State and Constitution of ArizonaThe Constitution of Arizona was written in 1910; amended, ratified and approved by Congress in 1911. Arizona then became the 48th state and the last bordering state to be welcomed into the Union; on February 14, 1912. Since then, the citizens of Arizona have amended their Constitution several times. The Constitution includes thirty articles. Many events impacted the process by which Arizona became its own state. The first section will examine the events that developed the Arizona Constitution. The following section will summarize the powers and functions of the three branches of Arizona government. In the following section, we will discuss the procedures for amending this Constitution. Finally, a reflection on the process of amending the Arizona Constitution will close this paper. The State of Arizona Let's start in the 1500s, when Arizona was first explored by the Spanish. In 1539, Arizona was claimed for Spain by Marcos de Niza. The first Spanish settlers established themselves in 1752 in Tubac. There were numerous revolts from both the Pima and Papago tribes. In 1821, Mexico gained military control of Arizona. The United States won the Mexican War in 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the United States most of Arizona. The remainder of the state was ceded to the United States in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona discovered copper in 1854. Arizona became a state on Valentine's Day in 1912. The state's name comes from the Spanish word Arizonac. This term means small source” (Bright, 2004, p. 47). The state motto became "Ditat Deus", which translates to "God enriches". The pre-territorial period (1539 and before) Archaeologists have confirmed that people lived...... middle of paper..... . the future. Progressive framers would approve the process of amending the Arizona Constitution. The framers wanted the needs of citizens to be met rather than those of the government. The framers wanted the people to have power over the legislative branch. This is why they allowed the people to vote for their elected officials. The democracy that the founders established keeps power out of the hands of the government and places power in the hands of the people. ReferencesASI, (2012). The Arizona Constitution: Study Guide. Massachusetts: Academic Solutions, Inc. Bright, W., (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. LLC. (2012). Arizona. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Columbia University Press. McClory, T., (2010). Understanding the Arizona Constitution. Tucson: University of ArizonaPress.