“The Struggle to Become A State”

The Struggle Is Real

Stephen Watts Kearney

• Brigadier General in the U.S. Army

• August 1846, arrive in Santa Fe and declared all New Mexicans as American citizens.

• Conquered NM without firing a shot.

• Led illegal treason trials.

Geronimo

• Very famous Apache leader.

• Fought back against US at San Carlos, AZ.

• Didn’t surrender until September 4, 1886.

• Passed away in 1909.

Charles Bent

• First US governor of NM.

• Appointed governor by Kearny.

• Suspected rebellion against the US; had rebels arrested.

• Killed by rebels during the Revolt of 1847 at his home in Taos, NM.

Santa Fe Ring

• Made up of wealthy lawyers and businessmen.

• Thomas Catron, Lawrence Murphy, and many others.

• Used power to buy and control land – using it for their greedy purposes.

Kit Carson

• Colonel in the US Army.• Sent to stop Navajos from

raiding Hispanic and Anglo settlements.

• Led attacks on Navajo settlements in western NM.

• Forced the surrender of over 2,000 Navajos -- eventually causing their relocation to Bosque Redondo.

Buffalo Soldiers

• Black US troopers sent to protect white settlements from Apache raids.

• Helped significantly, but also committed atrocities.

• Forced surrender of Geronimo in 1886

William “Billy the Kid” Bonney

• Most famous “Wild West gunslinger”.

• Hired by John Tunstall to combat Murphy during the Lincoln County War.

• Killed in Fort Sumner by sheriff Pat Garrett on July 14, 1881.

John Tunstall

• Englishman who established a mercantile in Lincoln.

• Opponent of powerful local boss Lawrence Murphy.

• Wanted to profit by supplying military and Native American reservations with goods.

• Murdered by Murphy’s gang on February 18, 1878.

Lawrence Murphy

• Suspected member of the Santa Fe Ring.

• Very powerful local boss in Lincoln County.

• Opponent of Tunstall in the Lincoln County War.

• Likely had Tunstall murdered in 1878.

Atchinson, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad

• First arrived in New Mexico in 1880.

• Tied NM to the rest of the country by improving transportation and communication.

• Led to the advancement and imposing of Anglo culture in NM

Governor Miguel Otero

• Governor of NM territory during the Spanish-American War.

• Got outraged when people questioned New Mexican loyalty during the war.

• Decisively claimed that NM was loyal to the United States and not Spain.

Rough Riders

• Most famous fighting unit of the Spanish-American War.

• New Mexican fighters returned as heroes.

• Fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt, the future President of the United States.