User:Oldag07/Sandbox
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[edit] History
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| History of Texas |
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Before European colonization, Texas was inhabited by Native American nations including the Caddo, Comanche and Apache. Spain was the first European country to claim the territory of Texas with Alonso Álvarez de Pineda making the first documented European sighting of Texas[1][2].
The first European community in Texas, the short lived French colony Fort Saint Louis.[3][4] A French expedition, led by La Salle originally was intended for settlement of the Mississippi River. Due to poor navigation the colony was formed in Matagorda Bay.[5] Due to the unintentional French colony, Spain established its first presence in Texas in 1691 constructing several of missions in East Texas.[6] After the first unsuccessful wave,[7] Spain returned to East Texas in 1716, establishing longer lasting missions and a presidio.[8][9]
Two years later, the first Spanish civilian settlement in Texas, San Antonio, was established as a way station between the missions and the rest of New Spain.[10] Hostile native tribes and remoteness from New Spain led to low Spanish settlement to settle in Texas.[11] After several years of war with various Native Americans tribes, and increased number of missions by the end of the 1700s only a few nomadic tribes were not "Christianized".[12] Texas's eastern boundaries were set in 1819, Sabine River with the signing of the Adams-Onís Treaty with the United States.[13]
In 1821, the state became a province of Mexico after the Mexican War of Independence as a part of Coahuila y Tejas.[14] In 1823, Stephen F. Austin began a colony of 297 Anglo-American families known as the "Old Three Hundred" along the Brazos River.[15] By 1830, the 30,000 Anglo settlers in Texas outnumbered Tejanos six to one.[16]
In 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico, created a unified constitution for Mexico with imposed a central style of government with power concentrated in the President. States around Mexico rebelled against this imposition, including a brutal suppression of Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Yucatan.[17] Texas Revolution from the Handbook of Texas Online</ref>
On 2 March 1836, the Convention of 1836 signed a Declaration of Independence.[18][19] On 21 April 1836, the Texans—led by General Sam Houston—won their independence at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna's capture led to the Treaties of Velasco, which gave Texas de jure independence. Later in 1836, the Texans adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery.[20]
Following this date, Texas existed as the independent republic for nearly a decade. In 1845, it joined the United States as the 28th state.
Annexation of Texas led the United States to war with Mexico then the Mexican Cession. In the American Civil War, Texas was the 7th state to join the Confederate States of America. Near the turn of the 20th century, discovery of oil led to an economic boom in the state. Texas grew rapidly becoming the second largest state in population in 1994. Throughout the decade, the state's economy became increasingly diversified especially in high technology.
[edit] Colonization
The Spanish explorer Weber (1992), p. 34.</ref> On 6 November 1528, shipwrecked Spanish conquistador The French, led by La Salle, established the first European community in Texas, the short lived French colony of Fort Saint Louis.[3][4]
Hostile native tribes and remoteness from New Spain initially led to low Spanish settlement to settle in Texas.[11] political San Antonio was a target for raids by the Lipan Apache.[22] In 1749, the Spanish signed a peace treaty with the Apache,[23] which angered the enemies of the Apache and resulted in raids by the Comanche, Tonkawa, and Hasinai tribes.[24] The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785[25] and later assisted in defeating the Lipan Apache and Karankawa tribes which had continued to cause difficulties for Spanish settlers.[26][27] After several years of war with Native Americans, and an increased number of missions in the province by the end of the 1700s only a few nomadic tribes had not been "Christianized".[12]
The Louisiana Purchase led to a border dispute over Texas.[28] The dispute was resolved in 1819, with the signing of the Adams-Onís Treaty recognizing the Sabine River as Texas's eastern boundary.[13]
[edit] Independence
The Convention of 1832 and the Convention of 1833 were responses to rising unrest at policies of the Mexican government including: the end of duty-free imports from the United States and the threat of ending slavery.[17] Texans also resented policies such as, the forcible disarmament of settlers, and the expulsion of immigrants and legal landowners originally from the United States. In 1835, Antonio López de Santa Anna, President of Mexico, created a unified constitution for Mexico with imposed a central style of government with power concentrated in the President. States around Mexico rebelled against this imposition, including a brutal suppression of Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Yucatan.[17] Texas Revolution from the Handbook of Texas Online</ref>
On 2 March 1836, the Convention of 1836 signed a Declaration of Independence.[29][30] On 21 April 1836, the Texans—led by General Sam Houston—won their independence at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna's capture led to the Treaties of Velasco, which gave Texas de jure independence. Later in 1836, the Texans adopted a constitution that formally legalized slavery.[20]
[edit] Statehood
Annexation into the United States was appealing to Texans because of the Republic's defensive and financial difficulties. Events such as the Dawson Massacre and two recaptures of Béxar in Texas of 1842 reinforced these feelings.[31] However, strong US abolitionist opposition to adding a slave state to the Union prevented admission until James K. Polk won the election of 1844. On 29 December 1845, Texas was admitted to the U.S. as a constituent state of the Union.[32] The Mexican–American War followed, with decisive victories by the U.S.[33] Texas's boundaries were set at their present form during the Compromise of 1850.[34] Post-Mexican War Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state.[35]
[edit] Civil War, Reconstruction and disfranchisement
The state was accepted as a charter member of the Confederate States of America on 1 March 1861.[36][37] During the American Civil War Texas was a "supply state" for the Confederate forces, due to its distance from the front lines, contributing men, especially cavalry. Texan regiments fought in every major battle throughout the war.[38] Texas was cut off from the rest of the Confederacy mid-1863, when the Union capture of the Mississippi River made large movements of men or cattle impossible. The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas, at Palmito Ranch, on 13 May 1865.[39]
Texas descended into anarchy two months between the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia and the assumption of authority by Union General Gordon Granger. Violence also marked the early months of Reconstruction, as people paid off old grudges and struggled for power.[40] President Johnson, on 20 August 1866, declared that civilian government had been restored to Texas.[41] Despite not meeting reconstruction requirements, on 30 March 1870 the Congress readmitted Texas into the Union.[42] Social volatility continued as Texas struggled with agricultural depression and labor issues.
Like other Southern states, Texas struggled with Jim Crow laws such as by the late 1870s white Democrats regained control, often with a mix of intimidation and terrorism. Texas passed its current constitution in 1876 with had man discriminatory laws.[43] These provisions extended deep into the 20th century.[44]
[edit] Modern era
The first major oil well in Texas was Spindletop, south of Beaumont, on 10 January 1901. Other fields were later discovered nearby in East Texas, West Texas, and under the Gulf of Mexico. The resulting “Oil Boom” permanently transformed the economy of Texas.[45]
The state economy was dealt a double blow by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Migrants abandoned the worst hit sections of Texas during the Dust Bowl years. From 1950 through the 1960s, Texas modernized and expanded its system of higher education. Under the leadership of Governor John B. Connally, the state created a long-range plan for higher education, a more rational distribution of resources, and a central state apparatus designed to manage state institutions more efficiently. These changes helped Texas universities receive federal research funds during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.[46]
