Home » Texas

Texas

Texas is a state in the South and Southwest regions of the United States. It joined the United States in 1845 as the 28th state, after ten years of self governing (1836-1846). (Annexation occured in 1845, but the actual transfer of power to the United States didn′t occur until 1846.) During those ten years of independence, it was recognized by the United States and several European nations as an independent country called the Republic of Texas.

The state name derives from a word in a Caddoan language of the Hasinai, táyshaÊ” (or tejas, as the Spaniards spelled it), meaning friends or allies. Spanish explorers mistakenly applied the word to the people and their location. (The Texas Department of Transportation pays homage to the origin of Texas in its "Drive Friendly" safe driving campaign.)

With an area of 268,820 square miles (696,241 km²) and a population of 22.5 million, Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous 48 states in area. (Alaska is the largest U.S. state in area and California is the most populous.) Texas has historically had a "larger than life" reputation, especially in cowboy films.

History

Texas can claim that "Six Flags" have flown over its soil: the Fleur-de-lis of France, and the national flags of Spain, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the United States of America and the Confederate States of America.

Native American tribes who once lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include Apache, Atakapan, Bidai, Caddo, Comanche, Cherokee, Kiowa, Tonkawa, and Wichita. Currently, there are three federally recognized Native American tribes which reside in Texas: the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, and the Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo of Texas.

On November 6, 1528 shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca became the first known European to set foot on Texas. A member of the Narváez expedition, he was later enslaved by a Native American tribe of the upper Gulf coast, and explored what are now the U.S. states of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on foot from coastal Louisiana to Sinaloa, Mexico, over a period of roughly six years. He returned to Europe in 1537, where he wrote about his experiences in a work called La relación ("The Tale").

Prior to 1821, Texas was part of the Spanish colony of New Spain. Moses Austin managed to buy land from the Spanish government in Texas. Moses purchased it with the help of Baron Felipe de Bastrop who presented the land scheme to the royal governor of Texas Antonio de Martinez. The governor passed along the favorable idea to his superior Commandant General of the Eastern Interior Province Joaquin de Arredondo. Moses was granted 200,000 acres (800 km²) of land of his choice.

After Mexican independence in 1821, Texas became part of Mexico and in 1824 became the northern section of Coahuila y Tejas. On 3 January 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 300 American families along the Brazos River in present-day Fort Bend County and Brazoria County, centered primarily in the area of what is now Sugar Land. This group became known as the "Old Three Hundred." The "Conventions" of 1832 and 1833 responded to rising unrest at the policies of the ruling Mexican government.

In 1835, Santa Anna, President of Mexico, proclaimed a unified constitution for all Mexican territories, including Texas. North American settlers in Texas announced they intended to secede from Mexico rather than give up their "right" to slavery, which Mexico had abolished. Other policies that irritated the Texians included the forcible disarmament of Texian settlers, and the expulsion of illegal immigrants from the United States of America. The example of the Centralista forces′ suppression of dissidents in Zacatecas also inspired fear of the Mexican government.

On March 2, 1836, the "Convention of 1836" signed the Texas "Declaration of Independence," declaring Texas an independent nation. On April 21, 1836 the Texans won their independence when they defeated the Mexican forces of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. A factor in the defeat of Santa Anna′s army at San Jacinto was the time the Texas Army got to gather itself, thanks to a small group of brave men at The Alamo and General Sam Houston′s strategy of giving up land until he had properly trained his army. Santa Anna himself passed into captivity, and on May 14, Republic of Texas officials and General Santa Anna signed the treaty of Velasco.

Later in 1836, the Texians adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery in Texas. The Republic of Texas included all the area now included in the state of Texas, although its self-proclaimed western and northwestern borders extended as far west as Santa Fe and as far northwest as present-day Wyoming, respectively.

In 1845, Texas was admitted to the United States as a constituent state of the Union. Annexation was mutually beneficial to Texas and the United States. Texas was in a very susceptible position following independence, with a weak government, little industry, and minimal infrastructure. The U.S. could not allow such a tenuous nation to sit right on its border. Texas also lay partially in the way of the U.S. expansion to the Pacific, and its "Manifest Destiny". The major stumbling block of annexation, besides the potential for war with Mexico, was the fact that Texas was a slave state and potentially would tip the balance between free and slave states due to its huge size. Some southerners were pushing for the ability to divide Texas into multiple states, thereby increasing the number of slave states even more. A compromise was reached in that if Texas were divided, any states north of the Missouri Compromise would be free states.

Some confusion has arisen over the annexation of Texas. Texas was admitted to the Union via a ′Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States′ on March 1, 1845. Prior to the resolution there were several efforts to arrive at a formal annexation treaty. These efforts failed due to the ongoing struggle between ′slave′, and ′free′ states. Due to the requirement of the US Constitution (Article II, Section 2) that all treaties be approved by 2/3rds of the Senate, a formal treaty was thus blocked. President John Tyler suggested that annexation be accomplished by the ′Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States′ as it required only a simple majority of members from each chamber of the US Congress for passage.

During the Civil War, Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. In 1870, the United States Congress readmitted Texas into the Union.

Texans pride themselves in a history of tradition, yet seeking new social and technological developments along the way. Austin is the headquarters of Dell and the surrounding area is known as "Silicon Hills", Dallas is a famously cosmopolitan metropolis and the birthplace of the integrated circuit, Houston is a leader in the oil industry, and cultures of San Antonio and El Paso retain their Mexican heritage while Fort Worth maintains its western heritage. The state tourism slogan is "Texas: It′s like a whole other country."

Texas

History

State designations and symbols

TEXAS COUNTIES

Share: