How Texas Changed U.S. History Essay

The United States of America is the world’s leading super power. Through the years, there have been many events that occurred which contributed to the kind of nation it is at present. It is a country with a rich and extensive history behind it. One of the significant aspects in the history of the United States is the state of Texas. Texas played a crucial role in the development of the nation. This research paper aims to discuss how the independence of Texas and its membership and re-admittance to the Union changed the course of U. S. history. Texas was originally occupied by Indians before the 16th century (â€Å"Timeline†). Numerous tribes of Native Americans resided in what is now known as Texas, and they were the inhabitants before the place was discovered by the Spaniards (Calvert & Doughty 10). For more than a century, Texas was under Spanish control, as it was considered a territory of the Spanish Empire (Calvert & Doughty 1). The Spanish explorers first arrived in Texas in 1519, and Alfonso Alvarez de Pineda was the first one to explore the place and map the shoreline (Calvert & Doughty 10; â€Å"Timeline†). After de Pineda, there were other Spanish expeditions and eventually, missions were sent in Texas (Calvert & Doughty 11). In February 18, 1685, Frenchman Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle claimed Texas for France by setting up Fort St. Louis in Matagorda Bay (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Timeline†). La Salle was soon killed, but the Spanish were threatened by the actions of the French (Calvert & Doughty 11). As a result, the Spaniards eliminated the French port and established more missions. In addition, Spanish towns were built in Texas, such as San Antonio, Goliad and Nacogdoches (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Timeline†). However, the 19th century ushered in a time of struggle for Spain, as it began to lose its power over Texas due to the expeditions of Americans (Calvert & Doughty 11). In 1810, a group led by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla attempted to free Mexico from Spanish authority. The plan failed, but it caused restlessness in Texas and Mexico. In 1813, Mexican Bernardo Gutierrez and American Augustus Magee occupied three Spanish towns in an effort to topple the Spanish authority in Texas (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Timeline†). They failed. Spain soon realized that the Spanish settlements in Texas were not enough to secure it from the threat of other countries (Calvert & Doughty 11). The Spanish authorities thought that an increase in population was needed. American Moses Austin asked permission from the Spaniards in Mexico to be allowed to stay in Texas; this request was continued by his son Stephen after his death. In 1821, Mexico became independent from Spain, and Texas became a part of Mexico (Calvert & Doughty 11; Perry 505). The Mexican government agreed to Austin’s plea, and they had begun to let foreigners settle in Texas. In 1836, 50,000 people had resided in Texas; 20,000 of which were from the United States (Calvert & Doughty 11; Perry 505). Most of the Americans in Texas were cotton planters, and went there because of land opportunities (Perry 505). Moreover, these people brought slaves with them to help them with cotton cultivation (Calvert & Doughty 11). However, Mexico met slavery with opposition, as the country abolished it in 1824 (Calvert & Doughty 11; Perry 505). The Mexicans soon realized that they were being outnumbered, so they resorted to efforts that would curb the number of Americans in Texan soil (Perry 505). The Mexican authorities stopped immigration from the United States and banned arrival of slaves (Calvert & Doughty 11; Perry 505; â€Å"Timeline†). This move angered the Texans, but the tension continued to increase with the dictatorship of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (Calvert & Doughty 11; Perry 505). The discontent of the people increased with the imposed customs duties collection (â€Å"Revolution†). In an effort to gain their independence, the Texans started the revolution on October 2, 1835 (â€Å"Revolution†;â€Å"Timeline†). The revolution began in Gonzales, Texas (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Revolution†; â€Å"Timeline†). Texans repulsed the Mexican troops in Gonzales, and emerged victorious in the first battle in the struggle for independence (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Revolution†). The succeeding battles were also won by the Texan forces (Calvert & Doughty 11). In November 3, 1835, there was a convention in which a provisional government, based on a document called the Organic Law, was set up by the Americans in Texas (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Timeline†). During the said convention, the Texans held an election for gubernatorial and council positions. On March 2, 1836, American Texans declared their independence from Mexico and established a constitution which allowed slavery; David Burnet was the provisional president while Sam Houston was the Texas troops’ commander in chief (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Timeline†). Then there was the Battle of the Alamo. The Alamo is actually church originally known as the Mision San Antonio de Valero (â€Å"Alamo†). It was used by the Texan forces as a fort. Unfortunately, the Texan forces were defeated by the Mexican troops, under the leadership of Santa Anna. However, Santa Anna was not victorious for long; in April 21, 1836, he was captured by Houston and his forces at the Battle of San Jacinto (Calvert & Doughty 11; â€Å"Revolution†;â€Å"Timeline†). Afterwards, Santa Anna signed a treaty recognizing Texan independence (Perry 505). Texas became a republic (â€Å"Revolution†). In 1845, the Congress of the United States pushed to annex, or make the Republic of Texas a part of the United States (Perry 505). U. S. President James Polk signed a bill that made Texas the 28th U. S. state on December 29, 1845 (Calvert & Doughty 12; â€Å"Timeline†). On April 25, 1846, the Mexican-American war begun over the disagreement on the boundaries of Texas (â€Å"Timeline†). Mexico claimed that Nueces River was the boundary of Texas; Texans, on the other hand, insisted that Rio Grande was the boundary (Perry 505). The Mexicans were defeated; as a result, the United States acquired more than half of Mexican territories, including New Mexico and California (Perry 505). The independence of Texas was relevant in United States history. This is because it was the event that paved the way for the United States to obtain territories that would eventually be a part of it. The addition of states did shape U. S. history, as all these territories contribute to the general legacy of the nation. Without the new territories, the development and growth of the nation would not be the same, simply because certain elements would be excluded. As a member of the Union, Texas also proved relevant in shaping U. S. history. Texas did secede from the Union, but its participation in the American Civil War was still crucial in the nation’s development. The American Civil War came about as a result of Abraham Lincoln’s victory at the 1860 presidential elections (Perry 507). Lincoln was a Republican, and the Republican Party was created with the objective of abolishing slavery. The Southern states, including Texas, who were in favor of slavery decided to secede from the Union. These said states formed the Confederate States of America. Texas seceded from the Union on February 1, 1861 (â€Å"Timeline†). At that time, Sam Houston was a governor, and he opposed that decision to secede as he was a Unionist (Calvert & Doughty 12). However, he was outnumbered by pro-secession delegates at the Secession Convention (â€Å"Timeline†). On May 13, 1865, the last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas (Calvert & Doughty 12; â€Å"Timeline†). The Battle of Palmito Ranch occurred close to Brownsville, more than a month after General Robert Lee of the Confederate Army surrendered at Appomatox, Virginia. On March 30, 1870, Texas was readmitted to the Union by U. S. Congress (â€Å"Timeline†). After the Civil War, Texas had several other contributions that did affect U. S. history. First, Texas helped the federal government defeat the Native Americans (Calvert & Doughty 12). From the Civil War until the Reconstruction, the western frontier was poorly guarded; the Native Americans bothered the residents, which were prompted to leave their homes. The U. S. government realized this problem and sent out federal troops to address the issue. These troops were helped by the Texas Rangers. The Texas Rangers started as a group of volunteers that helped curb Indian attacks (Connor 135). Eventually when Texas became a republic, they became an official, full-time corps that was employed to protect the frontier. After the battles between the Native Americans were over, they became agents of law enforcement in the state (Connor 135). The state of Texas also contributed to post-war animal industry with cattle (Calvert & Doughty 12). Except for hides and tallow, cattle were initially invaluable as the markets were too far. However, with the establishment of railroads, Texan cattle were able to reach more consumers (Calvert & Doughty 12). Nonetheless, it was the cotton from Texas that exerted more economic influence in the U. S. (Calvert & Doughty 12). As the railroads progressed in the West, there was enough land for the growth of cotton. The cotton grown in Texas eventually reached the world market. As a result, Texas became a major cotton producer in the U. S. by the year 1890 (Calvert & Doughty 12). Texas again participated in U. S. history in the 1890s, which marked an era of racial discrimination (Calvert & Doughty 12). Texas was one of the states that were characterized by much tension between the whites and the blacks and Hispanics. It all began in 1896 when the Supreme Court upheld that segregation did not infringe the 14th Amendment. Hence, Texas passed legislatures that encouraged and promoted segregation of whites and blacks in the community (Calvert & Doughty 12). Texas was also responsible for the Prohibition (Calvert & Doughty 12). There was a time when progressivism was rampant in Texas, and one of its most notable ideas was to forbid the sale of alcohol. The Texan progressives thought that selling alcohol was detrimental to a democratic society and its consumption was evil. In 1887, Prohibitionists relentlessly campaigned to ban alcohol. When it was thought that alcohol impeded the U. S. efforts in World War I, a law was passed in 1918 to prohibit the sale of alcohol beverages in Texas. In January 1920, the 18th Amendment, which prohibits the sale of alcohol in the entire country, was included in the U. S. Constitution (Calvert & Doughty 12). After the American Civil War, Texas proved relevant in the history of the United States. Along with the federal troops, the Texas Rangers participated in resolving the Native American conflict. Without the rangers, the endeavor would have been more difficult; the task was made easy by the fact that the rangers have been the guarding the frontier for a long time. Texas also contributed to the U. S. economy through its cattle and cotton industries. Segregation also occurred in Texas, an occurrence that would later cause the Civil Rights Movement to arise. Lastly, the Texan prohibitionists were responsible for the passing of the 18th Amendment. If Texas had not been readmitted to the Union, some of the aforementioned events may have never occurred, drastically altering the course of U. S. history. From its independence to its readmission into the Union, Texas proved to be an important player in the history of the United States. Its independence brought the United States the territories it has at present. Its readmission brought both social and economic reform that would not have possible if the state remained in its seceded state. If one would remove Texas from the history of the United States, it would not be the nation it is now. Works Cited Calvert, Robert A. , and Robin W. Doughty. â€Å"Texas. † Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. 2007. Microsoft Corporation. 10 April 2008 . Connor, Seymour V.â€Å"Texas Rangers. † Lexicon Universal Encyclopedia. 21 vols. New York: Lexicon Publications, Inc. , 1992. Perry, Marvin. A History of the World. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. â€Å"Texas History Timeline. † Lone Star Junction. 1997. 10 April 2008 . â€Å"Texas Revolution. † Lone Star Internet. 2 Feb. 2007. 10 April 2008 . â€Å"The Battle of the Alamo. † The Alamo Site. 2007. 10 April 2008 .