Running head: Arizona
Arizona Statehood and Constitution
Monica Williams
Grand Canyon University: POS 301
November 20, 2011
Arizona Statehood and Constitution
Part I: Arizona Statehood It is quite a remarkable journey that Arizona embarked upon to make it the forty-eight state of the United States of America. On February 14, 2012 it became an integral part of this new found world of democracy and freedom. Along with its vast cultures and heated temperatures, the architectural design of the city is a pure reflection of the inhabitants who were established here before to make it their own homeland. This essay will examine the road to statehood and analyze the events to make Arizona become a state.
The Preterritorial Period
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because the need for access to the Pacific Ocean for trading. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe was signed. For 15 million, Mexico ceded more than one-third of its territory and the U.S. acquired all of Arizona north of the Gila River (McClory, 2001). Unfortunately, southern Arizona still was in control by Mexico, which included Tucson. Arizona and New Mexico became one territory called the Territory of New Mexico. Soon after, the United States paid another 10 million for 30,000 square miles of the Mexican territory that included Tucson. Congress thought the purchase was meaningless because it was just desert land. The Gadsden Purchase gave the final boundary that Arizona has today. In 1860, along with the constitution, a governor and other elected officials were established. That was unfortunately short lived because of the Civil War. In 1862, Union troops entered the state and placed it under martial rule, this action further delayed Arizona’s official admission as a state (McClory, 2011).
The Territorial Period Congress finally pushed for Arizona to have separate territorial status because of the discovery of precious metals. On February, 24, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Organic Act, which officially created Arizona’s territory (McClory, 2001). The first official governor, John Goodwin, took the oath of office on December 29, 1863. Prescott became the capital in 1864, then to Tucson (1867), then back to Prescott
The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican American war in 1848 was a very important decision in our history. We allowed the Mexican government to keep Mesilla Valley in place of them giving us the Santa Rita Mountains. We believed that we would profit off of this compromise due to the fact that we thought there was rich copper deposits, and some silver and gold which had not yet been mined. Little did we know that the Mesilla Valley was essential for the construction of a Southern Transcontinental Railroad. The reason it was important for the railroad was because it consisted of flat desert land about fifty miles north to south and 200 miles wide, east to west. There were two parcels of the land that President Pierce instructed Gadsden to try and buy. The Baja California Peninsula was the first for fifty million dollars or the thirty eight thousand square miles of dry arid desert. Santa Ana needed money badly to help build up his army to defend against the very people wanting to pay him, the United States. He thought the best solution was to sell as little land as possible for the most
New Mexico is a southwestern state and was admitted to the union on January 6, 1912. It is the 47th state and considered to be a mountain state. Its culture has been heavily influenced by the aboriginal people as well as colonists. It was home first to the Native Americans, which included the Apache, Navajo, and Pueblo people. It was taken over after the colonization of the Spanish in 1598. Thereafter, it became a part of Mexico and later a US territory. Following the Mexican-American War, it was made a state of North America. New Mexico has the highest number of Hispanics and 2nd highest number of Native Americans in its population. The cultural influences of these groups of people can be seen throughout the state, including on the state flag; the colors gold and scarlet, represent the royal standards of Spain. The sun symbol comes from the Pueblo tribes,
The aftermath of the war had great affects on Mexico's and Americas government. The war officially ended on February 2, 1848, when Mexico agreed to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The terms of the treaty were set by the United States after winning the war, the treaty added land the makes up present day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Utah , and Wyoming. Additionally, the U.S paid $15 million and
When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787, the United States just had 13 states. The Founding Fathers believed that more states would want to join the Union in the future. They saw that it would be significant for new states to have the same form of government as the original states had. Since then there are now over 50 states that have similar characteristics which were developed centuries ago; although, resembling the creation of new ideas and inventions, current state government had many problems from being the way it is today, it also has many important features that benefit many people, as well as plays an important role in how American democracy and government works.
Thomas Jefferson purchased land from the French during the Louisiana Purchase which gave the United States land west. He sent Lewis and Clark west to explore what he had just purchased. During the same time of the Louisiana Purchase, there was a concept of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was a main idea during the 1800s. It is the belief that the land west was the Americans land to settle and that the resources were theirs to use. This belief was self-centered and did not focus on the Native Americans. The Americans did not reach out to the Natives to build a strong nation and instead they took the tools, ideas, and materials to build their nation and left the Natives out of it. Americans saw their dream as a free country and it was their right to conquer others’ property without their consent. During westward expansion, American identity evolved into one image for all Americans that emphasized greed and power and the belief that American settlers should create their own sovereign land.
Manifest Destiny is our god given right to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. During Manifest Destiny there were many different cases that helped out country like expanding to Texas through the Mexican American War, and finding gold in California which will be later called the gold rush.
Manifest Destiny is A term used in the 19th century to describe the early American settlers’ belief that expansion was unavoidable, and destined to happen. The idea led to settlers migrating westward with the notions that whatever acts they committed were justified. The belief that the circumstances warranted their behaviors. This mindset led to the Indian Removal Act, the Mexican-American War, the California Goldrush, and eventually the development of railroads across the continent which helped shape Americas revolution.
Signed on February 2, 1848, in Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of the capital. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by the U.S. and Mexico. The United States appointed Nicholas P. Trist, a citizen of the United States and the Mexican Republic has appointed Don Luis Gonzaga Cuevas, Don Bernardo Couto, and Don Miguel Atristain. This Treaty, brought to an end the Mexican American War. Bringing peace between the two countries. The U.S. called for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory, extending the boundaries of the United States by over 525,000 sq/m. This newly acquired land is what is known as present day Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado,and Wyoming. In exchange for this land, Mexico received a $15 million compensation.
It is clear that illegal immigration has gotten out of control and constringent measures need to be taken to protect the United States borders. The local Government of Arizona recently decided to take control of the situation, by passing the “Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” {House Bill 2162}. This bill gives law enforcement officers and agencies the authority, to lawfully stop, detain and arrest anyone who appears to look like an illegal alien. The bill out-right condones racial profiling and it violates civil rights, as well!
Arizona was the forty-eighth state to be admitted to the union, February 14, 1912. The Constitution was rewritten and signed by President Taft (Arizona History Timeline, 2003).
This case had to do with an Ernest Miranda who raped a Patty McGee*. After extracting a written confession from the rapist about the situation, Miranda’s lawyer argued that it was not valid since the Phoenix Police Department failed to read Miranda his rights, also in violation of the Sixth Amendment which is the right to counsel. Some factors that helped support Miranda’s arguments were that the suspect had requested and been denied an opportunity to consult with a lawyer; the suspect had not been effectively warned about his right to remain silent; and an incriminating statement must have been given by the suspect. The author of the Arizona court’s decision, former U.S. Senator and
After the Midwest had been substantially developed, the national focus turned toward the far west. The territory of Texas, controlled by the Spanish, was settled by Americans, who eventually undertook the Texas Rebellion in efforts to win independence. When the United States admitted Texas to the Union in 1845, the Mexican government was outraged, and from 1846 to 1848, the two nation's squared off in the Mexican War. With a resounding victory, the United States gained control of Texas, New Mexico, and California. The Oregon territory was annexed in 1846 as well, and the US controlled the land all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
In the article titled "Dying to Work" there is an excellent quote given by Rep. Kolbe says, “There are no two countries in the world that share a border where the economic disparities are greater than between the U.S. and Mexico.” (AZ Republic, 2002) My paper draws on the information from the “Worldwide Refugee Information: Country Report: Mexico” written in 2000 and the article titled “Dying to Work: The Arizona Republic” written in 2001. Both of these articles give numerous information about the Mexican Immigrants and refugees. I am focusing on the illegal Mexican immigrants as well as refugees that enter the U.S. through refugee status, because living in Arizona, there are
Manifest Destiny, one of the most influential ideologies in American history, was used as the basis to justify almost-continuous conflict from the early- to the late-19th century (Greenberg 3). This conflict included the relentless displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands, a war of aggression against Mexico in 1846, and attacks on countries such as Canada, Cuba, and even Central America, by filibusters and military action to gain overseas colonies (Greenberg 10, 25, and 26). While Manifest Destiny first arose as a dominant ideology during the early nineteenth-century, the concept of American exceptionalism, the heart of this ideology, was older than the nation itself. This concept was taken by white Americans as proof that they, and their nation, were unique and marked by God for a special destiny (Greenberg, 5). It would be several decades before the advantages of American settlement would be presented to the world. One advantage being the Louisiana Purchase, which was the expansion westward.
boundaries of the continental U.S. and provided the needed land for a railroad route. The