Lamar’s Presidency Unit 6: Chapter 12 Section 2

I. Mirabeau Lamar Becomes President Texans elected Lamar president when Houston’s term ended in Improving education was Lamar’s main goal, but he had many other goals during term. He becomes known as the “Father of Education in Texas”

Congress set aside nearly 18,000 acres of land in each county to support public schools. Lamar also opposed annexation. He wanted Texas to be a powerful nation, reaching to the Pacific Ocean. II. Mirabeau Lamar Becomes President

III. The Capital Is Moved to Austin A Congress approved Waterloo on the Colorado River as the site of a permanent capital. B. The new capital was named Austin, in honor of Stephen F. Austin.

IV. Lamar’s Policy Towards the Indians Lamar believed Cherokees had no fair claim to Texas lands they occupied. 1839: ordered Cherokees removed from Texas. Battle of Neches results. Surviving Cherokees were forced from their land and moved across the Red River out of Texas and into Oklahoma and Arkansas.

V. Raids Lead to Council House Fight Comanches raid several white settlements from Later, Comanches agrees to meet with Texas authorities. Comanches promised to bring their Anglo captives, but produced only one girl, Matilda Lockhart. The angered Texans tried to take the Comanches hostage, but they resisted and fighting broke out.

Raids Lead to Council House Fight The incident was called the Council House Fight. 7 Texans and 35 Comanches died in the fighting. Council House Fight has been called “the greatest blunder in the history of Texan-Indian relations.” Led to more raids, battles (Plum Creek)…overall more bloody conflict.

Lamar’s Conflicts with the Comanches

VI. Texas Rebuilds Its Navy Lamar ordered a newly restored navy into Mexican waters. He thought Mexico would recognize Texas in exchange for the promise that the navy would not invade Mexico. Sam Houston won the presidency again in 1841 and recalled the navy. It raised the debt.

VII. The Santa Fe Expedition Texans wanted control of Santa Fe, a trading center on the upper Rio Grande in present-day New Mexico. 1841: Lamar sent an expedition party to Santa Fe to try to control the region and open up trade for Texas.

Santa Fe Expedition, 1841

The Santa Fe Expedition The Santa Fe expedition had many misfortunes and hardships; heat, shortages of water and food, and Indian attacks led to suffering. After all of this, expedition was confronted by a Mexican army that forced the Texans to march 1,000 miles to Mexico City.

Financial Difficulties Lamar’s purchase of navy ships and their maintenance were expensive. Expeditions were expensive. “Redbacks” Texas paper money issued to help reduce debt; worthless Texas was deeply in debt when Lamar left office – more than $7 million!

Lamar’s Presidency - Overview The “Education President” Against annexation Supported Texas expansion separate from the U.S. Earned recognition from European countries Enlarged Texas Navy Santa Fe Expedition – failure Issued Redbacks (Texas Money) caused inflation Increased debt to over $7 million Moved capital from Houston to Austin Hostile toward American Indians – Cherokees and Comanches (Council House Fight)