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Republic of Texas

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For the latter day independence movement surrounding Texas, see Republic of Texas (group).
Republic of Texas
1836–1845
CapitalWashington-on-the-Brazos
Harrisburg
Galveston
Velasco
Columbia
Houston
Austin
Common languagesEnglish (de facto) Spanish, French, German and Native American languages regionally
GovernmentRepublic
President1 
• 1836-1838
Sam Houston
• 1838-1841
Mirabeau B. Lamar
• 1841-1844
Sam Houston
• 1844-1845
Anson Jones
Vice President1 
• 1836-1838
Mirabeau B. Lamar
• 1838-1841
David G. Burnet
• 1841-1844
Edward Burleson
• 1844-1845
Kenneth L. Anderson
History 
March 2 1836
December 29 1845
• Transfer of power
February 19 1846
Area
18401,007,935 km2 (389,166 sq mi)
Population
• 1840
70,000
CurrencyRepublic of Texas Dollar ($)
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
Mexico
Texas
1Interim period (16 Mar-22 Oct 1836): President: David G. Burnet, Vice President Lorenzo de Zavala

The Republic of Texas was a sovereign nation in North America between the United States and Mexico that existed from 1836 to 1845. Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the nation claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S. state of Texas, as well as parts of present-day New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming based upon the Treaties of Velasco between the newly created Texas republic and Mexico. The eastern boundary with the United States was defined by the Adams-Onís Treaty between the United States and Spain, in 1819. Its southern and western-most boundary with Mexico was under dispute throughout the existence of the Republic, with Texas claiming that the boundary was the Rio Grande, and Mexico claiming the Nueces River as the boundary. This dispute would later become a trigger for the Mexican–American War, after the annexation of Texas.

Historical context

Main article: Texas Revolution

Texas was not the only Mexican state to secede from Mexico and declare independence. The Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas also withdrew themselves from Mexico and formed their own short-lived federal republic called the Republic of the Rio Grande with Laredo as the capital, which is in the present-day State of Texas. The Mexican state of Yucatán also seceded and formed the Republic of Yucatán. Several other states also went into open rebellion including San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Durango, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Jalisco and Zacatecas. All the Mexican states that revolted, including Texas, were upset with President Antonio López de Santa Anna over abolishing the Mexican Constitution of 1824, dissolving the Mexican Congress and changing the structure of the Mexican government from a federal one to a centralized one. In fact, Yucatán, in its declaration of independence, expressed its desire to re-accede to the Mexican Union if federalism was to be re-established. Texas was the only seceding Mexican state to retain its independence from Mexico.

However, the context of the Texas rebellion was different from the other Mexican states/provinces attempting to declare independence, because the Texas rebellion was conducted with great assistance by Anglo American immigrants. Mainly because of this fact, Texas was also the only former Mexican state to entertain the idea of joining the United States entirely of its own volition. After gaining their independence, the Texas voters had elected a congress of 14 senators and 29 representatives in September 1836. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas allowed the first president to serve for only two years. It set a three year term for all later presidents.

Diplomatic relations

On March 3, 1837, US President Andrew Jackson appointed Alcée La Branche as chargé d'affaires to the Republic of Texas, thus officially recognizing Texas as an independent republic. France granted official recognition of Texas on September 25, 1839, appointing Dubois de Saligny to serve as chargé d'affaires. Great Britain never granted official recognition of Texas due to its own friendly relations with Mexico, but admitted Texan goods into British ports on their own terms.[1]

Statehood

A map of Mexico, 1835-1846.

On February 28, 1845, the U.S. Congress passed a bill that would authorize the United States to annex the Republic of Texas. On March 1, U.S. President John Tyler signed the bill. The legislation set the date for annexation for December 29 of the same year. Faced with imminent American annexation of Texas, Charles Elliot and Alphonse de Saliny, the British and French ministers to Texas, were dispatched to Mexico City by their governments. Meeting together with Mexico's foreign secretary, they signed a "Diplomatic Act" in which Mexico offered to recognize an independent Texas, with boundaries that would be determined with French and British mediation. Texas President Anson Jones forwarded both offers to a specially elected convention meeting at Austin, and the American proposal was accepted with only one dissenting vote. The Mexican proposal was never put to a vote. Following the previous decree of President Jones, the proposal was then put to a national vote.

On October 13, 1845 a large majority of voters in the Republic approved both the American offer and the proposed constitution that specifically endorsed slavery and the slave trade. This constitution was later accepted by the U.S. Congress, making Texas a U.S. state on the same day annexation took effect, December 29 1845 (therefore bypassing a territorial phase)[2]. One of the motivations for annexation (besides the primary one of desiring to be united with their perceived Anglo-American ethno-cultural brethren of the United States and their Anglo-American brethren of "the South" regional-cultural) was that the Texas government had incurred huge debts which the United States agreed to assume upon annexation. In 1852, in return for this assumption of debt, a large portion of Texas-claimed territory, now parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Wyoming, was ceded to the Federal government.

The annexation resolution has been the topic of some incorrect historical beliefs—one that remains is that the resolution granted Texas the explicit right to secede from the Union. This was a right argued by some to be implicitly held by all states at the time, up until the conclusion of the Civil War. The resolution did include two unique provisions: first, it said that up to four additional states could be created from Texas' territory, with the consent of the State of Texas. The resolution did not include any special exceptions to the provisions of the US Constitution regarding statehood. The right to create these possible new states was not "reserved" for Texas, as is sometimes stated.[3]. Second, Texas did not have to surrender its public lands to the federal government. While Texas did cede all territory outside of its current area to the federal government in 1850, it did not cede any public lands within its current boundaries. This means that generally, the only lands owned by the federal government within Texas have actually been purchased by the government. This also means that the state government has control over oil reserves which were later used to fund the state's public university system. In addition, the state's control over offshore oil reserves in Texas runs out to 3 leagues (10.357 miles, 16.668 km) rather than three miles (4.828 km) as with other states[4].

Presidents and vice presidents

Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Republic of Texas with election results
From To President Vice president Presidential
candidates 		Pres.
votes 		Vice pres.
candidates 		V.P.
votes
16 March 1836 22 October 1836 David G. Burnet
    (interim) 		Lorenzo de Zavala
    (interim) 		     
22 October 1836 10 December 1838 Sam Houston Mirabeau B. Lamar Sam Houston
Henry Smith
Stephen F. Austin 		5119
743
587 		Mirabeau B. Lamar  
10 December 1838 13 December 1841 Mirabeau B. Lamar David G. Burnet Mirabeau B. Lamar
Robert Wilson 		6995
252 		David G. Burnet  
13 December 1841 9 December 1844 Sam Houston Edward Burleson Sam Houston
David G. Burnet 		7915
3619 		Edward Burleson
Memucan Hunt 		6141
4336
9 December 1844 19 February 1846 Anson Jones Kenneth L. Anderson Anson Jones
Edward Burleson 		__
__ 		Kenneth L. Anderson  

Notable figures of the republic

Stephen F. Austin, known as the "Father of Texas"

See also

Part of a series on the
History of Texas
Timeline
Pre-Columbian Texas
Early Spanish explorations 1519–1543
French Texas 1684–1689
Spanish Texas 1690–1821
Mexican Texas 1821–1836
Republic of Texas 1836–1845
Statehood 1845–1860
Civil War Era 1861–1865
Reconstruction 1865–1899
Years in Texas
flag Texas portal

Notes

  1. ^ Diplomatic Relations of the Republic of Texas
  2. ^ The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: Texas - From Independence to Annexation
  3. ^ Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States
  4. ^ Overview of U.S. Legislation and Regulations Affecting Offshore Natural Gas and Oil Activity

References

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