The Republic of Texas Unit 7Lesson 1

 Texas gained its independence from Mexico and became a country in It faced many challenges and only lasted as a country for four years.  This was the territory The Republic of Texas had until it was annexed into the United States.

 The Republic of Texas faced many political, economic geographic, and social issues. The Republic of Texas Issues Economic: The country found itself in debt. Political: Leaders were trying to establish a government with three branches. Geographic: Texas had a large territory and not enough settlers. Social: Texans feared attacks from Mexicans.

The Republic of Texas mirrored the United States government. It had a set constitution that stated the country would have three branches of government: Judicial, Legislative, and Executive. It also stated that any official or representative would have to be elected in order to gain the position. The Republic of Texas also had problems finding a city for the capital. This caused the capital to move around Texas for three years. Finally in 1839, the Texas Congress created a commission who chose Austin as the permanent capital. Texas had four presidents during the time it was a country. Sam Houston was elected as the first president, and was also elected as the third president. Mirabeau Lamar was the second president. The last president of the Republic of Texas was Anson Jones.

Economics The country found itself in debt with over $1 million. This was due to the war it had fought against Mexico to gain its independence. Even though the government tried, the expenses and debt grew over time, and Texas did not have the money to pay the different countries it owed.

Geographic Texas had a large territory with a small population, and had much land to sell to settlers. The Republic of Texas had parts of land from the present day borders of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming.

Social Texans lived their lives like the citizens of the United States. They owned businesses, ranches and farms. The new government of the country along with President Lamar set aside 2 million acres of land for public education. One thing that the citizens did face was the constant fear and attacks from the Native Indians and Mexico.

Works Cited C-Scope Unit 7 Lesson 1 Social Studies 4 th Grade