The Independent

Republic of
Texas

Sam Houston
st
1 President of Texas
1836-1838

http://www.lsjunction.com/people/houston.htm

Houston begins his term as

President
Very cautious in his policies.
Wanted to prevent war with Mexico and the
Indians.
Limited spending.
Best thing for Texas would be annexation to
the U.S.
Appointed experienced cabinet of Austin,
Henry Smith, and Thomas J. Rusk

Death of Stephen F.
Austin
Died of pneumonia
on December 27th,
1836.
President Houston
proclaimed a 30-day
period of mourning
and said The
Father of Texas is
no more.

A New Capital
First temporary capitol was
in Columbia, but it was too
small.
John and Augustus Allen
offered to build a new capitol
near the Buffalo Bayou.
Renamed the town Houston,
and it became the new
Capitol of Texas.

Annexation
Most Texans, including Sam Houston,
were for annexation because they
were from the U.S. and had many ties
there.
Many Americans were for it because
of westward expansion.
It did not happen for nine years
because of Slavery.

Financial Problems
One of the biggest problems Texas was $1
million in debt.
Raised taxes.
Cut spending, cut government jobs

The Army
Many Texans still wanted to fight Mexico,
especially those who arrived too late to fight in
the war and including the Commander of the
army, Felix Huston.
Houston sent all but 600 soldiers home on
leave and never called them back to duty.

Native Americans
Houston had negotiated a
treaty with the Cherokees
during the Revolution
The new Texas Congress
refused to ratify so they
began to attack.
Houston had to call in the
Texas Rangers to protect
the settlers.

Election of 1838
Houston can not run again. He and his
vice-president, Mirabeau Lamar did not
get along. Lamar ran for president.
Lamar won.

Lamar Takes Over

Lamar and Houston were very different.
Houston had tried to avoid war, Lamar went
after both Mexico and Native Americans.
Houston tried not to spend money, Lamar spent
heavily.
Houston was for annexation, Lamar wanted
Texas to stay independent and expand.

Native Americans
Lamar wanted to kill them or force
them out of Texas to get their land.
Went after the Cherokees, then the
Comanche.

Mexico

Lamar increased
tensions between Texas
and Mexico.
He sent the Texas navy
to help rebels revolt
against Mexico.
He sent an army to take
over Santa Fe, New
Mexico. It was
defeated.

A New Capital
Lamar wanted to move
the capital to a more
central location
He picked a small town
called Waterloo along
the Colorado River.
It was named Austin in
honor of Stephen F.
Austin

Education
Lamar is best known for his contributions to
public education.
He believed that a strong system of
education could make Texas a great nation.
The Texas Congress set aside land for
public schools and universities.
Known as the Father of Education in
Texas.

Financial Difficulties
Lamar issued so many redbacks or
paper money that the value of the
dollar was 12 cents on the dollar.
Public debt increased to $7 million.

Land Policy
Texas used land to attract new settlers
and pay off debts.
Soldiers received land for serving in the
army.
The population of Texas during the
Republic went from 34,500 to over
100,000.

Sam Houston President Again

In 1841 Houston was reelected as President.
Houston wanted to prevent
war with Mexico, reduce
spending, and join the United
States.

A Return to Houstons Policy

Houston tried to cut back on
government spending. He cut the
government budget, reduced the size
of the army, and eliminated the navy.
The navy was recalled from fighting in
Mexico. The navy commander, Edwin
Moore refused to return. So Houston
declared him a pirate and offered
other countries to sink the vessels.

The Mier Expedition

On March 5, 1842 a group of
Mexican soldiers captured San
Antonio. After 2 days they
returned to Mexico.
On September 11, 1842 another
group of soldiers returned to
Texas and again captured San
Antonio.

The Mier Expedition

The Texas Militia under William Fisher
crossed into Mexico on December 23,
1842 and attacked the town of Mier.
176 Texans were captured and marched to
Mexico City.
1 out of every 10 Texans were to be
executed. Each man had to draw a bean
from a jar. If it was black you were
executed.

The Archives War

Sam Houston wanted to move the
government files from Austin to
Washington-on-the-Brazos.
The citizens of Austin protested
and even fired upon the workers.

The Regulator Moderator War

Two different groups in East
Texas claimed to be the law
authority in the area.
These two groups fought over
who was actually in power.
Houston sent 600 troops into
the area to stop the violence.

Houstons Efforts to Gain

Annexation
Houston sent Isaac Van Zant and J.
Pickney Henderson to the U.S. to discuss
annexation.
President Tyler passed a treaty to allow
Texas annexation but it did not pass
Congress.
This would be a major issue in the next
U.S. Presidential campaign.

The Elections of 1844

Dr. Anson Jones was elected as the last
President of the Texas Republic.
He basically followed all of Houstons
policies.
James J. Polk becomes US president at
this same time.
Polk supported the annexation of Texas.

Texas becomes a State

The U.S. Congress agreed to accept

Texas as the 28th state of the U.S. on
February 26, 1845.
Mexico and Great Britain both agreed
to accept Texas as a republic at this
time so they would not join the U.S.
Texas actually became a state on
December 29, 1845 when the U.S.
Congress ratified the Texas
Constitution.