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Road to Statehood 1846-1912
By Robert J. Torrez
Almost as soon as General Kearny and the Army of the West occupied Santa Fe in 1846, New Mexicans began taking steps towards becoming a state. This journey, however, took more than half a century to complete.
New Mexico's first state constitution was written in 1850. That spring, in anticipation of forming a state government, local government officials drafted a constitution which was overwhelmingly approved by voters. A legislature and executive officers were elected. That same summer, however, Congress passed the Compromise Bill of 1850, which granted New Mexico territorial status. The statehood plan was, in effect, nullified by the Federal government.
Several attempts to develop and implement another state constitution followed, including proposed constitutions which were defeated at the polls in 1872 and 1889. There was even an effort at joint statehood with Arizona in 1906, but this too was defeated by the voters. Each of these attempts, however, provided momentum to the statehood movement, culminating in New Mexico’s current constitution which was ratified in 1911.
Many reasons have been suggested for why it took New Mexico so long to become a state. Early efforts were hampered, in part, by a general ignorance about the territory and suspicions towards its people. Statehood was opposed by those who felt that New Mexico's predominantly Hispanic and Indian population was too foreign and too Catholic for admission to the American Union. There was even periodic debate as to whether a new name for the territory would help the cause of statehood. Names such as Navajo and Lincoln were suggested and seriously considered.
There were additional questions about the loyalty of these recently conquered people for their new country. This issue was laid to rest by the honorable service of New Mexico's citizens in the Union cause during the Civil War, and later in the Spanish American War.
A different race issue, however, also figured significantly into the delay. During the reconstruction period following the Civil War, New Mexico's chances for statehood appeared quite good. By 1876, New Mexico's delegates to Congress appeared to have won enough votes to admit the territory at the same time Colorado was granted statehood. Regrettably, their efforts were destroyed by one inadvertent handshake.
During the 1876 Congressional debates, Michigan Representative Julius Ceasar Burrows, an admired orator, rose to speak in favor of a bill designed to protect the civil rights of the recently freed Negro slaves. Stephen B. Elkins, New Mexico's delegate to Congress, was not present for most of the speech, but entered the House chambers just as Burrows was bringing his rousing oration to a close. Unaware of the full nature of Burrows' speech, Elkins rushed up to his colleague, and shook his hand in congratulations. Many Southern Congressmen interpreted Elkins' handshake as support for the civil rights legislation, and it cost New Mexico many of the votes it needed for passage of the statehood bill. Although New Mexico and Colorado had been anti-slavery territories during the Civil War, Colorado was voted into the Union in 1876 while New Mexico was forced to struggle for another 36 years.
New Mexico also suffered from unfavorable reactions in the eastern press to the crime and lawlessness associated with this "wild west" period of New Mexican history. An 1871 editorial in the New York Times called the territory "the heart of our worst civilization," and there were warnings that lawlessness was detrimental to economic progress. New Mexicans were fully aware of how the territory was viewed by the rest of the country. An 1881 Daily New Mexican editorial against lynchings, for example, pointed out that "the towns where lynchings are of frequent or even occasional occurance will be spoken of certainly as lawless and will be avoided by both capital and industrious labor." The paper also noted that "those who still cling to the customs of old pioneer days [did]...irreparable injury to the whole of the Territory."
Despite the myriad racial, religious, political, and economic issues which delayed every attempt at statehood, New Mexico's efforts never ceased. Finally, on June 20, 1910, President William H. Taft signed an Enabling Act which authorized the territory to call a constitutional convention in preparation for being admitted as a state. On October 3 of that year, 100 delegates elected from every county in the territory, convened at Santa Fe and drafted a constitution which was approved by voters on January 21, 1911. New Mexico had taken the final step towards becoming a full part of the United States of America.
A proud and distinguished delegation from New Mexico was present when President Taft signed the proclamation admitting New Mexico as the 47th state, at 1:35 P.M., January 6, 1912. After signing the long awaited document, the President turned to the delegation and said, "Well, it is all over. I am glad to give you life. I hope you will be healthy." New Mexico's long struggle for statehood was finally over.
A few days later, on January 15, 1912, William C. McDonald stood on the steps of the capitol building in Santa Fe and was inaugurated as the first Governor of the State of New Mexico. New Mexico then began the on going struggle to prove itself a worthy addition to the Union. Two world wars, innumerable economic and political changes, and the relentless march of progress have made New Mexico a place that would have been beyond the imagination of its aboriginal ancestors, Spanish conquistadors, Mexican farmers, French trappers, American soldiers, Jewish merchants, and all those who came to this place and made it their home.
Related Materials:
Proclamation of Statehood
Eastern View of NM in 1870s
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