Transcript Ch. 12 Part 4 Notes

Unit 6: Chapter 12, Section 4
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Title: Texas Becomes A State
Main Idea: Efforts for Texas annexation were
given a boost by the changing political
atmosphere in the United States.
Key Terms: manifest destiny, joint resolution
Key People: Mary Maverick, James K. Polk,
Henry Clay, Anson Jones
Life in the Republic of Texas
a.
b.
Mary Maverick, and her husband Samuel,
established a large ranch near the San Antonio
area.
She recorded her daily life in diaries and
journals between the days of the Republic of
Texas and the Civil War. She worked hard
making sure the history of Texas was preserved
(see excerpt on page 309).
Mary Maverick
Freedoms and Slavery in the
Republic of Texas
a.
b.
The establishment of the Republic of Texas was
based on freedoms most Texans had when they
lived in the United States. This meant that they
would not live under a dictatorship (political) and
their civil liberties (civil/religious) like speech,
religion, press, and assembly would be
protected under a constitution.
Slavery was legalized, and free slaves had to
get an act of Congress to remain legal in Texas.
The Texas Question
a.
b.
c.
Throughout the years of the Republic, most
Texans still wanted Texas to join the U.S.A.
By Houston’s second term, the “Texas
Question” became an important issue in
American politics.
Some Americans were against annexing Texas
because it would benefit slave owners and might
cause war with Mexico.
The Texas Question
d.
e.
f.
By April 1844, the U.S.A. and Texas signed a
treaty that would make Texas a territory of the
U.S.A. Texas would also give all its public lands
in exchange for the U.S.A. to pay all its debts.
Most Texans were surprised when the U.S.
Senate rejected the treaty by a vote of 35 to 16.
Most senators opposed it because Texas would
enter the U.S. as a slave state and give the
South an advantage in the Senate (i.e. South >
North).
Polk Wins the U.S. Election
a.
b.
c.
In the U.S. presidential election of 1844,
James K. Polk of the Democratic Party
narrowly defeated Henry Clay from the Whig
Party.
Polk heavily favored annexation of Texas.
Polk and most Americans believed the U.S.A.
was destined to expand from the Atlantic coast
to the Pacific coast—manifest destiny.
Polk vs. Clay
Manifest Destiny
U.S. Congress and Texas Approve Annexation
How did Texas become a State? (3 steps)
First, the U.S. Congress proposed that Texas be
annexed by joint resolution, a resolution passed
by both houses of Congress that has the force of
law and a simple majority of each house (instead
of two-thirds majority vote required by the Senate
to approve a treaty).
a.
i.
ii.
Congress passed this on February 28, 1845.
The joint resolution provided for immediate statehood,
bypassing the time Texas would be a territory.
U.S. Capitol Building
Mexico Offers Recognition
a.
b.
c.
d.
France and Great Britain preferred Texas stay an
independent nation, rather than joining the U.S.A.
They tried to convince Mexico to recognize Texas
so the annexation wouldn’t happen.
In May 1845, Mexico offered to recognize Texas
on 1 condition – Texas must reject annexation by
the USA.
Texas rejected the proposal and voted to approve
annexation by the U.S.A.
U.S. Congress and Texas Approve Annexation
How did Texas become a State? (3 steps)
Second, Anson Jones, president of Texas in
1844, called a special session of the Texas
Congress to consider and vote for annexation.
b.
i.
ii.
c.
The Texas congress approved annexation on
October 13, 1845.
They also wrote a new state constitution.
Third, on December 29, 1845, U.S. President
Polk signed the resolution that made Texas a
state.
Texas Capitol Building
“The Republic of Texas is No More!”
a.
b.
c.
On February 19, 1846, Anson Jones, the last
president of the Republic, turned the
government over to J. Pinckney Henderson,
the first governor of the state of Texas.
The Lone Star flag was lowered, and the Stars
and Stripes flag was raised.
Texas officially became the 28th state in the
United States of America.
Texas Becomes a State