1. Statehood:

2. What is statehood?
Statehood is the same as annexation. Annexation is the process of one country taking over all of or part of another country.
There were pros and cons to becoming part of the United States.

3. Pros of Statehood Money already existed in the United States
Families would get united
There was mail (postal service)
Protection was given from the military
Jobs were available
Texas could divide into five separate parts if they wanted.
They would get better education

4. Cons of Statehood:
Texas had to give the Navy, supplies, and military forts to the United States.
They had to sell some land so they could pay their debts.
Texans had to write and adopt a new state constitution.
Mexico would start a war because they didn’t want Texas to be annexed by United States

5. Politics of Statehood Texas leaders faced many issues:
Citizens needed protection from Indians
Had to pay off state debt
Needed to pay for construction of new railroads, schools, and a capitol

6. Governors of Texas George T. Wood (1847)
Peter H. Bell (served 2 terms)
Elisha M. Pease (1853)- advocated a system of public education which led to the permanent school fund; ordered construction of gov’t buildings, pushed for RR construction, eased the state debt ( by the time he left office Texas was almost debt free)
Hardin R. Runnels (1857), much of his term spent trying to end violence between settlers & Indians
Sam Houston (Houston had now served as president of TX, U.S. senator, & state governor)

7. Political parties
State’s 1st officeholders were not part of any pol party
By 1840’s most politicians joined pol parties
Democratic party was strongest and stood for farmers & laborers.
Democrats main rival were the Whigs (had support in northeast TX & the coast); party was weak & won few elections. Disagreements over slavery weakened the Whigs
Whigs broke apart- the North formed the Republican party (they were determined to stop the spread of slavery)

8. Border Problems By 1860, more than 600,000 people lived in Texas
The Mexican War had settled dispute of Texas for southern border with the Guadalupe-Hidalgo treaty but with the Rio Grande as the border it gave Texas about half of present day New Mexico (including the capital, Santa Fe)
New Mexico had no interest in being part of Texas & slavery was an issue

9. Compromise of 1850

10. Compromise of 1850
Congress created a plan to set the western border where it now exists
Texas received $10 million to give up its claims to New Mexico
Until 1850, there were equal numbers of slave and free states in the United States
California entered Union as a free state & would not permit slavery
All other new lands in the West would decide for themselves (popular sovereignty)

11. Spending the $10 million
Set money aside to pay off holders of the Republic of Texas $ (each Republic dollar was worth 77 cents of U.S. currency)
Payed off debts
Built a new capitol & governor’s mansion
Put $2 million in the bank & used the interest to build schools

12. Growth & Expansion
Mexican Texans: were among the many that came to Texas; in search of a better life; included ranchers, farmers, merchants & craftspeople
Many had already given much to Texas such as,
Lorenzo de Zavala (built a colony in early TX & was vice president of Republic of Texas)
Jose Antonio Navarro (helped write state constitution & served in Texas senate)
Santos Benavides (worked as merchant & rancher; was elected mayor in 1856 of Laredo)
Even with achievements many Tejanos lived with prejudice; come were exiled

13. Native Americans in the Growing State
Violence between settlers & Indians had been a long problem
The growth of Texas’ population led to more conflict & settlers pushed farther west where Indians lived
Texans looked to the U.S. government to end threats from Indians

14. The frontier
U.S. gov’t built forts on the western frontier ; used to protect settlers
Until the Mexican War Texas Rangers had protected settlers now U.S. troops arrived to build a line of forts
Built posts along the Rio Grande to stop Mexicans from raiding TX
Built another line from the Rio Grande to the Red River to rptect against Apaches, Comanches & Kiowas

15. Fort locations

16. Camels in Texas U.S. imported dozens of camels to help in the fight
The camels could carry large amounts of supplies & travel great distances

17. The violence continues…
Beliefs between settlers & Indians differed:
Indians believed one person could not own the land; it belonged to the people as a whole & resources should be available to all
The Texan concept was that one person could control a measured piece of land
Treaties did not help; Indians believed the troops should keep the peace but the army used violence against Indians

18. Reservations
State gov’t controlled all the public lands; the state had refused to give any land to Indians
In 1854, Texas established 2 reservations along the Brazos River in exchange for peace
One was for the Caddoes & Tonkawas; the other was for the Comanches

19. Problems on Reservations
Texans did not look at differences among tribes; if Comanches from the northern plains band attacked, Texans would attack the Indians on the reservations
Comanches were blamed for many thefts & killings
By 1859, Texas & U.S. gov’t decided reservations failed
Indians were forced to move to Oklahoma
One group, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe was allowed to stay in Polk County & is still there today

20. Life on the reservations