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The Republic of Texas
Page 1 of 5
Why It Matters Now
As Texas’s first president,
Sam Houston has served as
a model for Texas leaders for
many generations.
TERMS & NAMES
OBJECTIVES
MAIN IDEA
Sam Houston, cabinet,
John Allen, Augustus Allen,
Houston, revenue, promissory note, Felix Huston,
Mirabeau B. Lamar
1. Identify the problems faced by the
Republic of Texas.
2. Explain Sam Houston’s role in the early
days of the Republic of Texas.
3. Analyze the reasons for Texas statehood.
4. Describe the issues surrounding the
annexation of Texas.
The new Republic of Texas faced
many problems. Sam Houston,
its first president, focused on
restricting government spending
and establishing good foreign
relations. He also worked to avoid
new conflicts with Native Texans.
WHAT Would You Do?
Write your response
to Interact with History
in your Texas Notebook.
Imagine that you are a citizen of the Republic of Texas. You are no
longer ruled by Mexico, but instead by the new Texas government. The
Texas Constitution has set up the government for the new nation, and
Sam Houston has been elected president. How do these changes
directly affect you as a Texas citizen?
Problems in the New Republic
Texans had taken steps to make sure that their new nation would have
a successful beginning. They had adopted a constitution and elected Sam
Houston as their first permanent president and Mirabeau B. Lamar as their
vice-president. In his inaugural address, Houston spoke of Texas’s future.
TEXAS VOICES
[We] modestly remonstrated against oppression, and, when invaded by a
numerous host, we dared to proclaim our independence and to strike for
freedom on the breast of the oppressor. As yet our course is onward. We
are only in the outset of the campaign of liberty.
Sam Houston, inaugural address, 1836
▲ Sam Houston overwhelmingly
defeated his opponents, Stephen F.
Austin and Henry Smith, in the
election of 1836 to become the first
president of the Republic of Texas.
● Why do you think Texans favored
Sam Houston?
238 ✯ Chapter 11
However, the new Republic faced many problems. The Mexican
government refused to recognize Texas’s independence, so the two nations
were still at war. Houston also needed to persuade other nations to recognize Texas as being independent. The new president faced financial problems as well. The government had debts from the Texas Revolution and
no money with which to repay them. Native Texans, who had remained
peaceful during the Revolution, resented the growing number of settlers
invading their territory. Now they threatened to declare war.
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110˚W
100°W
Republic of Texas in 1836
40˚N
Texas Settlements
Texas’s Holdings
Mexico’s Holdings
Arka
nsa
s
an
R.
Ca n a di
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Red R.
Presidio
400 Kilometers
R
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0
200 Miles
Nacogdoches
San Augustine
San Felipe
Houston
Washington-on-the-Brazos
Liberty
30˚N
Bastrop
San Antonio La Grange
Anahuac
Harrisburg
Gonzales Brazoria
Nu
Columbia
ece
Goliad
Velasco
Matagorda
Victoria
San Patricio
Refugio
Laredo
de
an
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io
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it y
.
sR
zo
Colo
rado
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Sabi
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Br
a
Jonesborough
.
sR
▲ The boundaries of the Republic of Texas in
1836 extended north into other present-day
states. ● How many present-day states hold
land once occupied by the Republic of Texas?
Gulf of
Mexico
Given these problems, Houston was cautious in his policies. He did
his best to prevent another war with Mexico or with Native Texans.
He also limited government spending so Texas would not fall deeper in
debt. Houston believed that the best solution to Texas’s problems was
annexation to the United States. He pushed for annexation so the larger,
more established U.S. government could help Texas solve its problems.
Houston appointed well-known Texans to his cabinet to help him
deal with the problems of the new Republic. Stephen F. Austin served as
secretary of state. Henry Smith was named secretary of the treasury.
Thomas J. Rusk continued as secretary of war, a position he had held
under Governor Smith during the ad interim government of Texas. Such
experienced leaders provided stability for the new government.
cabinet a council that advises
the chief executive
Stephen F. Austin’s calling card
Death of Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin served as secretary of state for only
about three months before he died on December 27, 1836,
at the age of 43. Austin, who was Texas’s first empresario
under Spanish and Mexican governments, had served as a
leader for all American colonists in Texas. He led the first
major military conflict in the Revolution. Then he traveled
to the United States to raise troops and money for the war.
In memory of Austin, President Houston proclaimed a
30-day period of mourning, or grieving.
An Independent Texas ✯
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▲
The Allen brothers ran an advertisement in a Texas newspaper to attract
settlers. On January 1, 1837,
Houston had 12 people and one
log cabin. Only four months later,
the city’s population jumped to
1,500 people and 100 houses.
● Why did the Allen brothers name
their city Houston?
A New Capital
PLACE
The city of Houston was located on a coastal plain where
the flat land and high rainfall
resulted in many marshes.
The marshes were breeding
grounds for mosquitoes that
carried diseases like malaria
and yellow fever. ● Why aren’t
malaria and yellow fever still
problems in Houston today?
Before Houston was elected, ad interim president David Burnet had
declared Columbia the capital city. This small town in Brazoria County
was where the first Texas Congress met on October 3, 1836. However,
many people believed that the town was too small and isolated to serve
as the capital city. A large number of Texans wanted to find a new location for the capital.
Two brothers, John and Augustus Allen, planned to build a new town
near Harrisburg, which had been burned during the Revolution. The
Allen brothers agreed to provide buildings in their town for the government and to name it in honor of Sam Houston. Congress and Houston
accepted their offer. After the town was built, however, many people
found conditions in Houston inadequate. The government buildings
were just log structures and the streets were muddy. Government officials and visitors complained about the heat, humidity, diseases, and size
of the mosquitoes. Although many people demanded that the capital be
moved, the town of Houston remained the capital of Texas throughout
Houston’s first administration.
The First Attempt at Annexation
When Texans elected Sam Houston president, a majority also voted
to seek annexation to the United States as soon as possible. The addition
of Texas to the Union made sense to many people in the Republic of
Texas and in the United States. Most Texans had immigrated from the
United States. Texans’ language, customs, and ideas about laws and
government were similar to those of most Americans. The addition of
Texas to the United States would allow for U.S. western expansion, so
most Texans thought the United States would be eager to accept Texas
as a new state. But Texas was not admitted to the Union for ten years,
mainly because of the controversy over slavery.
Several Texans, including William H. Wharton, Memucan Hunt, and
Anson Jones, worked in Washington to persuade the U.S. Congress to
accept Texas into the Union. Members of the U.S. Congress who favored
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annexation introduced a bill to admit Texas. John Quincy Adams,
a former U.S. president and at the time a member of Congress,
blocked its passage because Texas would have entered the Union as a
slave state. Adams was determined not to admit more states that
supported slavery into the Union. His views were shared by many other
politicians and those who opposed slavery. The issue dragged on until
Houston ordered Jones to withdraw the request. Houston did not want
Texas to be embarrassed by having its request delayed any longer.
Page 4 of 5
Star Money was issued in amounts of
1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500.
Financial Woes
One of the biggest problems in the new Republic was the lack of
money. When Sam Houston began his presidency, Texas had a debt of
over $1 million. Houston held government expenses to a minimum and
tried to raise revenue only for items that were absolutely necessary. To
raise money, the government began to collect customs duties and property taxes, but the debt continued to rise.
In 1837 the Texas Congress authorized Houston to issue about
$600,000 in promissory notes. This paper money was used to pay government expenses. These notes represented a promise that the government
would pay the specified sum of money to the holder of the note at a future
date in exchange for its cash value at that moment. The notes were called
“Star Money” because they displayed a star on the front. They circulated
at or near face value, or their actual cost, for most of Houston’s administration. However, when financial prospects did not improve, some feared
that the promise of future payment might not be kept. As a result, people
started refusing to accept the promissory notes.
revenue the annual or current
income of a government
promissory note a written
promise to pay a sum of money
at a future time
Trouble in the Army
During his administration Houston also faced problems with the
Texas army. Although Santa Anna had agreed to the independence of
Texas in the Treaties of Velasco, the Mexican government refused to
accept the treaties. Tensions still existed between the two countries. Also,
thousands of U.S. citizens had arrived in Texas too late to fight in the
Revolution, but they were ready for battle. Felix Huston, commander of
the Texas army, was among those who wanted to renew the war with
Mexico.
To prevent Huston from starting another war, President Houston
tried to replace him with Albert Sidney Johnston, a graduate of the
United States Military Academy at West Point. Johnston had resigned
from the U.S. Army and moved to Texas. When Johnston tried to take
command, Huston challenged him to a duel. The Texas army was made
up of volunteers who would not have followed Johnston if he had refused
the challenge. He accepted and was wounded.
Huston remained in command, so President Houston sent all but
600 of the soldiers home on leave and never called them back to duty.
Because the soldiers were no longer in service, the government did not
have to find the money to pay them.
▲ Felix Huston was a lawyer who raised
an army of 500 to 700 volunteers
to fight in the Texas Revolution.
However, the battles were over
when he and his army arrived.
● What position did Huston hold after
the Revolution?
An Independent Texas ✯
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Houston’s Native Texan Policy
Treaty with
Native Texans
The Cherokees, originally from
the southeastern United States,
were first reported to be in
Texas in 1807, when they received permission from the
Spanish government to settle.
In 1822 their population grew
to 300. By 1830, there were
400 Cherokees living in Texas.
However, thousands of Native
Americans were being forced
to move to territories in Oklahoma and Arkansas. ● Why
do you think the Texas Congress refused to approve the
treaty signed
during the
Revolution?
In addition to tensions with Mexico, Texans faced growing conflicts
with Native Texans. The Native Texans resented the large number of
Anglo American settlers who were moving onto their lands. Also, the
Texas Congress refused to ratify a treaty that Houston had negotiated
with the Cherokees during the Texas Revolution. In return for keeping
peace during the Revolution, the Cherokees were promised the title to
the land they occupied in East Texas. The Cherokees had some of the
richest farmland in the area, highly desired by settlers. Also, many settlers
wanted to rid the Republic of all Native Texans.
The Native Texans fought back by conducting raids against the
settlers. Houston enlisted the help of the Texas Rangers, a group of
soldiers organized during the Revolution, to patrol the frontier. The
Texas Rangers controlled the number of raiding parties and warned
settlers of any dangers. Although Houston was sympathetic toward the
Native Texans, many Texans did not share his views. Attacks on both
sides continued.
The Election of 1838
The Texas Constitution limited the first president to a term of two
years. Later presidents could serve for three years, and no president could
be elected two times in a row. In 1838 Houston had to hand over the
reins of the government.
President Houston and Vice-President Mirabeau B. Lamar had not
seen things eye to eye. Lamar had remained popular and announced his
bid for the presidency. Houston recruited Peter Grayson, and then James
Collingsworth, as opponents for Lamar, but both Grayson and Collingsworth died before the election. Lamar most likely would have defeated
either of them because he offered a new vision for the future of Texas,
one that appealed to most Texans.
1
Terms & Names
Organizing Information
Critical Thinking
Interact with History
Identify:
• cabinet
• John Allen
• Augustus Allen
• Houston
• revenue
• promissory note
• Felix Huston
• Mirabeau B. Lamar
Use a spider map like the
one shown to classify the
problems that the new
Republic of Texas faced.
1. Why did the Republic of
Texas face problems with
Mexico?
2. Describe Sam Houston’s
political policies.
3. Why did many Texans
want to seek annexation?
4. Why were some
Americans opposed to the
annexation of Texas?
Review your response to
Interact with History in your
Texas Notebook. After reading about the problems
within the new Republic,
list two more ways that
your life would be affected
by the independence of
Texas.
ACTIVITY
Culture
242 ✯ Chapter 11
PROBLEMS
OF THE
REPUBLIC OF
TEXAS
Go to www.celebratingtexas.com
to research the Activity topic.
Research Sam Houston and his relationship with the Native Americans. Why did Houston have a
strong connection to them?