1. An Invitation to Statehood
Unit 13 Part 1

2. An Invitation to Statehood
On October 11, 1911, Charles Walsh looked down on the Rio Grande. Seated on the lower wing of his Curtiss biplane, Walsh flew south down the valley. His flight took ten minutes to cover twelve miles. Walsh completed the first airplane flight ever in NM.

3. An Invitation to Statehood
By 1900 most New Mexicans wanted statehood. During this time, several factors had hurt their chances:
The very name “New Mexico” had raised eyebrows. Was this some “foreign land’ trying to slip into the Union?
Some opponents to statehood for NM pointed to a lack of public schools.

4. An Invitation to Statehood
In addition:
Others claimed that New Mexico’s Hispanic citizens were not “Americans.” They did not trust the loyalty of citizens who spoke Spanish.
Lawless events, such as the Lincoln County War, also painted a poor picture of NM.

5. An Invitation to Statehood
Finally, in 1910 Congress acted. It passed an enabling act telling New Mexicans to draw up a constitution. They could do so knowing that Congress was ready to grant statehood. The voters and Congress approved the constitution, and on January 6, 1912, President Taft made it official: NM became the 47th state in the Union.

6. An Invitation to Statehood
Under the constitution, NM has three branches: The legislative branch makes the laws; The executive branch carries out the laws; and, The judicial branch says what the laws mean.

7. An Invitation to Statehood
The governor heads the executive branch. State governors have many jobs to perform. They can approve laws passed by the legislature. They also have the power to “veto” laws. The power to veto means the governor can say “no” to an act passed by the legislature. The governor also appoints heads of the many departments of state government. Today, governors are elected for four years to serve in office.

8. An Invitation to Statehood
The legislature has two parts: the senate and the house of representatives. Voters elect senators and representatives from around the state. Together they introduce and pass laws. A two-thirds majority of both the senate and the house is required to overturn a governor’s veto of law. Senators serve four-year terms, while representatives serve two- year terms.

9. An Invitation to Statehood
The state courts make up the judicial branch. This branch of government decides cases. District courts are the main trial courts. They hear most cases for the first time. A supreme court and a court of appeals review the decisions of the district courts. NM judges today are either appointed by the governor or elected to office by the voters.

10. An Invitation to Statehood
Almost all the main offices in state government are elected. From the start Hispanics ran for state offices. Voters elected Ezequiel C de Baca as the state’s first lieutenant governor. Octaviano Larrazolo was the first Hispanic ever to serve in the U.S. Senate.

11. An Invitation to Statehood
In 1920 women in NM gained the right to vote. In 1922, Soledad Chacon won election as NM’s secretary of state. Women have held that office ever since. For a time in 1924, Chacon was the first female acting governor of NM. At that time both the governor and lt. governor were out of state.

12. An Invitation to Statehood
Another woman, Nina Otero Warren, also made her mark in politics. In 1917, Otero became a leading spokesperson for giving the right to vote to women. In the 1920s she served as school superintendent in Santa Fe. In that job she worked hard to improve NM schools.

13. An Invitation to Statehood
Because of the efforts of Otero Warren and Chacon, women have continued to play an important role in NM politics and government.

14. An Invitation to Statehood
The End