NEVADA HISTORY AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This virtual lecture is intended to fulfill the Constitutional requirements of this course. I have heard too many stories about how this unit is conveniently forgotten. It is a valid-and important-requirement and reflects a similar practice in every other state. For us, it is especially important to learn about the evolution of Nevada. After all, most of us are "Johnny-come-lately’ s" from other states. I hail from Wisconsin and was raised believing Nevada was some sort of "den of iniquity", a sinful place, a wild place (relative to Wisconsin, this is true of course). What I have learned in the my ten years of living in Nevada is that the state has been a misunderstood part of Americana. I will hope to dispel many of the myths about the state (especially those that lifelong residents have themselves mistakenly perpetuated).

HISTORY

As you have come to know me this semester, I am sure you have noted I am not your typical modern-day social scientist. I simply prefer the value of knowing history over the ability to conduct behavioral research. NOTHING occurs in a vacuum. Rather, what is happening and likely what will happen is shaped by what did happen. This is especially true when trying to understand Nevada.

1840s

What is now Nevada was first explored during the early 1840s by the Fremont expedition. Many of the mountain ranges, lakes and rivers were named by members of the expedition and dutifully recorded on maps. The expedition also provided narratives to describe the countryside they explored. Certainly, this area was vast but it was also desolate and sparsely populated. Newspaper readers back east lost interest when it became apparent the land was unsuitable for farming and turned showed far more interested in the Rockies and California.

In 1849, the California gold rush prompted a massive migration of mostly men westward to "get rich quick". They swarmed into California passing through what is now Nevada. They learned firsthand the harshness of the northern desert (40-mile desert was the most infamous) as well as the challenges of the Sierras. As miners wrote home, they related stories and experiences about what was then known as the .

In 1849, the first permanent white settlement was established in what is today Nevada. Then called Mormon Station (now Genoa), it ironically had nothing to do with the California gold rush. Rather, it was established as a key link between San Francisco and the center of the Mormon faith (now Salt Lake City). Converts wer brought by ship to San Francisco, then transported overland.

1860s As the California gold rush faded in the 1850s, miners gradually began to return home. Returning through what is now Nevada, prospectors tried their luck along the way. In one of the greatest discoveries of all time, the largest-ever deposit of silver was found in the Comstock-and the rush to Washoe was on.

Myth #1: Nevada became a state because the North needed our silver for the Civil War effort. Not true. After all, the North already controlled Nevada Territory. What difference did it make whether or not we were a state.

Silver was a factor that indeed inspired many a prospector to flock to the Comstock. But a number of factors contributed to statehood for Nevada:

 In 1860, fearing that Mormons would engage in a "land-grab" and declare an independent country, then-President Buchanan reduced the size of the Utah Territory with the creation of the Nevada Territory.

 He left office before being able to select a territorial governor; his successor, Abraham Lincoln, named Joseph Nye territorial governor in 1861 just as the Civil War was beginning. Lincoln was convinced the war would be protracted (long) and could affect his chances for re-election in 1864. He directed Nye to push for statehood for the Nevada Territory before the 1864 election. Nye focused on the task in spite of a very small population. He summoned a constitutional convention in early 1864 and drafted a state constitution. To his surprise, the U.S. Congress rejected the draft. Nye hastily summoned a second constitutional convention, and to expedite matters, invited a group of Californians over to write the new draft They essentially copied the existing California constitution. With time running out, Nye had the new draft transmitted to Chicago using the recently established telegraph connection. In so doing, the Nevada constitutional draft became the longest telegraph message in history (before or since) and cost $300 to sent (a lot of money for that day). From Chicago, the draft was sent by train to Washington, D.C. where a Republican-controlled Congress quickly accepted the new draft on October 31st, 1864 (requiring 5 conditions be met), just days before the national election. Nevada was permitted to participate in the election, AND the new state voted overwhelmingly for Lincoln.

 The transcontinental railroad was coming. It crossed Nevada in 1868; land deals for the railroad had to be made and dealing with a state was preferable to dealing with the territorial government/Federal government.

So, in reality, essentially Nevada became a state because Lincoln wanted to shore up his chances for re-election. At a time before public opinion polls, the only sure bet for securing electoral votes was statehood – every new state always voted for the president that helped to make them a state.

If you are looking for a more noble reason, then the 13th Amendment is worth a mention. Lincoln had proposed this amendment (it would free the slaves) but fell short of the number of states needed to ratify by one (the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that even though the southern states had seceded from the Union, their number must still be counted when determining the number of states needed to ratify an amendment. When Nevada became a state, the first major action of its new legislature in 1865 was to ratify the 13th Amendment giving it the number of states needed to become part of the constitution.

REMAINDER OF 19TH CENTURY

Reno became a city in 1868 and quickly emerged as the largest in the state (battled with Carson, Virginia City and Elko for the title). Reno would remain the largest city until 1959 when took top billing. During the latter portion of the 19th Century, Nevada’s economy followed a recurring boom/bust cycle related to mining discoveries. The population was preponderantly male and here only to "get rich quick". Nevada’s population varied dependent upon ore discoveries. By 1900, there were only 100,000 residents as the surpassed 100 million, and some in Congress began to call for rescinding Nevada’s statehood.

1900s

To create a more stable state economy, Nevada took a very controversial step during the first decade of the new century; it legalized divorce and quickly emerged as the divorce capital of the country. No other state permitted divorce at that time (or it would take years to achieve). The very wealthy seized on the opportunity. Reno lawyers standardized the fee for processing a divorce; it came to be known as the "$300 cure".

In 1931, at the depths of the depression, Nevada took another controversial step in legalizing gambling. It proved to be a good revenue source for the cash-strapped state, BUT it furthered the rather smarmy reputation for the state (what with divorce, gambling and a tolerance for prostitution).

During World War II, many secret military training and development programs were based in Nevada due to its vast size and small population. As late as 1940, there were still only 100,000 people in the state. After World War II, the massive growth of California coupled with efforts to make Nevada an "adult playground" spawned the gaming industry we know today.

The 1950s were distinguished by the first real attempts to regulate gaming – it had been controlled by organized crime but the state and the Federal Government worked to promote more legitimacy and above-board practices – and the advent of atomic testing in Nevada; by 1962, more than 900 atmospheric tests had been conducted (can you say "glow in the dark"?). After 1962, testing went underground.

In 1963, prostitution was legalized in counties with populations less than 100,000 (Reno and Las Vegas were prohibited from allowing prostitution – this remains true today). By 1970, Nevada’s population had reach 700,000; the 1990 census determined a population of 1.2 million and the 2000 census now reports approximately 2 million people residing in the state. This is phenomenal given the state’s population of only 100,000 as late as 1940. 1.9 million people have moved to Nevada in the past 60 years making the state the fastest growing for the past several decades.

In the next virtual lecture, I will discuss some of the contemporary challenges facing the state of Nevada as well as the current make-up of its government.