"In reality, Arkansas did not decide to back the Union until Lincoln called on them to send troops to put down the other states that had." Do you mean ARkansas backed the COnfederacy after Lincoln called for troops to back the Union?

As you describe why Arkansas backed the Confederacy is how I understand it also from the history books. To my understanding Arkansas did not want in the war. It was after Lincoln called for Arkansas to send troops to fight for the Union; and as you stated the powerful interests of the wealthy southern Arkansas farmers influenced Arkansas to side with Confederacy to save their slavery market so to save their cotton market to save their position as wealthy and powerful farmers.

So the loss of lives of so many of our ancestors in the civil war was to protect the interests of the few greedy and powerful farmers. "F" the confederacy!