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History of Arkansas

Arkansas is one of the many US States that were formed from the territory bought from Napoleon Bonaparte in the Louisiana Purchase. Hernando de Soto, a Spanish explorer, was the first European to reach this region at the end of the 16th century. The major Native American nations, which inhabited the area prior to the westward movement, included the Caddo, the Quapaw, and the Osage nations. During the territorial period, the Five Civilized Tribes inhabited Arkansas. On July 4, 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was organized, and finally, on June 15, 1836, the State of Arkansas was added to the Union of the United States of America as the 25th State.

Arkansas played an integral role in the Texas Revolution of 1835-36 by sending troops and materials to Texas. During the Mexican-American War of 1846, a proclamation was issued by Governor Thomas S. Drew, calling on the state to furnish one battalion of infantry and one regiment of cavalry to join the United States Army. The first Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry was formed soon thereafter. On May 6, 1861, the State of Arkansas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. Arkansas also became the scene of a number of small battles during the American Civil War. The major among these battles were the Battle of Cane Hill and the Battle of Prairie Grove.

In June 1868, Arkansas was readmitted in the Union, under the Military Reconstruction Act. Another major event in the history of the state was the Brooks-Baxter War, which shook Little Rock. In 1905-1911, the German, Irish, and the Slovak people began to migrate in the State. The Irish settled in the southeast part of the state, while the German and the Slovak people colonized the eastern part, known as the Prairie. Arkansas was brought to the national attention once again by the Little Rock Nine incident, which followed the case Brown v. Topeka Board of Education in 1957. The Arkansas National Guard was sent by governor Orval Faubus to help segregationists in averting 9 African American students from enrolling at Little Rock's Central High School. This event led to the closing of the Little Rock high schools for the rest of the year. Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, was born in Hope, Arkansas and served for almost 12 years as the governor of Arkansas.