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Mexico Wins Independence from Spain; Austin Founds a New Colony
After the Independence, and in search of new opportunities in unsettled territory, Moses Austin hoped to bring 300 families to the Mexican province in 1820. When Moses Austin died in 1821, Stephen F. Austin inherited the land grant and settled near the Brazos and Colorado rivers in 1824. -
Mexico bans US immigration
With the fear of losing control of Texas, Mexico banned further immigration from the United States. This initiative angered Texans who then pushed for statehood and self-rule -
Texas Declares Independence
59 Delegates held the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos. They drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and adopted it on March 2nd. -
Austin Becomes Capital of Texas
Under Mirabeau B. Lamar, the second president of Texas, the capital was relocated to Austin. -
Texas Adopts Lone Star flag
The Lone Star flag became the official flag of the Republic of Texas -
Texas Annexed to the United States
Texas was annexed to the United States after a long and controversial diplomatic struggle -
Texas Joins the Confederacy
Though Unionist Governor Sam Houston did not want to secede into the Civil War, State Legislature voted in favor of an Ordinance of Secession. This also led to Governor Houston being evicted from office after he refused to take an oath to the Confederacy -
Present Texas Constitution Adopted
After 5 previous revisions, this document established the foundation for the law that is still in effect in Texas today. This constitution was part of a reaction to the Reconstruction. The Texas Constitution shortened term and lowered salaries of elected officials, decentralized control of public education, limited powers of both the legislature and governor, and provided biennial legislative sessions. It also created The University of Texas and Texas A&M. -
Texas Railroad Commission Established
The TRC was founded after Governor James S. Hogg campaigned on a platform of regulating railroads. The commission was established to oversee the rates and operations of railroads, wharves, terminals, and express companies, it also gained national importance with its oversight of oil and gas production -
Oil discovered in Corsicana
Oil was accidentally discovered by the American Well Prospecting Company on a water-prospecting trip.
