Transcript Slide 1

Revolution and Republic
Unit 6, Section 3.2 Notes – The
Republic of Texas
New President
In September of 1838, Texans elected new
leaders. The constitution did not allow for a
president to serve consecutive terms, or two
terms in a row, so Houston did not run for reelection. Even if Sam Houston could have run
again, he probably would have lost. People
were angry with him about many things, but
especially his stance on the rights of American
Indians.
Lamar in Office
Mirabeau B. Lamar, the former vice president,
was chosen as the new president, and David G.
Burnet was picked for the spot of vice president.
Both men disliked Sam Houston and were
excited to change things in Texas.
David G. Burnet
Mirabeau Lamar
Lamar’s Education Goals
After taking office in 1839, President Lamar
announced that Texas needed a public education
system. Congress then passed education acts, or
laws, that set aside 17,712 acres of land to be
used for public schools. They also set aside
231,400 acres for future public universities. The
first college to receive a charter, or document
allowing operation, was Rutersville College, near
La Grange, Texas. Though Lamar’s efforts pretty
much failed (no public schools were built while
he was president), he is now known as the Father
of Texas Education.
Rutersville College Main Building, Opened in 1840
A New Capital
Lamar and many other people did not like that
Houston was the capital of Texas. They
thought that it needed to be closer to the
center of the nation. So, they created a
committee that was to pick a better place for
the capital. In 1839, they decided on the town
of Waterloo, Texas, located on the Colorado
River. They renamed the city Austin, in honor
of Stephen F. Austin!
Keep Austin Weird
A judge named Edwin Walker was sent by
President Lamar to design the town and build
government offices, including a temporary
capitol. The main street was named Congress
Avenue. By 1840, more than 850 people lived
in Austin, including diplomats from France,
Great Britian and the United States. It is just as
diverse today!
1904
1940
Just Because It’s Cool: Bats at
Congress Bridge
The Congress Avenue Bridge spans Town Lake in
downtown Austin and is home to the largest
urban bat colony in North America. The colony is
estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail
bats. Each night from mid-March to November,
the bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to
blanket the sky as they head out to forage for
food. This event has become one of the most
spectacular and unusual tourist attractions in
Texas. The most spectacular bat flights are during
hot, dry August nights, when multiple columns of
bats emerge.
Bats at the Congress Avenue
Bridge
Austin: You can’t please everyone!
Still, not everyone was happy! Though the land
in the area was beautiful, many people
thought that Austin was too close to Mexico
and would be easily attacked. Others didn’t
like that the town was in Comanche territory.
The capitol building had to be surrounded by
walls to be protected. Eventually many people
moved to Austin and it became a safer place
to live and not so difficult and dangerous.
Land and Economic Policies
As Texas’ financial problems worsened,
Lamar’s administration attempted to help
people by passing homestead laws. They also
began printing more paper money, called red
backs. But as the Republic debt became larger,
the red backs became worthless. Lamar made
the national debt rise by spending $1.5 million
on the military, part of which was spent on
new ships for the navy. During Sam Houston’s
term, he only spent $881,000 on the military.
Red Backs
“This money came in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $100,
and $500. Change notes also existed.”
-From the Library of the Daughter of the Texas Revolution
Lamar’s American Indian Policy
Unlike Houston, Lamar disliked the Native
Americans in Texas. He wanted them
removed, believing that war was the only
option. He said during his inaugural address,
“The white man and the American Indian
cannot dwell in harmony together. Nature
forbids it. …Push a rigorous war against them;
pursue them to their hiding places without
mitigation (relief) or compassion.”
Cordova Rebellion
After the Texas Revolution, many Americans
moved to the Texas city of Nacogdoches, where the
population was mostly Mexican. Some of the
Mexicans living in Nacogdoches remained loyal to
Santa Anna. A man named Vicente Cordova was a
Mexican loyalist, and along with some Native
Americans loyal to Santa Anna, began to round up a
group of 400 people to fight the Texans. Before
anything could happen, the loyalists were stopped.
Result of the Cordova Rebellion
Though no fighting occurred and no one was
harmed, this minor rebellion made the people in
Texas weary of Mexicans around them. It made
them think that all Tejanos were loyal to Santa
Anna, even though many were not. Also, it
made many people feel that all Native Americans
needed to be removed from Texas because they
could join any other group to get rid of Anglo
settlers in the area. Lamar was one who wanted to
force the Indians out of Texas.
Battle of the Neches
In 1839, Lamar ordered the Cherokee to leave
Texas. They refused, so Lamar sent 500
soldiers to remove them. The Battle of Neches
broke out in July near the Neches River. After
several days of fighting, 100 Cherokee were
killed, including Chief Bowles. The rest were
forced out of Texas, along with the fearful
Caddo and Shawnee.
The Council House Fight
After many fights between the Texas settlers and
the Comanche, the two groups finally agreed to
peace talks. On March 19, 1840, 65 Comanche
arrived at the Council House in San Antonio. They
were supposed to bring all their captives, but
they didn’t. The peace chief, Muk-wah-ruh, said
that he didn’t have the authority to release the
captives. Fighting then broke out and at the end
of the battle, 35 Comanche were dead, including
women and children. At least 7 Texans were
killed. This also killed any prospect of peace.
Battle of Plum Creek
When the other Comanche tribes heard about the
massacre, they were very angry! They executed
all of their Texas captives and then a large raiding
party attacked settlers in Linnville and Victoria.
They killed 20 settlers, burned down houses, and
stole supplies and livestock. A group of Texan
volunteers, soldiers, and Texas Rangers vowed
revenge and searched for the Comanche. The
Texans found the Comanche on August 11, 1840,
and more than 130 Comanche were killed. Only 1
Texan was killed.
This painting shows the Battle of Plum Creek and the
Comanche Indians as they raided Texas settlements.
They stole the clothing and hats of the settlers and
wore them as they continued on to the next town.
The Result of Lamar’s Policies
Though they defeated the Comanche, many
Texans feared them. The Texans continued to
attack the Comanche until they were forced
north of the Red River. Many people in Texas
were happy that Lamar had gotten the
Comanche and Cherokee off their land, which
left more land for Texans! Still, the American
Indians wars had cost the Republic $2.5
million. During his term, the debt rose from
$3.3 million to $8 million (over $107 million
today). Texans were again ready for a change.
Houston Returns to Office
In 1841, Sam Houston ran again for president
against David G. Burnet and was re-elected as
the President of the Republic of Texas. Texans
also chose Edward Burleson was the vice
president. Burleson had led many volunteer
soldiers during the Texas Revolution and fought
at the Battle of San Antonio and at San Jacinto.
Edward Burleson
Side Note: The Texas Navy
During Houston’s first administration, Texas
acquired a navy. The Texas Navy protected Texas’
coast, but it cost the new nation a lot of money. In
order to afford the ships, President Lamar bought
bonds to pay for them. They were often used to
conduct peace negotiations between Texas and
Mexico, but all of them were unsuccessful. Most
Texas naval officers were recruited from the U.S. In
all, it was not very useful.
Balancing the Budget
First, Houston attempted to balance the nation’s
budget. To save money, Houston cut government
jobs and spending. He also cut the size of the Texas
Army and Texas Rangers. He even tried to sell the
navy, but it never happened. As a result, spending
dropped from $4.8 million during Lamar’s
presidency to $500,000 under Houston. Still, the
debt rose to $12 million by 1845. He even printed
more money, but it was not seen as valuable, and
so it wasn’t!
American Indian Policy
President Houston also returned to the peaceful
American Indian policy from his first term in
office. He built more trading posts to increase
positive relations with the Indians and signed
peace treaties. In August 1842, the Caddo
signed a treaty with the Texans and agreed to
help persuade 20 other Indian groups to attend
a peace council, or meeting.
Trouble with Settlers in East Texas
Just as Indian-Texas relations began improving,
East Texas settlers in Shelby County began
fighting one another. This region, known as the
Redlands, was known for having few law
enforcement officers, so many bandits and
outlaws moved there. The war, known as the
Regulator-Moderator War, all started with a
feud!
Alfred George and Joseph Goodbread
Two men, Alfred George and Joseph Goodbread,
began a feud in 1840 over fake land titles.
George convinced another man, Charles W.
Jackson, to kill Goodbread. Jackson organized a
group, called the Regulators, to “fight crime,”
which was really a cover to attack Goodbread. In
turn, Joseph Goodbread’s supporters created a
group called the Moderators.
The Regulator – Moderator War
These two groups attacked each other and anyone
who got in their way. Local officials could not stop
the feud, especially since many of them joined
sides. People were shot, judges were threatened,
prisoners were hanged without trials, houses were
burned, and people were driven out of their homes.
Eventually, each side had hundreds of people
fighting one another. In 1844, Houston finally sent
troops to stop the feud, which was eventually
ended.