Statehood for Texas

1
Statehood for Texas

• Chapter 12
• 1845-1851

2
From a Republic to a State

• In 1836 Texans held their first elections. They
  voted by a large margin to become a part of the
  United States.
• Annexation to the United States, however, it took
  ten years to become a reality.
• During those ten years, Texans developed pride in
  their independence.
• The years Texas spent as an independent republic
  shaped Texans attitudes toward government,
  society, and themselves.

3
The Constitutional Convention of 1845

• Delegates to the Constitutional Convention met on
  July 4, 1845, in Austin to create a state
  constitution.
• Most of the men who wrote the Texas Constitution
  had moved to Texas from the United States.
• Jose Antonio Navarro was the only Texas-born
  delegate among them.
• Five delegates had been signers of the Texas
  Declaration of Independence (1836)

4
Jose Antonio Navarro

• The only Texas born delegate who helped write the
  constitution for Texas.
• After Texass independence he was elected to the
  Texas Congress.
• Navarro served two terms in the Texas Senate.
• In 1846 Navarro County was named after him.

5
The Constitutional Convention

• Thomas Jefferson Rusk was nominated as the
  president of the convention.
• He was well known because of his experience in
  Texas politics.
• He was chosen unanimously.
• Rusk greatly influenced the
• form of the new state government.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_Rusk
6
The State Constitution

• Delegates to the constitution studied the U.S.
  Constitution and the constitutions of other
  states.
• Some parts of the Constitution of the Republic of
  Texas were kept.
• They kept Texass homestead laws.
• They did not allow ministers and priests to serve
  in the legislature.

Legislature a government body that has the power
to make or pass laws.
7
What are Homestead Laws?

• Citizens of Texas cannot have their homes taken
  to pay their debts.

8
Constitution Provisions

• Protected homesteads from being taken to pay
  debts.
• Did not allow ministers or priests to serve in
  the legislature
• Allowed settlers to continue bringing slaves into
  the state
• Protected womens right to own land
• Outlined 3 branches of government.
• Created the legislature (House of Representatives
  and Senate)
• Set up a state court system
• Created offices for the governor and the
  lieutenant governor

9
The Election of 1845

• The first elections of the State of Texas were
  held on December 15, 1845.
• James Pinckney Henderson was elected the first
  governor. (executive)
• Albert C. Horton was elected the first lieutenant
  governor. (executive)
• The legislature selected Thomas J. Rusk and Sam
  Houston as U.S. senators. (legislative)

10
James Pinckney Henderson

• Came to Texas from Mississippi in 1836.
• Helped bring troops to Texas during the Texas
  Revolution.
• Was President Houstons attorney general and
  secretary of state.
• Member of the Constitutional Convention

photo by www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/m
ultimedia/docs/1226.html
11
The Election of 1845

• Governor Henderson served only one term, but it
  was an important one.
• He established the state government of Texas.
• He governed during the war with Mexico that
  resulted when Texas was admitted to the Union.

12
Vocabulary Check

• Legislature a government body that has the
  power to make or pass laws.

13
There were three branches of government for Texas

• Legislative branch the part of government that
  makes the laws
• Executive branch the part of government that
  carries out the laws.
• Judicial branch the part of government that
  interprets the laws and applies these laws in the
  court system.

14
Vocabulary Check

• Governor the highest ranking officer in the
  state government.
• Lieutenant governor the second highest ranking
  officer in the state government.

15
Organizing Information
Constitutional Convention Begins
Constitutional Convention Ends
Texans Vote For the Constitution
Constitution Formally Accepted
Texans Elect State Officeholders
Aug
Oct
July
Sept
Nov
Dec
1845
16
Texas The Twenty-Eighth State
Section One
Main Idea

• When Texas accepted the offer to become a state
  of the United States, the first task was to form
  the state government. In 1845 delegates from
  across Texas met to write a state constitution.
  Later that year, Texans elected their state
  officers.

Why it matters now
In its first years as a state, Texas established
the framework for its laws and government today.
17
Mexican and U.S. Policy on Texas

• Under the Treaties of Velasco Santa Anna had
  promised to recognize the independence of Texas.
• The government in Mexico, though, refused to
  honor that treaty and claimed that Santa Anna had
  only signed it because he was afraid he was going
  to be killed.

18
Mexico considered the Nueces River the boundary
between Mexico and Texas
http//www.texassportfishing.com/Region_Rivers_Mai
n/nueces_river.htm
19
Tensions Between Mexico and the United States

• Mexico still considered Texas a part of their
  country.
• They claimed that if Texas was annexed by the
  United States, they would go to war.

20

• The United States and Mexico were also in
  conflict over the land between Texas and the
  Pacific Ocean.
• Americans were moving west and they wanted
  control over the land from Texas to California.
• This idea was known as Manifest Destiny.
• Mexico did not want to give up this land.

21

• Mexico threatened war when Texas was annexed.
• To avoid war the U.S. President, James K. Polk
  tried to negotiate with the Mexican government.
• Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico to make a deal.
• Slidell offered to pay Mexicos debts to U.S.
  citizens in exchange for all the land between
  Texas and California.
• The Mexican government was offended that the
  United States offered to buy this land.

22
Tensions Between Mexico and the United States

• Not all citizens in the United States wanted to
  annex the land between Texas and California.
• Slavery was dividing the country and the land in
  the Southwest would have allowed slavery.
• People in New England and the Midwest did not
  like the idea of adding states that would have
  allowed slavery.

23
Fighting Breaks Out

• General Zachary Taylor was ordered by President
  Polk to station troops along the Nueces border.
• The Mexican general, Mariano Arista, stationed
  troops along the Rio Grande.
• When negotiations between Slidell and the Mexican
  government failed, Taylor ordered the American
  troops down to the Rio Grande.

24
Zachary Taylor at Camp
http//www.dmwv.org/mexwar/images/prints/taylor-in
-camp.jpg
25
Fighting Breaks Out

• Major Jacob Brown was stationed at Fort Texas
  (near modern day Brownsville).
• Both armies patrolled the area between the Nueces
  River and the Rio Grande.
• Both countries claimed this land as their own.
• On April 24, 1846 more than 60 U.S. troops
  clashed with Mexican troops.
• Both armies claimed to have been fired upon.

26
The War with Mexico

• The American troops engaged in battle with the
  Mexican troops at Palo Alto and Resca de la
  Palma.
• The Americans claimed victory at each battle and
  soon President Polk urged Congress to declare war
  on Mexico.
• The United States declared war on Mexico on May
  13, 1846.

http//www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican-war-ma
ps.htm
27
Battle at Palo Alto
http//www.dmwv.org/mexwar/images/nebel/nebel1.jpg
28
Mexico has passed the boundary of the United
States, has invaded our territory and shed
American blood upon the American soil. She has
proclaimed that hostilities have commenced, and
that the two nations are now at war. . . . In
further vindication of our rights and defense of
our territory, I invoke the prompt action of
Congress to recognize the existence of the war. .
. . President James K. Polk Message to Congress,
May 11m 1846
29
The War with Mexico

• General Taylor led his troops to victory against
  the Mexican troops at Monterrey and Buena Vista.
• General Winfield Scott took command of most of
  Taylors regular troops and led them into Mexico.
• Instead of marching by land into Mexico, they
  rode ships through the Gulf of Mexico and landed
  in Molino del Rey (September 1847).

30
The Troops at Buena Vista
http//www.dmwv.org/mexwar/images/prints/bvista.jp
g
31
The War with Mexico

• American troops marched to Fort Chapultepec
  (outside Mexico City) and were victorious.
• The Mexican troops fought to the last man.
• To this day Mexicans celebrate September 15th as
  los ninos heros in honor of the young heroes of
  Mexico who sacrificed their lives.

32
Texans in the War with Mexico

• Many veterans of the Texas Revolution viewed the
  War with Mexico as a chance to Remember the
  Alamo and settle the score for those killed from
  the Mier Expedition.
• As many as 5,000 Texans, including Governor
  Henderson, volunteered to serve during this war.

33
Texas Rangers in the War

• Texas Rangers had a reputation for being fierce
  fighters and for their knowledge of the land.
• They served along side the U.S. troops and led
  them across Texas into Mexico.
• Mexicans called them los diablos Tejanos (Texas
  Devils).
• The Texas Rangers were led by Ben McCulloch,
  Samuel H. Walker, and John S. Ford.

34
Casualties of the War

• 80,000 U.S. troops served in the war.
• 13,000 died
• Mexico lost many more lives.

35
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the
  Mexican-American War.
• It was signed on February 2, 1848.

There shall be firm and universal peace between
the United States of America and the Mexican
republic, and between their respective countries,
territories, cities, towns, and people, without
exception of places or persons.
36
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Mexico agreed that Texas was now a part of the
  United States.
• Mexico surrendered all land between Texas and the
  Pacific Ocean.
• This transfer of land was known as the Mexican
  Cession.
• The United States paid Mexico 15 million.

37
Vocabulary Check

• Cession - the transfer of
  land from one country to another

38
Critical Thinking

1. Other than to gain control of Texas, what
   prompted the United States to fight against
   Mexico? The United States wanted to fulfill its
   Manifest Destiny by gaining control of land all
   the way to California. Some U.S. citizens felt
   their country wanted Texas and Mexican land in
   order to expand slavery.
2. How did the scouting skills of the Texas Rangers
   help the U.S. troops? The Texas Rangers
   scouting skills helped guide troops into Mexico.
3. What did the United States gain from the Treaty
   of Guadalupe Hidalgo? The United States gained
   all of Mexicos possessions between Texas and the
   Pacific Ocean.
4. What did Mexico gain? In return the United
   States paid Mexico 15 million, assumed claims by
   U.S. citizens against Mexico, and agreed to
   respect the rights of Spanish-speaking people.

39
The United States and Mexico at War
Section Two
Main Idea

• Soon after Texas became a state, war broke out
  between Mexico and the United States. Both
  countries claimed Texas as part of their nation,
  and the United States wanted control of other
  territories under Mexican rule.

Why it matters now
The War with Mexico determined Texass
present-day southern border.
40
The Texas-New Mexico Border Dispute
Section 3

• The southern border of Texas had been established
  as the Rio Grande under the Treaty of Guadalupe
  Hidalgo.
• There was still disagreement, though about the
  western border of Texas.
• Texans thought their western border should follow
  the Rio Grande all the way to Santa Fe.
• Most citizens in New Mexico, however still
  thought of themselves as Mexican and were still
  angry over Mirabeau B. Lamars attempt to control
  the area.

41
Texass Efforts to Gain Control of New Mexico

• Governor Henderson sent a representative of Texas
  to try to persuade U.S. forces that Santa Fe
  belonged in Texas.
• The commander in Santa Fe refused to surrender
  the land to Texas.
• When George Thomas Wood became Texas Governor in
  1847 he promised to continue to claim all of the
  land along the Rio Grande for Texas.
• Robert S. Neighbors was sent to the area to
  establish counties in the disputed territory, but
  he was only able to convince the residents of
  El Paso that they belonged to Texas.

42
Disagreements over Slavery and Territories

• In 1848 Zachary Taylor (the hero of the
  Mexican-American War) became the president of the
  United States.
• He faced the challenge of slavery in Americas
  states and territories.
• America had a balance between states that allowed
  slavery and those that did not allow slavery.

43
http//www.latinamericanstudies.org/mex-war/mex-wa
r-map.jpg
44
Disagreements over Slavery and Territories

• California wanted to join the Union as a free
  state (a state that outlawed slavery).
• If California became a free state, though, it
  would have meant that there were more free states
  than slave states (states where slavery was
  legal).
• Pro-slavery states did not want California to
  become a state.

45
What were President Taylors thoughts on slavery?

• President Taylor had promised the residents of
  California that they would become a state.
• He was also concerned about lawlessness in the
  California because many people were moving there
  in search of gold.

46
An abolitionist is a person who wants to end
slavery.

• Abolitionists wanted to limit the size of Texas
  since it was a slave state.
• Abolitionists also wanted to outlaw slavery in
  Washington, D.C.
• Residents of New Mexico and Utah were asking to
  be admitted into the Union.
• President Taylor and the U.S. Congress could not
  agree on a solution to these
  problems.

www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/ 1898/slaves.html
47
What did the U.S. Congress think?

• Congress wanted to settle the issue of slavery in
  the territories before admitting new states to
  the Union.
• Southern members of Congress also wanted a
  federal law to help pay for finding runaway
  slaves.
• This law became known as the
  Fugitive Slave Law.

http//www.swagga.com/gifs/slaves.jpg
48
Fugitive Slave Law

• Require American citizens to help police offices
  in capturing enslaved people who had run away
  from their owners.
• Gave harsh punishments to people who helped
  slaves escape.
• Gave harsh punishments to runaway slaves.
• Denied recovered slaves a jury or the right to
  testify at their trial.
• Often returned slaves to their owners.

49
Henry Clay was a Senator from Kentucky offered a
compromise

• Immediate admission of California as a free
  state.
• The organization of New Mexico and Utah into
  territories.
• Residents of these two territories would be
  allowed to decide the question of slavery on
  their own.
• The abolition of the slave trade in Washington,
  D.C.
• The enactment of the Fugitive Slave Law.

50
The Texas Question

• If Texas were to give up its claim on New Mexico,
  slavery would not be permitted in this territory.
• If New Mexico were to remain part of Texas,
  slavery would be allowed in the area.
• To settle the Texas Question Clay suggested
  that the United States gave Texas 10 million
  dollars for 40 percent of its western lands.

51
The Compromise of 1850

• President Taylor and Congress would not agree on
  how to settle the issue of Californias
  annexation.
• President Taylor wanted the annexation first,
  then the question of slavery settled.

52
The Compromise of 1850

• Zachary Taylor died while in office and was
  succeeded by his vice president, Millard
  Fillmore.
• Henry Clay left congress and was replaced by
  Senator Stephen Douglas from Illinois.

53
The Compromise of 1850

• In the Compromise of 1850 Congress and President
  Fillmore agree to
• the annexation of California
• making territories of Utah and New Mexico
• ending the slave trade (but not slavery) in
  Washington, D.C.
• the Fugitive Slave Law in the south

54
The Compromise of 1850

• The Texas Question was also settled when the
  compromise first offered by Henry Clay was agreed
  to.
• Texas gave up territory in the west and north in
  return for 10 million.
• The boundaries established in the Texas and New
  Mexico Act became the present day border between
  the two states.

55
The Compromise of 1850

• Some Texans did not like the Compromise of 1850
  because it reduced the size of Texas.
• Others believed that Texas needed the money more
  than the land.
• When Texans voted in November of 1850 the
  majority of Texans supported the compromise.
• The money Texas received finally freed Texas from
  debt and left money for government programs.

56
What is a Constitution?
The system of fundamental laws and principles
that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits
of a government or another institution. The
document in which such a system is recorded.
http//dictionary.reference.com/search?qconstitut
ion
57
A New Western Border
Section Three
Main Idea

• After the War with Mexico, the Rio Grande was
  made the southern border of Texas. However,
  disagreement arose over Texass western border.
  This issue, along with others, was resolved by
  the Compromise of 1850.

Why it matters now
The Compromise of 1850 established the
present-day western border of Texas.