1. Forming a Government
Ch. 15 Sect. 2

2. The Convention of 1845
On February 19, 1846 Anson Jones formally turned the government over to James Pinckney Henderson (TX 1st governor)
The convention to create a new government had been held the previous July in Austin
Thomas Rusk (a future senator for TX) served as convention president, he had also helped to write the Constitution for the Republic of TX 9 years before
Many of the delegates at the convention were judges, lawyers, or former TX legislators
Only 1 delegate was a native Texan...Jose Antonio Navarro
Sam Houston missed the convention due to attending President Andrew Jackson’s funeral in Tennessee

3. A New Constitution
Delegates at the convention used the U.S., Republic of TX, and State of Louisiana constitutions as a guide for the new state of TX
It took nearly 2 months to write but it was widely accepted and voted on in October of 1845

4. New State Government 3 Branches Executive - Legislative - Judicial -
Governor, 2 year terms, but can’t serve more than 2 back to back terms within a 6 year span
Legislative -
Senate (4 year terms), House of Representatives (2 year terms), they met in biennial (every 2 years) sessions
Judicial -
Supreme Court and District Courts

5. Voting in the State of TX
Voters elected the governor and legislators
Not everyone could vote
ONLY men 21 years and older were allowed to vote!
Jose Antonio Navarro fought for the rights of Tejanos to vote
African Americans, American Indians and women could not vote OR hold office
Women were not allowed to vote, but the constitution did say that men could not sell homesteads without their wife’s permission and women could own land on their own (SOUND FAMILIAR???)

6. Economic Concerns
To try and avoid a repeat of Lamar’s term the constitution addressed a few things…
Banks were BANNED
Corporations (large companies) needed the legislature's permission to operate in TX
Any business that used unfair business practices could be shut down
Legislature was banned from taking on more than $100,000 in debt unless it was an emergency (...like a looming war)
Banned creditors from the ability to seize (take away) a debtor’s home as payment

7. 1st State Elections
Held on December 15, 1845, winners took office on February 19, 1846
All of the major candidates had been delegates at the Convention of 1845, and been involved in creating the government
Winners -
Governor: James Pinckney Henderson
Lieutenant Governor: Albert C. Horton
Chief Justice: John Hemphill
Senators: Sam Houston, Thomas J. Rusk