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Chapter 12, Section 1 Notes
 Title:
Sam Houston’s Government
 Main
Idea: After gaining independence,
Texans faced the challenge of building
a new nation.
 Key
Terms: capitol, annexation,
expenditure, revenue, tariff
I. Houston Forms a Government
A. In September 1836, Texans elected
Sam Houston as the first president of
Texas and Mirabeau B. Lamar as the
first vice president of the Republic.
B. They approved the Constitution of
1836 and the proposal that Texas join
the United States.
C. The new congress first met at
Columbia in Brazoria County, but it
was too small.
I. Houston Forms a Government
D. So, the congress later designated the
new town of Houston established
along Buffalo Bayou by the Allen
brothers as the new capital of the
Republic of Texas.
E. Due to muddy streets, poor houses,
and mosquitoes, the government
moved into a large, two-story capitol
building where the lawmakers met.
F. Stephen F. Austin was named
Secretary of State, but served only a
few weeks. He died in December from
pneumonia.
II. The United States Delays Annexation
A. Most Texans had emigrated from the
U.S., had strong cultural and
business ties to the U.S., and wanted
U.S. protection. Therefore, they
favored annexation, or becoming part
of the U.S.
B. Mexico refused to recognize Texas’s
independence.
C. The U.S. hesitated to annex Texas
because it did not want to hurt
relations with Mexico.
II. The United States Delays Annexation
D. Also, antislavery groups were
against annexation because
Texas would join the Union as a
slave state.
III. Recognition As a Nation
A. U.S. President Andrew Jackson
sent Henry Morfit of Virginia to
investigate Texas on a fact-finding
mission. Jackson wasn’t ready to
recognize Texas as a nation.
B. So Houston sent William H.
Wharton and Memucan Hunt to
Washington, D.C., to work for both
annexation and recognition.
III. Recognition As a Nation
C. In March 1837, the USA was the
first nation to recognize Texas
as an independent nation.
D. J. Pinckney Henderson later
obtained recognition from
France, Great Britain, and the
Netherlands.
IV. Native American and Texan Conflicts
A. As Anglo-American settlers
increased in Central Texas, so did
raids by the Comanches, Kiowas,
and other Native Americans.
B. Cynthia Ann Parker was one of
many young children that were
kidnapped during this time.

Her son Quanah Parker, later
becomes a famous Comanche chief.
IV. Native American and Texan Conflicts
C. Houston called on the Texas
Rangers to patrol Central Texas
and decrease the raids.
D. He also worked to improve
relations with the Native American
groups, urging peace, even though
the Senate refused to accept the
treaty that was supposed to give
the Cherokees title to their land.
V. Texas Debt Soars
A.
B.
C.
The Texas government encountered
financial problems, as its expenditures
(money paid out), were greater that its
revenue (money received).
To raise money, the Texas congress
placed a tariff, or tax, on various goods
imported into Texas.
By the end of Houston’s first term as
president, the public debt (money owed)
of Texas had climbed to 2 million.
VI. The Release of Santa Anna
A.
B.
C.
Santa Anna was released in November
1836 and he visited the USA before
returning to Mexico in 1837.
He retired for a few years before
returning to power and renouncing all
promises made in Texas.
Overall, his release had NOT improved
Texas-Mexico relations and Mexico still
refused to recognize Texas
independence.
Chapter 12, Section 2 Notes
• Title: Lamar Becomes President
• Main Idea: President Lamar’s policies
differed sharply from Houston’s policies.
• Key Terms: endowment fund, cabinet,
redback
I. Lamar Becomes President
A. The Constitution of 1836 stated
that the president could NOT serve
consecutive terms; therefore
Houston could not be reelected
after his first term.
B. In 1838, Lamar became President
of Texas. He opposed annexation
and believed that Texas would be a
powerful, independent nation that
extended all the way to the Pacific
Ocean.
I. Lamar Becomes President
C. He also believed in public
education and set aside land as an
endowment fund to support
schools and universities.
D. He is known as the “Father of
Education in Texas”.
II. The Capital is Moved to Austin
A. The capital was moved to a new
site located on the Colorado River
near Waterloo village. Edwin Waller
was put in charge to lay out streets
and construct the city.
B. Lamar and his cabinet arrived there
in October 1839 and named it
Austin, after SFA.
III. Lamar’s Policy Toward the
Native Americans
A. Lamar reversed Houston’s policies
of peace and attacked Native
Americans.
B. He believed the Cherokees had no
claim to the lands they occupied.
C. So he ordered them out of Texas as
the army attacked and destroyed
Cherokee villages.
III. Lamar’s Policy Toward the
Native Americans
D. Along the Neches River nearly 100
Cherokees were killed, including
Duwali, also known as Chief
Bowles.
E. They were forced out north of the
Red River.
IV. Raids Lead to Council House Fight
A. In 1840, the Comanches agreed to
meet with the Texans and
exchange captives. The
Comanches only brought 1 girl
named Matilda Lockhart who
appeared bruised and beaten.
B. The Texans were angry and they
attempted to take the Comanche
negotiators as hostages until the
Comanches freed all their Anglo
captives.
IV. Raids Lead to Council House Fight
C. Result? A bloody battle called the
Council House Fight in which 7
Texans and 35 Comanches died.
D. The fight also launched new raids
led by Buffalo Hump; the Texas
Rangers led by Ben McCulloch and
many more volunteers fought back
and killed many Comanches in
revenge attacks (see p. 278 for
more information).
V. Texas Rebuilds Its Navy
A. Lamar built up the Texas Navy
and ordered new ships into
Mexican waters.
B. Overall, his goal was to force
Mexico to recognize Texas as
an independent nation.
VI. The Santa Fe Expedition
A.
B.
In 1841, Lamar sent an expedition to
Santa Fe to control the region and open
trade with New Mexico.
(4) Big Problems Along the Way:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
C.
Heat
Lack of water
Attacks by Native Americans
Fighting with the Mexican Army
(3) Reasons Why the Expedition Failed:
i. Loss of many lives and imprisonment
ii. Additional public debt
iii. Angered Mexicans
VII. Financial Difficulties
A. Lamar spent millions fighting
Native Americans and reorganizing
the navy.
B. He also failed in his attempts to
borrow from the U.S. and European
governments and to back up his
paper money known as redbacks,
which quickly shrank in value.
ISSUES of
the Republic
of Texas
Annexation
Capital
Education
Native
Americans
Military
Budget
(Government
Spending)
HOUSTON
LAMAR
Ch. 12 Part 3 Notes

Title: Houston Regains Presidency

Main Idea: Sam Houston’s return to the
presidency signaled a change in the
government’s economic and Native
American policies.

Key Terms: archives
A Policy Of Economy
a.
b.
c.
Houston regained the presidency in 1841.
It was his second term as president of
Texas.
To reduce debt, he cut government jobs
and reduced the size of the army.
He tried to sell Navy ships, but angry
citizens of Galveston prevented the sale.
A Temporary Peace
a.
b.
Houston also renewed work for peaceful
and fair dealings with the Native
Americans.
Peace treaties were signed to ensure a
period of calm for several years.
Invasion Triggers The Archives War
a.
b.
In March 1842, a Mexican army of 500
soldiers led by General Vasquez invaded
Texas in response to the Santa Fe
expedition.
Many Texans panicked as they army
occupied San Antonio, Goliad, and
Refugio. The army later with draws after
several days, but….
Invasion Triggers The Archives War
President Houston tried to move the
government archives, or official documents,
to Houston under a state of emergency.
d. But citizens from Austin, led by Angelina
Eberly, suspected Houston wanted the
archives moved permanently. They resisted
this move with force and were successful.
e. This skirmish, called the Archives War,
ended with the documents staying in
Austin.
c.
Woll Invades Texas
a.
b.
In September 1842, a Mexican army of
1,400 soldiers led by General Woll
invaded Texas and occupied San
Antonio.
The Texas Rangers and Texas militia
responded and drove them out of Texas
after some heavy fighting.
The Mier Expedition
a.
b.
In November 1842, Houston ordered
General Somervell and 750 troops to
patrol the border area from San Antonio
to Laredo.
After finding no trace of the Mexican
army, Somervell ordered his troops back
to Gonzales.
The Mier Expedition
c.
d.
300 men led by Colonel Fisher mutinied
by attacking the Mexican town of Mier.
Result? The Mexican army of 900 men
led by General Ampudia outnumbered
the Texans and forced them to surrender
after two days of fighting.
The Drawing Of The Beans
a.
b.
c.
As Texas captives were marched to
Mexico City, some escaped, but later
died from starvation and exposure. The
rest were recaptured.
Santa Anna, now back in power, ordered
their punishment.
Of the 176 men recaptured, 17 were to
die.
The Drawing Of The Beans
d.
e.
To determine which men were to be
executed, each prisoner drew a bean
from a jar containing white and black
beans. Those who drew a black bean
were shot.
The rest of the prisoners were
transferred to a prison in Vera Cruz.
Feuds Lead To Unrest In East
Texas
a.
b.
c.
President Houston also dealt with trouble in
the old Neutral Ground territory of East Texas.
Feuds erupted over land titles; and 2 civilian
peacekeeping groups, the Regulators and the
Moderators (both formed to keep law and
order) constantly fought one another.
Result? Houston sent 600 soldiers to bring
about peace. He also traveled there in person
to remind them they’re all Texans and to stop
fighting.
Drawing of the beans
Ch. 12 Part 4 Notes

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
The Texas Question
a.
b.
c.
Throughout the years of the Republic, most
Texans still wanted Texas to join the USA.
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 USA and Texas signed a
treaty that would make Texas a territory of the
USA. Texas would also give all its public lands
in exchange for the USA to pay all its debts.
Most Texans were surprised when the US
Senate rejected the treaty by a vote of 35 to 16.
Most senators opposed it because Texas would
enter the US as a slave state and give the South
an advantage in the Senate (i.e. South > North).
Polk Wins Election
a.
b.
c.
In the US 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 USA
was destined to expand from the Atlantic coast
to the Pacific coast. - This is called manifest
destiny.
Polk Wins Election
d.
e.
Settlers wanted to live in fertile lands in
Oregon, California, and Texas.
Merchants wanted ports on the Pacific coast
where American ships could stop on their way
to trade with Asia.
Congress and Texas Approve
Annexation
a.
First, the US 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).
i.
Congress passed this on February 28, 1845.
The joint resolution provided for immediate statehood,
bypassing the time Texas would be a territory.
ii.
Congress and Texas Approve
Annexation
b.
Second, Anson Jones, president of Texas in
1844, called a special session of the Texas
Congress to consider and vote for annexation.
i.
The Texas congress approved annexation on
October 13, 1845.
They also wrote a new state constitution.
ii.
c.
Third, on December 29, 1845, President Polk
signed the resolution that made Texas a state.
Mexico Offers Recognition
a.
b.
c.
d.
France and Great Britain preferred Texas stay an
independent nation, rather than joining the USA.
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 USA.
“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. Pinkney 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.