Republic of Texas

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Republic of Texas
República de Tejas (Spanish)

1836–1846

Flag
(1839–1845)

Seal
(1839–1845)

Map of the Republic of Texas. The disputed area is in light green, while
the Republic is in dark green.

 San Antonio de Bexar(Mexican

Capital
Texas)
 San Felipe de Austin (1835,
provisional)
  Washington-on-the-Brazos(1836,
interim)
 Harrisburg (1836, interim)
 Galveston (1836, interim)
 Velasco (1836, interim)
 Columbia (1836–1837)
 Houston (1837–1839)
 Austin (1839–1846)

Common languages English and Spanish (de

facto) French and German
Native languages (Caddo, Comanche)
and Portugueseregionally

Government Constitutional republic

President1

• 1836 David G. Burnet

• 1836–38 Sam Houston, 1st term
• 1838–41 Mirabeau B. Lamar
• 1841–44 Sam Houston, 2nd term
• 1844–46 Anson Jones
1
Vice President

• 1836 Lorenzo de Zavala

• 1836–38 Mirabeau B. Lamar
• 1838–41 David G. Burnet
• 1841–44 Edward Burleson
• 1844–45 Kenneth L. Anderson

Legislature Congress

Historical era Western Expansion

• Independence from Mexico March 2 1836

• Annexation by the United December 29, 1845
States of America
• Transfer of power February 19 1846

Area
1840 1,007,935 km2(389,166 sq mi)

Population

• 1840 70000
 Currency Republic of Texas Dollar

Preceded by Succeeded by
Coahuila y Texas
Tejas
New Mexico Territory
First Mexican
Republic Indian Territory
Louisiana Second Federal
Republic of Mexico
Cimarron Territory
Kansas Territory

Today part of United States

Mexico (shifting Rio Grande)

1
Interim period (March 16 – October 22, 1836): President: David G.
Burnet, Vice President Lorenzo de Zavala

The Burnet Flag used from December 1836 to January 1839 as the national flag until it was replaced by the
Lone Star Flag, and as the war flag from January 25, 1839 to December 29, 1845[1]

Naval ensign of the Texas Navyfrom 1836–1839 until it was replaced by the Lone Star Flag[1]

The Lone Star Flag became the national flag on January 25, 1839 (identical to modern state flag)[1]
 The Republic of Texas (Spanish: República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that
existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. It was bordered by Mexico to the west and
southwest, the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast, the two U.S. states of Louisiana and Arkansas to the
east and northeast, and United States territories encompassing parts of the current U.S. states
of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico to the north and west. The citizens of
the republic were known as Texians.
The Mexican province of Tejas (in English history books usually referred to as Mexican Texas)
declared its independence from Mexico during the Texas Revolution in 1836. The Texas war of
independence ended on April 21, 1836, but Mexico refused to recognize the independence of the
Republic of Texas, and intermittent conflicts between the two states continued into the 1840s. The
United States recognized the Republic of Texas in March 1837 but declined to annex the territory.[2]
The Republic-claimed borders were based upon the Treaties of Velasco between the newly created
Texas Republic and Antonio López de Santa Anna of Mexico. The eastern boundary had been
defined by the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 between the United States and Spain, which recognised
the Sabine River as the eastern boundary of Spanish Texas and western boundary of the Missouri
Territory. Under the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 the United States had renounced its claim to
Spanish land to the east of the Rocky Mountains and to the north of the Rio Grande which it claimed
to have acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.
The republic's southern and western boundary with Mexico continued to be disputed throughout the
republic's existence. Texas claimed the Rio Grande as its southern boundary, while Mexico insisted
that the Nueces River was the boundary. Texas was annexed by the United States on December 29,
1845 and was admitted to the Union as the 28th state on that day, with the transfer of power from
the Republic to the new state of Texas formally taking place on February 19, 1846.[citation
needed]
However, the United States again inherited the southern and western border dispute with
Mexico, which became a trigger for the Mexican–American War (1846–1848).

Contents

 1History
o 1.1Texas prior to independence
o 1.2Independent republic
 1.2.1Politics
 1.2.2Armed conflict
 2Government
 3Boundaries
 4Diplomatic relations
 5Presidents and vice presidents
 6Statehood
 7See also
 8Notes
 9References
 10Further reading
 11External links

History[edit]
Texas prior to independence[edit]
See also: Spanish Texas and Mexican Texas
Texas had been one of the Provincias Internas of New Spain, a region known historiographically
as Spanish Texas. Though claimed by Spain, it was not formally colonized by them until
competing French interests at Fort St. Louis encouraged Spain to establish permanent settlements
in the area.[3] Sporadic missionary incursions occurred into the area during the period from the
1690s–1710s, before the establishment of San Antonio as a permanent civilian settlement.[4] Owing
to the area's high Native American populations and its remoteness from the population centers of
New Spain, Texas remained largely unsettled by Europeans, although Spain maintained a small
military presence to protect Christian missionaries working among Native American tribes, and to act
as a buffer against the French in Louisiana and British North America. In 1762, France ceded to
Spain most of its claims to the interior of North America, including its claim to Texas, as well as the
vast interior that became Spanish Louisiana.[5] During the years 1799 to 1803, the height of the
Napoleonic Empire, Spain returned Louisiana back to France, which promptly sold the territory to the
United States. The status of Texas during these transfers was unclear and was not resolved until
1819, when the Adams–Onís Treatyceded Spanish Florida to the United States, and established a
clear boundary between Texas and Louisiana.[6]
Starting in 1810, the territories of New Spain north of the Isthmus of Panama (including Texas)
sought independence in the Mexican War of Independence. Many Americans fought on the side of
Mexico against Spain in filibustering expeditions. One of these, the Gutiérrez–Magee
Expedition (also known as the Republican Army of the North) consisted of a group of about 130
Americans under the leadership of Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara. Gutierrez de Lara initiated Mexico's
secession from Spain with efforts contributed by Magee. Bolstered by new recruits, and led
by Samuel Kemper (who succeeded Magee after his death in battle in 1813), the expedition gained
a series of victories against soldiers led by the Spanish governor, Manuel María de Salcedo. Their
victory at the Battle of Rosillo Creek convinced Salcedo to surrender on April 1, 1813; he was
executed two days later. On April 6, 1813, the victorious Republican Army of the North drafted a
constitution and declared the independent Republic of Texas, with Gutiérrez as its president.[7] Soon
disillusioned with the Mexican leadership, the Americans under Kemper returned to the United
States. The ephemeral Republic of Texas came to an end following the August 18, 1813 Battle of
Medina, where the Spanish Army crushed the Republican Army of the North. The harsh reprisals
against the Texas rebels created a deep distrust of the Royal Spanish authorities, and veterans of
the Battle of Medina would later become leaders of the Texas Revolution and signatories of
the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico some 20 years later.
Along with the rest of Mexico, Texas gained its independence from Spain in 1821 following
the Treaty of Córdoba, and the new Mexican state was organized under the Plan of Iguala, which
created Mexico as a constitutional monarchy under its first Emperor Agustín de Iturbide. During the
transition from a Spanish territory to part of the independent country of Mexico, Stephen F.
Austin led a group of American settlers known as the Old Three Hundred, who negotiated the right to
settle in Texas with the Spanish Royal governor of the territory. Since Mexican independence had
been ratified by Spain shortly thereafter, Austin would later travel to Mexico City to secure the
support of the new country for his right to settle.[8] The establishment of Mexican Texas coincided
with the Austin-led settlement, leading to animosity between Mexican authorities and ongoing
American settlement of Texas. The First Mexican Empire was short lived, being replaced by a
republican form of government in 1823. Following Austin's lead, additional groups of settlers, known
as Empresarios, continued to colonize Mexican Texas from the United States. In 1830, Mexican
President Anastasio Bustamante outlawed American immigration to Texas, following several
conflicts with the Empresarios over the status of slavery in the region.[9] Angered at the interference
of the Mexican government, the Empresarios held the Convention of 1832, which is considered the
first formal step in what would later become the Texas Revolution.
On the eve of war, the American settlers in the area outnumbered Mexicans by a considerable
margin.[10] Following a series of minor skirmishes between Mexican authorities and the settlers, the
Mexican government, fearing open rebellion of their Anglo subjects, began to step up military
presence in Texas throughout 1834 and early 1835. Mexican President Antonio López de Santa
Anna revoked the 1824 Constitution of Mexico and began to consolidate power in the central
government under his own leadership. The Texianleadership under Austin began to organize its own
military, and hostilities broke out on October 2, 1835 at the Battle of Gonzales, the first engagement
of the Texas Revolution.[11]In November 1835, a provisional government known as
the Consultation was established to oppose the Santa Anna regime (but stopped short of declaring
independence from Mexico). On March 1, 1836 the Convention of 1836 came to order, and the next
day declared independence from Mexico, establishing the Republic of Texas.[12]
Independent republic[edit]
Politics[edit]

Map of the Republic of Texas and the Adjacent Territories by C.F. Cheffins, 1841

The second Congress of the Republic of Texas convened in October 1836 at Columbia (now West
Columbia). Stephen F. Austin, known as the Father of Texas, died December 27, 1836, after serving
two months as Secretary of State for the new Republic.
In 1836, five sites served as temporary capitals of Texas (Washington-on-the-
Brazos, Harrisburg, Galveston, Velasco and Columbia), before President Sam Houston moved the
capital to Houston in 1837. The next president, Mirabeau B. Lamar, moved the capital to the new
town of Austin in 1839.
The first flag of the republic was the "Burnet Flag" (a single gold star on an azure field), followed in
1839 by official adoption of the Lone Star Flag.
Internal politics of the Republic centred on two factions. The nationalist faction, led by Lamar,
advocated the continued independence of Texas, the expulsion of the Native Americans (Indians),
and the expansion of Texas to the Pacific Ocean. Their opponents, led by Houston, advocated the
annexation of Texas to the United States and peaceful coexistence with the Indians, when possible.
The Texas Congress even passed a resolution over Houston's veto claiming the Californias for
Texas.[13] The 1844 presidential election split the electorate dramatically, with the newer western
regions of the Republic preferring the nationalist candidate Edward Burleson, while the cotton
country, particularly east of the Trinity River, went for Anson Jones.[14]