Short Answer 1) Was Sid McMath a progressive? Explain.

Sidney McMath’s time as governor could be described as progressive since it did not fit with conservative or Dixicrat views. When McMath took office in 1948after beating Laney and the two were dramatically different politically. McMath broke protocol by putting blacks into board and commissions that they had not been allowed to serve on before. He worked hard to make thing equal with school funding. He removed the poll tax along with raising the minimum wage. He made great improvements during his one term as governor, but was not supported by the conservative business community.

2) Discuss the political career of Winthrop Rockefeller.

Winthrop Rockefeller was first appointed in 1954 as director of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission. After his fall out with Faubus and the Little Rock crisis Rockefeller decided to begin building his campaign for governor. His first run in 1964 was unsuccessful, but he was able to secure the governor seat in 1966 and held it for two terms. Rockefeller was able to gain large support from the black voters after the Voting Right Act of 1965. The Freedom of Information Act passed during his time is office was a large success that we still benefit from today.

3) Discuss how Pryor and Bumpers changed Arkansas government?

Dale Bumpers and David Pryor were progressive and made great strides in moving Arkansas forward during the 1960s and 70s. Bumpers was able to push some of Rockefellers changes through and increased education funding and increase teachers’ salaries. Pryor like Bumpers was met with some limits to how progressive the state was willing to be, but in the end both men were able to benefit the state. Pryor appointed many black and women to positions previously held my men. Although Pryor was unable to pass the Arkansas Plan he was able to create government agencies to help with housing and energy conservation.

4) Why did Clinton fail to beat White in 1980?

There is not one clear reason for Clintons defeat in 1980, but rather several relatively smaller issues that upset the voting public. When the fees were raised for vehicle registration and title transfers voters were unhappy even though the fees went to road repair and construction. Economic hardships due to a recession compounded with the raise in fee and natural disasters made many voters look to new leadership. The public view of Clinton aides was not favorable as many felt “brushed aside” by them. The handling of the Cuban refugee fiasco and Clinton’s relationship with president Carter did not matters any. 5) Why did Tucker resign from office? How were the Clintons involved in this controversy?

Lt. Governor Jim Guy Tucker resigned in 1996 due to being found guilty of infractions from loan and tax issues related to his television station. The investigation into Clinton and Whitewater lead to finding against Tucker even though he was not involved in Whitewater. The investigators for this case was never able to charge President Clinton or his wife with anything he did however successfully bring charges against many others. This investigation was not connected to the allegations that lead Clinton’s impeachment. Even though Clinton was impeached he was not removed from office.

6) While linked with conservatives, Huckabee was rather progressive. Discuss two of his major programs.

Mike Huckabee’s ARKids program and education funding were two of his major program. Education funding and teachers’ salaries had long been causes of the Democrats, however “he promised a dramatic raise in teacher salaries.” Many in the state were unaware of cuts that would be made to raise teachers’ pay, but it was necessary to keep them from working in surrounding states. The ARKids program and his promotion of got Huckabee dubbed a “Compassionate conservative.” He also had an unusual amount of support from the black voters.
Essay
Identify and discuss at least three of the major political issues addressed by our governors from 1960 to now. How has each governor addressed the problem and what has been the reaction of the people to that movement? Since the 1960s until now there have many issues that reoccurred for Arkansas elected officials. Education funding and teaching salaries have been an issue that several governors have addressed at different times. Civil rights and segregation played a large role in the 1960 and less of a role politically in the decades to follow. Raising funds for highway repair and building has been an issue for decades, and continues to be and topic of concern. Each governor had new challenges to arise during their term in office, but many faced the same issues as their predecessor. Despite different political agendas going to their time a governor each man made progress and built off of the work laid out by the one who served before. Winthrop Rockefeller and Dale Bumpers had similar ideas on improvement for education and were able to make progress in that area. Bumpers was able to pass legislation in the early 1970s to raise teaching pay, provide free textbooks and extend college funding that Rockefeller was unable to get passed. Clinton’s era as governor in 1984 brought forth education reform which made class size smaller and the school year and day longer. Huckabee also took part in long running battle to raise teaching pay, while the legislation was passed to raise pay Arkansas was losing its best teachers to surrounding state with better salaries. This is a fight that will continue for decades to come education funding will always need to rise to stay competitive with other states. Civil right and segregation in schools had a large impact on Arkansas during the 1960s and Governor Faubus had been on both sides of the issue. In the 1950s Faubus had often been seem as a racial progressive when he appointed blacks to committee positions, but on desegregation and integration he seemed to skirt the issues. The handling of the “Little Rock Nine” situation was the largest impact on Faubus political career. Years later most progressive governors had large numbers of black support, and school integration did not greatly impact any other governors term. Rockefeller and Bumpers appointed many blacks to boards, committees and Pryor appointed the first black women to the Arkansas Supreme court. Arkansas highway funding has been an issue that has plagued governors for several decades. While progress has been made the battle was not easy to get voters or legislators to support or pass the needed bills. Governor Clinton learned how hard it was to get support when he raised fees on vehicle registrations to fund road repair and subsequently lost his reelection campaign in 1980. Clinton was able to regain his governor position in 1982 and focused more on education than highway funding this time around. Highway funds are still a topic brought up in many legislative sessions, and issue governors must try to balance every term. School integration and education are areas that are often negative for Arkansas history, as a state we lagged behind many other on these issues. Our governors have worked hard to make advances in funding for teachers and colleges. Each governor inherited the problems of the previous term but worked to get the job done. While some governors had a more controversy than others many of them were working on the same issues. The goal of improving Arkansas was the top priority and each governor worked hard to build off of what was laid before them.