settings to urban areas, women continued to make a breakthrough in the workplace, and African Americans continued to push for jobs and civil rights. Silas Hunt and Edith Irby became the first African Americans to be enrolled in the University of Arkansas Law School and the University of Arkansas School of Medicine. Demands for reform changed aspects of Arkansas living. Farming transitioned into big businesses, food processing became a big industry, and Arkansas finally came out of the economic depression. Arkansas was finally prospering in the post war era.

Hopper, An Arkansas History for Young People, chapter 17, pages 374-37