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Mexico Encourages Foreign Settlement of Texas
In 1824, Mexico created colony settlement guidelines. They also merged with Coahuila and Texas during this period to become "Coahuila y Tejas," a single Mexican state. Mexico encouraged foreign settlers to purchase land in the region with a $30 down payment and no further tax obligations for ten years after the Coahuila-Texas colonization law was passed. -
Tensions Rising Between "Texans" and Mexican Citizens
After arriving in the country, settlers weren't prepared to accept their new Mexican identities. For the most part, they called themselves "Texians" and didn't consider themselves to be Mexican citizens. Furthermore, despite Mexico's laws against slavery, a large number of Austin's settlers were from the American South, and they carried African Americans in servitude with them. Mexican officials were afraid of losing the state because of the lack of loyalty to the country. -
The Beginning of the Texas Revolution: "Come and Take It!"
With an increasing number of American settlers, Texans campaigned for their own statehood, which led to many small-scale conflicts with Mexico. Though, first major conflict started when Texans at Gonzales refused to give back a small cannon that the Mexican government had given them. Famously, on October 2, Colonel John H. Moore and his team rolled out the cannon beneath the banner, "Come and Take It." The brief altercation that followed marked the start of the Revolution. -
Texas Declares Independence
The Convention of 1836 was held at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1, with 59 delegates present. On March 2, they ratified the Texas Declaration of Independence, which they had written there. Delegates also created the Texas Constitution during the Convention, which included their blueprint for the future Republic. -
The Fall of the Alamo
Santa Anna launched an attack on the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Texas rebels led by William B. Travis and James Bowie engaged the Mexican army in heavy combat. Despite a large number of casualties on both sides, Santa Anna's army eventually prevailed. The attack claimed the lives of the Alamo's defenders, among them the well-known frontiersman and former US Congressman David Crockett. Santa Anna's soldiers seized and killed those who did manage to survive. -
The Battle of San Jacinto
President David G. Burnet gave Houston the order to cease his retreat, and when he did, he learned that Santa Anna's army was stationed on the Buffalo Bayou and the San Jacinto River. On April 21, around 3:30 p.m., Houston gave the order to strike the Mexican troops. Shouts of "Remember Goliad!" and "Remember the Alamo!" were heard as they descended onto the Mexican army. The battle lasted for 18 minutes and after the fight, Santa Anna was taken prisoner. Thus, the Republic of Texas was founded. -
Texas' Lone Star Flag
In January of 1839, the flag that is currently known as the official state flag of Texas with a vertical blue stripe one-third the width of the flag with a white star and two horizontal stripes of white over red – was approved by Texas President Mirabeau Lamar. -
Texas Annexed to the U.S.
Texas was annexed to the United States by President James Polk's administration, which was followed by a long and contentious diplomatic fight nearly 10 years after gaining independence from Mexico. Texas is now formally recognized as the 28th state of the Union. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and the end of the war
The U.S.-Mexican War came to an end on February 2, 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo was signed. With Mexico formally acknowledging Texas as part of the United States, the treaty established the borders between the two countries. The agreement also provided the $15 million purchase of Mexico's northern region, which as portions of Wyoming and Colorado, as well as land in California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. -
Juneteenth
With the arrival of General Gordon Granger in Galveston on June 19th, 1865, federal control was established in Texas. Granger declared the end of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery for two hundred fifty thousand African Americans. In 1980, Texas established "Juneteenth," commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation, to be an official holiday. -
The First African American in Texas Legislature
Following the Civil War, the US began the Reconstruction Phase, during which the former Confederate States had to fulfill specific requirements in order to be allowed back into the union. This involved revising their state constitutions and acknowledging the amendments to the US Constitution that outlawed slavery. There were nine African American delegates in the Constitutional Convention which by a year later, one of them named George T. Ruby became elected to the Texas Senate. -
Early Days of Women Equality in Texas
Long before they were granted the right to vote in 1919, women were fighting for equality. Jenny Bland Beauchamp was the driving force behind the Woman's Christian Temperance Union's (WCTU) founding in the 1880s. The group advocated for women's suffrage and other social reforms in the Texas Legislature, even though its main goal was to combat alcohol abuse. The women's suffrage groups that started to emerge in the next years to come, were built on the support of the WCTU members. -
Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA) is Formed
The first statewide group advocating for women's suffrage was the Texas Equal Rights Association (TERA). The TERA was founded in 1893, by Rebecca Henry Hayes of Galveston, and fought for women's political and voting rights, including the ability to run for office and serve on juries. -
Oil is Discovered in Corsicana
During a trip to Corsicana in 1894, for water prospecting, the American Well Prospecting Company made the unintentional discovery of oil. Interest in exploring the region increased as a result of the discovery. Texas became a major oil power in 1901, when a gusher was drilled at Spindletop, close to Beaumont.