I have one of those ‘New State Quarter Commemorative Collection’ books that you fill up with quarters that are issued by the Government, five per year, in order of that States joining the Union. It started in 1999 with Delaware, and ends with Hawaii in 2008. Then, I’ll have a big red book worth $12.50.
Excluding Alaska and Hawaii, which joined in more modern times…1959…I find that Arizona joined last in 1912. Why the over 200 year time period? Arizona was settled in 1776, what was the reason that they finally decided to go with the crowd?
Not sufficient population to justify statehood?
They were part of Mexico until 1847. After that, it may have been a case of the US wanting them.
What over 200 year time period? 1912 - 1776 = 136.
Virginia was settled in 1608. It wouldn’t have been ready to be a state at that point. I doubt Arizona – or any state – was ready to be a state the same year it was settled, or shortly thereafter.
New Mexico joined at about the same time. In addition to needing to gain enough population, there was the peculiar situation during the Civil War in the New Mexico territory (which originally included present day Arizona). The Confederates invaded from Texas and occupied, setting up the “Arizona Territory”. Much of the population was sympathetic to the Confederacy - many had come from Virginia. In 1863, the US formally split the New Mexico territory in half, and created their own version of the “Arizona Territory”. Following the Civil War, there was a huge influx of settlers into Arizona, most of whom were Confederates and Southern refugees. Arizona had a sizeable Mormon population, also. Obviously, with the confused situation nobody was going to suggest statehood for the area during reconstruction. The demographics may have retarded statehood even when the population was sufficient, and there were arguments as to whether Arizona and New Mexico would become one state or two.
Each state* was admitted to the union when it had a sufficient population, and territorial and local government in place, to justify statehood, and when it had adequate support in Congress to warrant a statehood resolution being passed. New Mexico and Arizona lagged in that, for historical and geoclimatic reasons. (Sonoran Desert and mountains, limited arable land, not particularly well located for trade).
- Nevada is an exception, for reasons connected with the Civil War.
The way it’s taught here (at least to me) is that New Mexico spent lots of time before 1912 petitioning for statehood but was turned down because of the demographics (not the size of the population but the makeup.) I suppose the argument follows the same logic as one argument about why the US didn’t go ahead and take Mexico all the way to at least Mexico City after the Mexican War. Though I do wonder how true that explanation is.