Transcript The Early Republic of Texas

Revolution and Republic
Unit 6, Section 3.1 Notes – The
Republic of Texas
After San Jacinto
The Texans celebrated their win over Santa
Anna’s army at San Jacinto, but not for long.
Mexican leaders refused to acknowledge that
the war was over, and they kept 2000 troops
in Texas for some time. Finally, in exchange for
his life, Santa Anna agreed to order all
Mexican troops out of Texas. He was then
taken to Velasco.
The Treaties of Velasco
On May 14, 1836, almost three weeks after the
Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna and the
Texas ad interim president, David G. Burnet,
signed the TWO Treaties of Velasco.
David G. Burnet
Santa Anna
The First Treaty of Velasco
The first treaty was made public and it included the
following terms:
1. The war was officially ended and Texas was declared
independent.
2. Santa Anna would not take up arms against Texas
again.
3. All Mexican forces would withdraw beyond the Rio
Grande.
4. Prisoners would be exchanged.
5. The Mexicans would return all captured property.
6. Texas leaders would promptly return Santa Anna to
Mexico.
The Second (Secret) Treaty of Velasco
The second treaty was kept secret. It stated that
Santa Anna would be released immediately,
but in exchange, he would have to persuade
Mexican leaders to recognize Texas
independence. He also agreed to push for
Mexico to recognize the Rio Grande as the
Texas and Mexican border.
Violation of the Treaty
Many Texans wanted Santa Anna to be executed
or imprisoned, but in June of 1836, Santa
Anna was put on board the ship Invincible to
sail to Mexico. Before the ship could leave, it
was blocked by a force led by Thomas J.
Green. This group of men was made up of
volunteers who had just reached Texas and
wanted the war to continue. Because of their
actions, Burnet decided to keep Santa Anna
imprisoned instead of releasing him.
Texas’ Independence Unrecognized
Though Santa Anna was later released, Texas
had violated the terms of the treaty by
keeping Santa Anna captive. Mexico then
refused to recognize the first public treaty
because Santa Anna had signed it as a
prisoner. They did not recognize Texas
independence and considered it to still be a
region of Mexico that was in rebellion. They
would continue to fight about this issue for
some time.
The Election of 1836
After winning the Battle of San Jacinto, Texans
were faced with the task of actually creating
their new government. The Constitution of
1836 required that elections be held to select
new leaders. They also had to decide if they
would approve the Constitution of 1836 and
pursue the annexation of Texas to the United
States. They decided to hold elections, and
three well-known Texans ran for president –
Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and Henry
Smith.
Three Presidential Canidates
Stephen F. Austin
Henry Smith
Sam Houston
“Old Sam Jacinto”
Houston won the presidency by a large majority.
For vice president, voters elected a man
names Mirabeau Lamar, another hero of San
Jacinto. Texans also elected 30 representatives
and 14 senators to the Republic’s new
Congress. The voters approved the
Constitution of 1836, and also expressed a
desire to pursue U.S. annexation.
Houston’s Administration
Houston was sworn into office on October 11,
1836. After taking the oath, the stated his goals for
Texas, which included having peaceful relations
with Native Americans, guarding against future
Mexican attacks, and having Texas eventually
annexed as part of the United States. He then
decided on the members of his cabinet. Stephen F.
Austin was his secretary of state and Henry Smith
was his secretary of treasury.
Death of Stephen F. Austin
Austin was only able to serve the new republic
for a few months. Due to exhaustion and a cold,
Austin developed pneumonia. On December 27,
1836, Stephen F. Austin died at the age of 43.
President Houston made a statement: “The
father of Texas is no more. The first pioneer of the
wilderness has departed.” There was a 30 day
period of mourning ordered by Houston for the
dead Father of Texas.
He is now buried at Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.
His last words were "The independence of Texas is recognized! Don't you see it in the
papers?..."
Creating a Court System
The second major task facing the Republic was
the formation of a court system, which was
required by the Constitution. They set up a
supreme court, four district courts, and 23
county courts. James Collinsworth was
appointed by the Texas Congress as the
Republic’s first chief justice.
Boundaries of the Republic
They also needed to define the boundaries of
Texas. Congress claimed that the Rio Grande was
Texas’ border to the south and west, but the
Mexican government did not recognize this
border, and many people who lived to the south
and west of the Nueces River considered
themselves Mexicans.
Selecting the Capital of Texas
During the war, the town of Columbia had been
chosen as the capital of the ad interim government.
But many people complained that the town was too
small, so they began looking for a new site for the
capital. Two brothers, John and Augustus Allen, had
founded a town near Harrisburg on Buffalo Bayou and
named it in honor of Texas’ president. In late
1836,Congress named Houston as the new capital of
Texas. In January of 1837, only 12 people lived there, and
four months later, Houston had over 1500 residents.
Army Unrest
Many people arrived late to Texas from the United
States, still hoping for a war. Felix Huston, the new
commander of the Texas army, wanted to invade
Mexico, but Sam Houston didn’t think that this was
worth the risk. He then replaced Huston with a man
named Albert Sidney Johnston. This angered Huston, who
challenged Johnston to a duel! Johnston was severely
injured and was unable to do his job. President Houston
decided to get rid of all but 600 soldiers. The rest were
put on leave and never asked back to fight.
The Texas Rangers
For defense and frontier protection, Houston
relied on a group called the Texas Rangers.
Formed in November of 1835, the Texas Rangers
tried to keep peace along the frontier and
protect settlers. In later years, the Rangers
would become law officers. They are still around
today as a special police force. Women have also
been allowed to be Texas Rangers since 1993.
Jack Coffee Hays
Jack Coffee Hays was one of the most well
known and respected Texas Rangers. He was a
surveyor of the Republic of Texas and a captain
of a Texas Ranger company. He gave help to
Samuel Colt, who with his input, created the
Walker Colt Revolver in 1847. He was known for
large campaigns against the Comanche Indians.
Economic Policies
The new nation had a lot of money problems. Texas’
expenditures, or spending, far exceeded its revenue, or
income. The national debt when Houston took office was
$1.25 million. This would be close to $20 million today. To
make money, the government collected taxes and placed
taxes on goods. They also tried to sell public land. To
make things worse, the United States experienced a financial
crisis in 1837. This panic led to a depression that effected
Texas, since most of their good came from the United States.
Texas tried printing paper money, but they did not have gold
or silver to back it up.
Land Policy Under Houston
Although Texas was in debt, they still had a lot of
land; over 200 million acres of public land.
Veterans of the revolution received land for
their service! To encourage immigration, the
Republic established a colonization policy a lot
like the former Spanish empressario system.
They hoped that immigration would help the
economy.
Houston’s American Indian Policy
As Texans began settling on American Indian
land, many conflicts began. Of course, the
Indians wanted to keep their land, but Texans
wanted it, too, and decided that they would take
it by force, if necessary. President Houston
opposed a war with the Indians, believing that it
would cost Texas money that they did not have.
He instead pushed for a peaceful solution.
Houston and the Cherokee
Houston sympathized with the Indians and
understood why they wanted to stay on their land. During
the Revolution, he had actually negotiated a treaty with
the Cherokee that guaranteed them title and control of
their land, by the Texas Congress refused to ratify it. This
made the Cherokee angry, but Houston begged them to
be patient. He worked with a Cherokee leader and friend,
Chief Bowles. He set aside land for the Cherokee, but this
angered Texans who had wanted to settle there. He
couldn’t please everyone!
Sam
Houston
and
Cherokee
leader
Chief
Bowles
Houston’s Indian Plan
Houston and Congress decided on a plan to
promote peace and reduce conflict. They
established a line of forts along the frontier that
would encourage trade with the Indians. While
establishing these posts, Houston tried to sign more
treaties with Indian groups, since he believed that Indians
and settlers could live together in peace. Others in Texas
disagreed with Houston and believed that the Indians
should just be removed by force, since they were blocking
westward development onto the frontier.