• Chapter 12: The Lone Star Republic In
September 1836, Texans elected Sam
Houston as the first president of Texas
and Mirabeau B. Lamar as the first vice
president. Texans also approved the
Constitution of 1836 and the proposal that
Texas join the United States. The Texas
congress designated the town of Houston
as the capital for three years.
• The United States government did not
annex Texas right away. Mexico refused
to recognize Texas's independence, and
the United States did not want to
damage relations with Mexico. In
addition, many antislavery groups
opposed annexation because Texas
would join the Union as a slave state.
• Problems in the Republic The
Republic of Texas faced many problems
in its early years. The arrival of Anglo
American settlers in Central Texas led to
raids by the Wichitas, Comanches,
Kiowas, and others. Houston called on
the Texas Rangers to patrol Central
Texas. He also tried to improve relations
between Texans and the Cherokees in
East Texas.
• The Republic also had huge debts. To
raise money, the Congress imposed
taxes and also placed a tariff on
various goods imported into Texas.
The public debt of Texas continued to
increase, however.
• When Houston's term ended in 1838,
Texans elected Mirabeau B. Lamar as
president. He improved education and
moved the government to the Republic's
new capital, named Austin. Unlike
Houston, Lamar did not favor Native
Americans. Years of bitter warfare
between the Comanches and the Texans
began during Lamar's term. The debt
rose to $7 million.
• When Houston regained the presidency
in 1841, he faced the problems of
balancing the budget and protecting
Texans from Mexican forces that
continued to invade Texas. Fortunately,
by 1844 annexation was more popular
than it had been in 1836. Thousands of
Americans had immigrated to Texas,
strengthening ties to the United States.
• On February 28, 1845, Congress
passed a joint resolution for
annexation. The Texans quickly
approved the terms of annexation,
and the Republic of Texas joined the
United States as its twenty-eighth
state.