Statehood: 1845 - 1861

Texas State Government

Creators of the Texas State Constitution:

Thomas J. Rusk

Abner Lipscomb

Hiram Runnels

José Antonio Navarro

These writers were chosen for their skills and experience.

The writers based much of the document on the Republic’s constitution.

They also borrowed from the constitutions of Louisiana, Tennessee, and the United States.

They wrote with one basic idea in mind: That the people should control the government.

Framework of the Texas State Government

The Constitution of 1845 arranged the government in three parts:

Legislative - This branch had the power to make laws.

It was divided into two houses (the Senate and the House of Representatives).

Executive - This branch had the power to carry out the laws of the state.

It set the term limits for governors and gave them the power to veto, or prevent the passage of laws.

Judicial - This branch had the power to resolve legal disputes and hand out justice.

The Texas court system included the state supreme court, district courts, and county courts.

Texans had the right to a trial by jury.

Priests and ministers could not hold office.

No women or African Americans could vote.

Slavery was permitted.

Leaders of the State

Texans held their first state election in 1845:

James Pinckney Henderson became the state’s first governor.

John Hemphill became the first chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Sam Houston and Thomas Jefferson Rusk became the first U. S Sam Houston and Thomas Jefferson Rusk became the first U.S. Senators from Texas.

Voters chose David Kaufman and Timothy Pilsbury to represent Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.

War With Mexico

President Polk believed that the United States had the right and duty to expand to the Pacific Ocean (manifest destiny)

Polk wanted to fix the southern boundary of Texas at the Rio Grande.

Mexico disagreed.

Polk sent diplomat John Slidell to Mexico with an offer to buy California.

Mexico was unwilling to deal with the United States.

Meanwhile, Polk prepared for war.

General Zachary Taylor brought 4,000 troops to Corpus Christi.

They built Fort Texas on land that Mexico claimed as its own.

Fighting broke out in April of 1846.

In May, the United States declared war against Mexico.

Results of the War

Victory Over Mexico The fighting ended in September 1847. Mexico lost the war.

The two nations signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 The two nations signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. In this treaty,

Mexico recognized Texas as part of the United States.

Mexico agreed that the Rio Grande would be the southern border of Texas

Ceding Land Mexico gave the United States land as part of a cession, or the granting of land by one country to another.

The United States gained territory that includes the present-day states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.

It paid Mexico $15 million for the land.

The Politics of Statehood

As Texas grew, the state governors faced many challenges:

George T. Wood searched for ways to pay off the state’s debt.

He also worked to defend the frontier and end a border dispute with New Mexico.

Elisha M. Pease supported a system of public education.

This led to the establishment of a permanent school fund, that provides money for public schools.

He ordered the construction of several government buildings, including a new capitol.

Pease pushed for railroad construction.

When Pease left office, Texas was almost debt free.

Hardin R. Runnels tried and failed to end the violence between frontier settlers and Native Americans.

Sam Houston replaced Runnels, but had to leave before his term was up.

Political Parties

Democrats The Democratic Party was the strongest party in Texas.

Many Texans were from the South, where Democrats were strong.

The party stood up for farmers and laborers.

Whigs Whigs had some support in northeast Texas and along the coast.

The Whig party was weak and won few elections.

Disagreement over slavery further weakened the party.

When the party broke apart, the Whigs in the North formed the Republican Party.

The Republicans wanted to stop the spread of slavery to new land in the West.

Border Problems

The Republic of Texas had claimed the Rio Grande as its southern and western border.

This claim gave Texas about half of present-day New Mexico.

People in New Mexico did not want to be part of Texas.

The Compromise of 1850

Texas received $10 million in exchange for giving up its claim to parts of New Mexico.

California entered the Union as a free state, one that would not permit slavery.

Other new lands in the West would decide the slavery issue by popular sovereignty, or by allowing the people to decide for themselves.

Mexican Texans

After the United States annexed Texas, many Mexicans settled in and made great contributions to the new state:

Lorenzo de Zavala built a colony in early Texas.

He also served as first vice president of the Republic of Texas.

Antonio Navarro served in the Texas Senate and helped write the state constitution.

Santos Benavides served as mayor of Laredo, and later became the chief justice of Webb County.

Despite the achievements of many, most Tejanos lived with prejudice, especially during the Mexican War.

Some were even exiled (forced to leave the country).

Native Americans in the Growing State

The U.S. government built forts along the western frontier to protect white settlers from Indian raids.

The United States also created several cavalry regiments to chase Indian raiders on horseback.

They tried using camels, but their smell and mean spirit made them a poor choice.

Native Americans did not understand the Texans’ belief in land ownership.

Indians believed that the land belonged to everyone.

In 1854, Texas established two Indian reservations.

The Texans’ failure to understand and recognize individual Indian groups led to the failure of the reservations.