Constitution of the Republic of Texas

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The Constitution of the Republic of Texas was written in 1836 between the fall of the Alamo Mission in San Antonio and Sam Houston's stunning victory at San Jacinto. The constitution was written quickly and while on the run from Santa Ana.

Contents 1 Comparison to the United States Constitution 2 Slavery 3 Replacement 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Comparison to the United States Constitution

The Constitution generally followed the U.S. model. Many clauses are word-for-word duplicates of clauses in the American constitution, and many others are paraphrased.

The Texas Government was composed of a House of Representatives, a Senate, and a President. Representatives and Senators served terms of one and three years, respectively. However a three-year term limit was placed on the president, and he was not allowed to run for direct re-election (indirect was allowed). In an effort to reduce religious influences, the constitution prohibited clergy from holding office.

[edit] Slavery

Slavery was legalized and the head of each household was given a sizable land grant. The constitution also denied citizenship to African-Americans and Native Americans. Furthermore, it made it illegal for slaveowners to emancipate their own slaves without the consent of Congress.

[edit] Replacement

In 1845, the Constitution of the Republic of Texas was superseded by the Texas Constitution of 1845 under the United States Constitution when Texas joined the Union as a state.

[edit] See also

• Texas Constitution — The state-in-a-federation ones

[edit] References

• Rupert N. Richardson, Adrian Anderson, and Ernest Wallace, Texas: The Lone Star State (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1993), p. 110.

[edit] External links

• Constitution of the Republic, 1836 from Gammel's Laws of Texas, Vol. I. hosted by the Portal to Texas History.