Transcript Statehood for Texas

Statehood for
Texas
1845-1851
Texas:
The Twenty-Eighth State
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.
In its first years as a state, Texas established the
framework for its laws and government today.
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,
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.
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 Texasborn delegate among them.
• Five delegates had been signers of the
Texas Declaration of Independence (1836)
•The only Texas born
delegate who helped write
the constitution for Texas.
•After Texas’s
independence he was
elected to the Texas
Congress.
•Navarro served two terms
in the Texas Senate.
•In 1846 Navarro County
was named after him.
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
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 Texas’s 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.
What are Homestead Laws?
Citizens of Texas cannot have their homes
taken to pay their debts.
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 women’s 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
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)
James Pinckney
Henderson
• Came to Texas from Mississippi in
1836.
• Helped bring troops to Texas during
the Texas Revolution.
• Was President Houston’s attorney
general and secretary of state.
• Member of the Constitutional
Convention
photo by: www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/
multimedia/docs/1226.html
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.
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.
The United States and
Mexico at War
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.
The War with Mexico determined Texas’s
present-day southern border.
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.
Mexico considered the Nueces
River the boundary between
Mexico and Texas
http://www.texassportfishing.com/Region_Rivers_Main/nueces_river.htm
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.
• 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.
• 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 Mexico’s 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.
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.
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.
Zachary Taylor at Camp
http://www.dmwv.org/mexwar/images/prints/taylor-in-camp.jpg
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.
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-maps.htm
http://www.dmwv.org/mexwar/images/nebel/nebel1.jpg
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
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 Taylor’s 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).
http://www.dmwv.org/mexwar/images/prints/bvista.jpg
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.
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.
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.
Casualties of the War
•80,000 U.S. troops
served in the war.
•13,000 died
•Mexico lost many
more lives.
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.”
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.
Critical Thinking
1.
2.
3.
4.
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.
How did the scouting skills of the Texas Rangers help
the U.S. troops? – The Texas Rangers’ scouting skills
helped guide troops into Mexico.
What did the United States gain from the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo? – The United States gained all of
Mexico’s possessions between Texas and the Pacific
Ocean.
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.
A New Western Border
After the War with Mexico, the Rio Grande was
made the southern border of Texas. However,
disagreement arose over Texas’s western
border. This issue, along with others, was
resolved by the Compromise of 1850.
The Compromise of 1850 established the
present-day western border of Texas.
The Texas-New Mexico Border
Dispute
• 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. Lamar’s
attempt to control the area.
Texas’s 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 the 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.
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.
http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mex-war/mex-war-map.jpg
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.
What were President Taylor’s
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
The Compromise of 1850
• President Taylor and Congress
would not agree on how to
settle the issue of California’s
annexation.
• President Taylor wanted the
annexation first, then the
question of slavery settled.
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.
The Compromise of 1850
In the Compromise of 1850 Congress
and President Fillmore agree to:
1. the annexation of California
2. making territories of Utah and New
Mexico
3. ending the slave trade (but not
slavery) in Washington, D.C.
4. the Fugitive Slave Law in the south
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.
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.
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?q=constitution
Annexation
THE IMPACT OF SLAVERY AND EXPANSION
ON THE ANNEXATION DEBATE
• Northerners feared that if Texas were annexed,
slave states would gain control in Congress
• Southerners wanted another slave state because
economy depended on slave labor
• Many Americans thought annexing Texas was a
natural part of U.S. westward expansion
EVENTS LEADING TO THE ANNEXATION OF TEXAS
• 1844 – U.S. Senate rejects Texas
Annexation Treaty
• l844 – Election of James K. Polk who
approved U.S. annexation of Texas
• February 1845 – U.S. Congress passes joint
resolution for Texas annexation
joint resolution – formal expression of intent.
EVENTS LEADING TO THE
ANNEXATION OF TEXAS
• October 1845 – Texas voters approve
annexation
• December 29, 1845 – President Polk signs
Texas Admission Act
Texas Admissions Act – act signed by President Polk
making Texas the 28th state
Forming a
Government
CONSTITUTION OF 1845 AND
A NEW STATE GOVERNMENT
• First chose delegates to the Convention of
1845
• United States, Republic of Texas, and
Louisiana constitutions used as models
• Constitution was ratified in October 1845
STEPS TAKEN TO ORGANIZE
THE NEW STATE GOVERNMENT
•
•
•
•
Held the convention of 1845
Wrote and approved the Constitution of 1845
Elected state officials including a governor
Turned over government operations to state
officials
• Turned over several military and public properties
to the federal government
• Chose two officials to represent Texas in the U.S.
Senate
Political and Economic Issues
POSITIONS OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND TEXAS POLITICS
• Democratic Party – favored farmers and
small businesses popular across South;
supported Texas annexation; strong support
• Whig Party – favored banking and large
businesses; opposed Texas annexation;
broke apart in mid 1850s over slavery; little
support
POSITIONS OF POLITICAL
PARTIES AND TEXAS POLITICS
(continued)
• Republican Party – formed by northern
Whigs and others; opposed spread of
slavery; little support
• Know-Nothing Party – supported slavery;
opposed immigrants and Catholics in
government; faded in 1857; some support
EARLY GOVERNORS OF
TEXAS
•
•
•
•
James Pinckney Henderson – 1845
George T. Wood – 1847
Peter H. Bell – 1849; 1851
J.W. Henderson – 28 remaining days of
Bell’s term
• Elisha M. Pease – 1853; 1855
• Hardin Runnels – 1857
• Sam Houston – 1859