Texas Annexation

Texas was under the control of both Spain and Mexico before becoming an independent republic. Texas became the 28th state when it was annexed in 1845. Read on to find out how this came to be.

Texas Annexation: Timeline

Below is a timeline of the annexation of Texas.

Fig. 1: Map of Mexico 1838.

History of Texas Annexation

Texas's annexation has a lengthy but exciting history. Keep reading to learn about the Texas Revolution.

Mexico's Independence from Spain

In the early 1800s, Spain controlled a large amount of territory stretching from Texas to California. Mexico became independent of Spain in 1821 and established the province of Texas, along with the provinces of California and New Mexico.

When the province of Texas was established, Texas was a sparsely populated area. In order to combat this, the government recruited settlers to come to Texas. There they were given land as long as they pledged to be obedient to the government and follow the local laws. These laws included things like becoming a Mexican citizen, converting to Catholicism, and using Spanish as their written language. Some settlers were happy to do so, but many others pushed back against these regulations. This is especially true where slavery was concerned.

The Mexican government abolished slavery in 1829 and expected its white settlers to follow suit. White settlers pushed back against this and brought slaves into the area anyway. In 1830 Mexico banned settlement by American citizens with the passing of the Law of April 6, 1830.

Fig. 2: Campaigns of the Texas Revolution.

Texas Revolution

In 1835, the Mexican army was dispatched by its president, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. This former general thought that an effective way to combat the growing resistance in the area was by sending in troops. This was not effective. In fact, it led to the first battle of the Texas revolution called the Battle of Gonzales (1835). It was followed by the Battle of Goliad.

Things escalated again in the early spring of 1836. In March of that year, a constitutional convention was held and the Texas Declaration of Independence was drafted. Texans assembled a government and elected a president. The Republic of Texas was born.

In 1836, Texans voted to be annexed by the United States. Their request was denied by both Andrew Jackson, who did not want to involve himself in the issue of slavery in the state, and Matin Van Buren, who wanted to avoid war with Mexico.

Fig. 3: No Annexation of Texas.

Texas Becomes Independent from Mexico

The Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto were instrumental in Texas's independence.

Battle of the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo was fought from February to March 1836. The Alamo was a former mission that

Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna dispatched troops to in order to fight against the Republic of Texas and recover the land for Mexico. Santa Anna fought again Texas leaders James Bowie and William Travis and over 200 Texans who wanted to defend their territory.

This battle was not a surprise for Texans. They were aware of the advancing troops beforehand. Sam Houston, a commander of the Texas Army, wanted to abandon the military fort. Despite Huston's orders to retreat, James Bowie and many soldiers decided to stay and fight. Unfortunately, the Texan troops were overtaken. Hundreds of soldiers were killed. Most of the survivors were slaves, women, and children.

Battle of San Jacinto

After the Battle of the Alamo, Sam Houston was ready to avenge the fallen soldiers. He and his men retreated until April of 1836. They rallied to defeat Santa Anna's army in a surprise attack in which President Santa Anna himself was taken prisoner.

Santa Anna was later forced to sign a peace treaty at Velasco, Texas. The treaty basically said that Santa Anna would be freed if he recognized Texas' independence.

Fig. 4: Location of the Republic of Texas.

Statehood

Citizens of the Republic of Texas were huge proponents for Texas becoming a part of the United States Union. At the time, slavery was legal there and had Texas become a state, it would have been a slave state. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery camps fought over the legal expansion of slavery.

In the early 1840s, representatives from the United States and the Republic of Texas came together to craft a treat that would allow the annexation of Texas. A few months later, in April 1844, the Senate voted against the passing of the treaty.

The annexation of Texas became an issue of contention in the presidential election. At this point, Texas' admission to the United States had been delayed by Congress for over a decade. President Tyler negotiated a compromise that would allow Texas to be admitted to the Union as a slave state. The resolution was approved by both the Senate and House of Representatives in February 1845.

Texas' government responded favorably to this. A special legislative session was called. The Texan Congress approved an Annexation Convention. The delegates voted on July 4th, 1845. It was approved and the vote was passed on to the Republic of Texas' citizens. They overwhelmingly passed the annexation at the poll. Texas was on its way to being annexed and joining the United States of America as the 28th state.

Texas was officially admitted to the Union on December 29th, 1845 under President James Polk when he approved the annexation bill. It was the 28th state and a legal slave state. This was one of the contributing factors to the America Civil War.

Fig. 5: Seal of the Republic of Texas.

Mexican-American War

The Mexican-American war began in the spring of 1846 as tensions heightened between the United States and Mexico in regard to the border between the two countries.

Mexico asserted that the official border between Mexico and Texas was the Nueces River. The Nueces River is farther north, which would give land to Mexico. The United States claimed that the border was the Rio Grande, a river in the southern part of Texas.

As a result of the war, the official boundary between the two became the Rio Grande River.

Texas Annexation Benefits

Annexing Texas would expand the amount of land the United States was able to excise control over. The agricultural land and slave-based workforce would bring money to the American economy.

Importance

The American annexation of Texas and a subsequent land dispute with Mexico led to the Mexican-American War. The treaty that ended the war granted a large amount of land to the American government, allowing it to expand westward. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago ceded either part or whole of seven states to the American government.

Fig. 6: Sam Houston

Texas Annexation-Summary

The American state of Texas has a long, complicated history. It was under the control of the Spanish before becoming Mexican territory in 1821. A sparsely populated area, the Mexican government encouraged occupation by white settlers until the 1830s, when a law was passed ending settlement.

Revolution began in Texas and it quickly declared independence in 1836. At this point, Texas began to eyeball annexation by the United States and statehood in the Union. While Texans voted to be annexed in 1836, American presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren denied the request.

While Texas was appealing for annexation, it was also fighting for its independence from Mexico. The Texas Revolution ran from 1835to 1836. It included notable battles like the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto.

In the 1840s, representatives from The Republic of Texas and the United States failed to create a treaty that would lead to annexation. A negotiation that would allow this to happen wouldn't occur until 1844 under the leadership of President Tyler. Texas was officially annexed and became a state in December of 1845, sighed into law by President Polk.

Shortly after this, there was a border dispute with Mexico. The Mexican-American war ran from 1846 to 1848 and ended with a lot of land for the United States.