History of Arkansas

 was the 25th state admitted to the.

Exploration and early inhabitation
The first European to reach Arkansas was the explorer  at the end of the 16th century. Arkansas is one of several formed from the territory purchased from  in the. The early Spanish or French explorers of the state gave it its name, which is probably a phonetic spelling for the word for the  people, who lived downriver from them.

Other nations that lived in Arkansas prior to westward movement were the Quapaw,, and  nations. While moving westward, the inhabited Arkansas during its territorial period.

Early 19th Century territory and statehood
The region was organized as the on, , but the territory was admitted to the  as the  on , , as the 25th  and the 13th.

Arkansas played a key role in aiding Texas in its war for independence with Mexico, sending troops and materials to Texas to help fight the war. The proximity of the city of to the Texas border involved the town in the  of 1835-36. Some evidence suggests and his compatriots planned the revolt in a tavern at Washington in 1834. When the fighting began a stream of volunteers from Arkansas and the eastern states flowed through the town toward the Texas battle fields. When the began in 1846, Washington became a rendezvous for volunteer troops. Governor Thomas S. Drew issued a proclamation calling on the state to furnish one regiment of calvary and one battalion of infantry to join the United States Army. Ten companies of men assembled here where they were formed into the first Regiment of Arkansas Cavalry.

Civil War

 * See the main article .

Arkansas refused to join the until after   called for troops to respond to the attack on, , by. The State of Arkansas seceded from the on,. While not often cited in history, the state was the scene of numerous small-scale battles during the.

Arkansans of note during the Civil War include Confederate. Considered by many to be one of the most brilliant Confederate division commanders of the war, Cleburne is often referred to as "The Stonewall of the West." Also of note is Major General. A former, Hindman commanded Confederate forces at the and.

Late 19th Century
Under the, Congress readmitted Arkansas in June 1868.

In 1874, the shook Little Rock and the state governorship which was finally settled when Grant ordered that Joseph Brooks disperse his militant supporters.

In 1881, the Arkansas state legislature enacted a bill that adopted an official pronunciation, to combat a controversy then raging around the proper pronunciation of the state's name.

20th Century
After the case in 1957, the  incident again brought Arkansas to national attention when the Federal government was forced to again interfere in the Arkansan capital. , governor at the time, sent the to aid segregationists in preventing nine African-American students from enrolling at Little Rock's Central High School by the fall of 1959.

, the 42nd, was born in. Before his presidency, Clinton served nearly twelve years as the 50th and 52nd of Arkansas.

the judge was judge parker in the 19th century.and also another term for slaves was involenteerly immgrants.they did not like to be called eather though.