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The Republic of Texas History
(1836 – 1845)
By 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna had established himself as a dictator
in Mexico. Among Anglo-American colonists and Tejanos alike, the call for Texas independence grew louder. On March 2, 1836,
a delegation at Washington-on-the-Brazos adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence, and thus was born the Republic of Texas. Texas became the 28th state when
it was admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845.
The below map reflects the vast territory claimed by the Republic
of Texas. It further reflects the territory ceded by Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 (Mexican Cession) and the Gadsden Purchase of 1853.
| Map of the Republic of Texas |
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| (Republic of Texas Map) |
Santa Anna had brought his army to Texas to put down the rebellion,
and events followed in quick succession. At the time the Declaration was issued, many Texans were fleeing their homes eastward
ahead of Santa Anna's army, in what became known as the Runaway Scrape. The Alamo fell to Santa Anna on March 6, and over 300 unarmed Texan prisoners were massacred at Goliad on March 27. Sam
Houston's revolutionary army was also retreating eastward as Santa Anna advanced to the coast to capture the Texas seaports.
On April 21, the Texan army took a stand in the bayou country near present-day Houston
at a site called San Jacinto. They attacked Santa Anna's army while it was sleeping, and, in a battle
lasting only 18 minutes, routed the Mexican army and captured Santa Anna.
Many Texans favored immediate annexation by the United States. The proposals,
however, went nowhere, because of the risk of continued war with Mexico and Texas' shaky financial status. Even after
San Jacinto, Mexico refused to recognize Texas's independence and continued to raid the Texas border. The new government had
neither money nor credit, and no governmental structures were in place. Rebuffed by the United States, Texans went about the
business of slowly forming a stable government and nation. Despite many difficulties and continued fighting against Mexico
and Indian tribes, the Texas frontier continued to attract thousands of settlers each year.
In 1841, Santa Anna again became president of Mexico and renewed hostilities
with Texas. Sympathy for the Texan cause, however, had grown in the United States. And in 1845, annexation was finally
approved. Hostilities with Mexico and the Indians reached a settlement, and Texas was admitted as a state on December 29,
1845. The Republic of Texas, after nine years, eleven months, and seventeen days, ceased to exist.
Source: Texas State Library & Archives Commission
Advance to:
Recommended Reading: The History of the Republic of Texas; History of Texas
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