Arkansans - Becoming Who We Are

In the year 1820 Cephas Washington, traveling as a missionary to the western Cherokee Indians, stopped at the small village of Walnut Hills (now known as Vicksburg, MS) and inquired about the way to Arkansas.  To his amazement, he related, “the way to get there was unknown.”[1] The time for this to change is long overdue!

by Curtis Coleman, Contributing Author: In the late 17th century, Father Jacques Marquette visited the Quapaw villages near the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers and named the region, Arkansas, or land of the “down-stream people.” Arkansas subsequently developed outside the mainstream of western expansion and throughout its history has remained one of the least known of the 50 states. [2] In fact, when I travel overseas I have to explain where Arkansas is in relation to Texas.

It’s time all that changed, and it’s time Arkansas became what it can be and should be – one of the most prosperous states in the United States.

And it can be exactly that!

We produce more food than we eat, more fiber than we wear, more energy than we burn, more timber than we require and more water than we can consume.  And we’ve produced Sam Walton, John Tyson and JB Hunt just to name a few.

For too long we’ve been told that “we can’t” and “we aren’t”, falling back far too often, and often far too inaccurately on “thank God for Mississippi.”

It’s time to put those days behind us.  It’s time for Arkansans to be what they can be and what it should be…the most prosperous and successful people in the United States of America.

Which is exactly why this year in this election, we need to be casting our ballots for the most conservative candidates we can find.  To a great extent, becoming who we really are depends on it.

[1] Williams, C. Fred A Documentary History of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR: University of Arkansas Press, 1984, pxv | [2] Ibid.

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Curtis Coleman is the President of The Curtis Coleman Institute for Constitutional Policy and contributing author to the ARRA News Service.

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