Ch 10 - Statehood
Section 1 – Early Government
Texas State Government
Texas must write their first state constitution to join the U.S.
Writers of the Texas state constitution included Thomas Rusk, Hiram Runnels, Abner Libscomb and
Jose Antonio Navarro
Navarro was the only native Texan
Navarro was one of three Mexican Texans to sign the Declaration of Independence
-Navarro, Ruiz and de Zavala
Borrowed from constitutions of U.S., Louisiana and Tennessee
Framework
Law allowed only men 21 years or older to vote
No women, African Americans or Native Americans could vote
Constitution gave women certain rights:
-Women could own property
-Married man could not sell property without wife’s consent
Constitution of 1845 had 3 branches
Legislative – makes laws
– House of Representatives
– Senate
Executive – carries out the laws
– Veto power – prevent passage of law
Judiciary – resolves legal disputes and hands out justice; oversees courts
– Governor chose judges in higher courts
Leaders of State
Texas held their first state election
James Pinckney Henderson elected state’s first governor
John Hemphill became first chief justice of the state supreme court
Sam Houston and Thomas Rusk became first U.S. senators from Texas
David Kaufman and Timothy Pillsbury became first U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
Section 2 - War With Mexico
Manifest Destiny
The U.S. believed they had the right and duty to expand to the Pacific Ocean, but Mexico owned all
the land past Texas
President James Polk wanted to fix the southern boundary of Texas
Texas claimed the Rio Grande River as the southern boundary during the Republic
Mexico claimed the Nueces River as the southern boundary
Mexico still angry with U.S. for annexing Texas
U.S. agreed with Texas that Rio Grande River was the southern boundary
Negotiation
President Polk sent diplomat John Slidell to Mexico, but Mexico refused to meet with him
The War Begins
Polk had already anticipated war
He sent Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to Corpus Christi; he moved the troops to the Rio Grande
Taylor’s troops built Fort Texas on the site that is now present-day Brownsville
Fighting began in April 1846
Palo Alto was first major battle on May 8
Congress declared war on May 13, 1846
Mexican War
Texans supported the war
5,000 Texans fought in the war
Texans and the Mexican War
Mirabeau Lamar and Governor Henderson fought in battle
The Texas Rangers won fame for their skill in battle under Major McCulloch
– Gathered vital information for U.S. forces
– Protected U.S. supply lines
Samuel Walker introduced the “Walker Colt Revolver” and improvement on the Colt Revolver gave
Texas an advantage in battle
Texas Women and Mexican War
Sarah Bowman joined troops as a cook
Brown was known as the “heroine of Fort Brown” she loaded guns and carried wounded men off
battlefield
Jane Cazneau was Texas land agent and reporter who was sent by President Polk on a secret peace
mission to Mexico
Cazneau was the only journalist to report/spy from behind enemy lines
Results of Mexican War
War ends September 1847
Mexico lost the war
The two nations signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848
1. Mexico recognized Texas as part of US
2. Rio Grande River was established as the southern border of Texas
Mexican Cession
The U.S. received a large amount of land from Mexico as part of a cession in the treaty
cession – granting of land by one country to another
U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for the land
U.S. finally reached the Pacific Ocean and fulfilled their manifest destiny!
U.S. gained land in present day: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and
Wyoming
Section 3 – Politics of Statehood
Politics
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was supposed to settle the border dispute
Rio Grande, known as the Rio Bravo del Norte, formed the boundary line
Mexico still fighting for territory
Leaders had to focus on protection from Indians
State had debts to pay off
State needed to pay for new railroads, schools and a capitol
Governors
George T. Wood (2) , Peter H. Bell (3), J.W. Henderson (4)
Elisha M. Pease (5) – 1853
Pease supported public education
His efforts led to the permanent school fund – provides money for public schools
Pease ordered construction of government buildings, including capitol
He pushed for railroad construction
Greatest accomplishment – erasing state debt
Hardin R. Runnels (6) – 1857
Tried to end violence between settlers and Indians but failed
Lost reelection to Sam Houston (7)
Houston had served as General, President, Senator and now Governor of Texas!
Houston had to leave governor post before his term was up…..
Political Parties and Population
Democrats dominated Texas politics in the late 1840s
Democrats stood up for farmers and laborers
Democrats rival were the Whig Party
Whig were weak, won few elections and disagreements over slavery hurt party
Republican Party replaced Whigs and were determined to stop slavery
By 1860, population grew to 600,000
Compromise of 1850
Congress acted in 1850
Created a plan that set western border to current border
Texas received $10 million to give up its claim to New Mexico land
California would enter Union as a free state; no slavery allowed
All other land in West would allow state to decide slavery issue by popular sovereignty
Spending $10 Million
The majority of the $10 million was used to pay off debt
Texas built a new capitol and governor’s mansion in Austin
Built new roads and improved older roads
Created a permanent school fund
$2 million put in escrow – interest used to build public schools
Section 4 – Growth an Expansion
Native Americans
Violence between settlers and Native Americans continued to be a problem
U.S. imported dozens of camels to help fight Apaches and Comanches
Native Americans believed that the land belonged to the people as a whole
Texas tried to set up reservations for Native Americans to end the raids
Robert Neighbors served as the Texas agent to the Apaches, Tonkawas and Comanches
By 1859, Texas and U.S. decided reservation policy had failed
Texans failed to understand and recognize the individual Indian groups
Some Native Americans moved to Oklahoma
Texas allowed one group to stay – Alabama–Coushatta
Reservation is still there today in Polk County