Politics (from Greek politikos “of, for, or relating to citizens”) as a term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the corporate, academic, and religious segments of society. It consists of “social relations involving authority or power” and to the methods and tactics used to formulate and apply policy.[1]
Modern political discourse focuses on democracy and the relationship between people and politics. It is thought of as the way we “choose government officials and make decisions about public policy”.
Kearny Address United States Army Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny in Las Vegas, makes his first address to the Alcalde and the people of New Mexico on August 15, 1846. This is the first official statement of the United States in the invasion of the Southwest. “Mr. Alcalde, and people…
Biographical essay of Territorial Governor George Curry. George Curry, the second to the last Territorial Governor of New Mexico, was born April 3, 1861 at Greenwood Plantation, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, located north of Baton Rouge. As the eldest of the four sons of George Alexander and Clara Madden…
This is the first constitution of what was to become the State of New Mexico. It was drafted in 1850 but never went into effect because at that time New Mexico was not yet an organized territory of the United States but was under the direction of a military…
On June 2, 1924, President Calvin Coolidge signed into law a very brief act stating “that all non-citizen Indians born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States: Provided, that the granting of such citizenship shall…
Between 1821 and the outbreak of war with the United States in 1846, no governor of New Mexico enjoyed a longer term in office than Manuel Armijo. He ruled from 1827 to 1829 and again for all but eighteen months between 1837 and the arrival of American troops in…
On January 6, 1822, Santa Fe celebrated New Spain’s independence from Spain in a gala ceremony with church services, processions, pageantry, the firing of guns and ringing of bells. Soon afterward Governor Facundo Melgares penned a vivid and detailed description of this event for the official government newspaper, the…
A Royalist in Transition: Facundo Melgares, the Last Spanish Governor of New Mexico: 1818‑1822 by Arthur Gomez In August 1818 Viceroy Juan Ruíz de Apodaca, the Conde de Venadito, received documents written by an anonymous visitor to New Mexico. These papers, intercepted by Spanish ambassador to the United States,…
The Civilian Government and Military Commanders Bitterly Disagree on Native Relations In this document, the civilian government and military commanders bitterly disagree on how to handle relations between Native Americans and the local residents. In this document, the civilian government and military commanders bitterly disagree on how to handle…
Twenty-second Governor of New Mexico, 1668-1671. WPA Writers Project By Grace Meredith Captain Don Juan de Medrano y Mesia was the twenty‑second governor of New Mexico, and unfortunately only a little information concerning him and his activities, is to be found in any of the historical works now…
Governor Manuel Portillo Urrisola, 1760-1762 by RickHendricks, Ph.D. Manuel Portillo Urrisola was a native of Valencia, Spain. He entered the royal service in 1717 army and continued as a soldier and cadet in the Dragoons of Belgium until 20 January 1735. During that time he participated in the Navarra…
