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Texas Becomes a State
Ch. 12 Section 4
Chapter 12.4
Texas Becomes a State
I. The Texas Question
A. Annexation an issue during
Houston’s second term as president.
B. Opponents believed it would benefit
Southern slaveholders and spark war
with Mexico
C. American immigrants increase
popularity of annexation and
strengthen ties to United States
D. In 1844 Texas and United States
signed a treaty to make Texas a United
States territory.
1. Texas would give its public
lands to the United States
2. United States would pay all
Republic of Texas’s debts.
3. U.S. Senate rejected the treaty
a. Senate opposed another slave
state
b. Concerned about Mexico
II. Polk wins Election
A. James K. Polk favors
annexation
B. Henry Clay against it
C. Polk’s close victory showed
most of the voters favored
annexation
1. People moving West favored
annexation
2. Most Americans believed in
MANIFEST DESTINY
III. Congress and Texas Approve
Annexation
A. On February 28, 1845, Congress passed
joint resolution for annexation
B. Texas could keep public lands but should
sell some to pay its debts
C. Texas could be divided into FIVE states,
but only with the approval of both Texas and
the United States
D. December 29, 1845, Polk signs treaty
making Texas a state
IV. Mexico Offers Recognition
A. Britain and France opposed
annexation
B. Mexico convinced to recognize
Texas’s independence
C. Texans reject the offer
V.
“The Republic of Texas Is No More”
A. In a ceremony in front of the
capitol, Anson Jones, turned over
the government to J. Pinckney
Henderson, the first governor of
the state
B. Texas became the 28th state
The Lone Star State
Chapter 14, Section 1
Texas State Constitution
1845 – delegates wrote a new state constitution
Very similar to the Louisiana Constitution
Constitution, Details…
Three Branch Government:
– Executive Branch: Governor
2 year term, no consecutive terms, citizen of Texas
for 3 years before election, at least 30 years old
– Legislative Branch: Congress
House serves 2 year terms, Senate serves 4 year
terms
– Judicial Branch: Courts
Supreme Court, District and county courts created
Constitution, continued
Judicial: Originally
governor appointed judges
of state courts, later
amended and judges voted
in
1st Governor: J. Pinckney
Henderson
1st US Senators: Sam
Houston & Thomas Rusk
1st Representatives: David
Kaufman & Timothy
Pillsbury
Political Parties
Organized in the
United States by 1850
Democrats, Whigs,
American/KnowNothing, Republican
Party
Democratic Party
Most Texas leaders joined
Strong in South
Represented the interests of the working
class: farmers and laborers
Whig Party
Another major US party
Represented business and commercial
interests
Few Texans supported them
Opposed expanding slavery into new
territories
American/Know-Nothing Party
Tried to keep new immigrants from voting or
holding office
Demanded immigration be restricted
The practice of nominating candidates by
conventions originated with this party.
Republican Party
Formed when Whigs split over the issue of
slavery
The new Republican party strongly opposed
the extension of slavery.
This party had no support in Texas before
the Civil War.
Federal Aid for Reservations
• To stop the conflicts between settlers and
Native Americans, the United States
government placed many Native
Americans on reservations.
• The system was not successful because
Native Americans were not given enough
land on which to survive.
• Some Native Americans refused to move
onto the reservations.
Federal Aid for Reservations (cont.)
• Many settlers opposed the reservation
system, believing that raids in North and
Central Texas were made by Native
Americans who lived on reservations.