Texas

Texas entered the Union on December 29, 1845, as the twenty-eighth state. A southwestern state, it is bordered by Mexico, New Mexico , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Louisiana , and the Gulf of Mexico. With a total area of 226,807 square miles (691,030 square kilometers), Texas is the second-largest of the fifty states, after Alaska .

The Spanish were the first Europeans to settle in Texas in the 1600s. They established forts and churches, or missions, along the San Antonio River, where they taught Native Americans who lived in the area about Christianity. In return, the Native Americans taught the Spanish how to farm the land and grow crops. Over the years, the Spanish abandoned some of these missions but left behind cows that freely roamed the land. These herds of cattle thrived on the Texas grasslands. Gradually, Spanish gentlemen established large cattle ranches, or haciendas, in the sparsely populated area. The hacendados employed large staffs of servants, owned vast property, and controlled large regions.

In 1803 the United States bought the vast Louisiana territory from France in the Louisiana Purchase . Before then, the United States had taken little interest in the Spanish lands known as Texas. But after the purchase, Texas became a next-door neighbor. In 1820 Missouri miner and businessman Moses Austin (1761–1821) applied to the Spanish government to allow him to establish a colony in Texas. Austin's plan was to farm the rich soil along the Brazos River near present-day Houston, but he died before his plan was completed.

Anglo colonists

The first U.S. colonists, led by Austin's son, Stephen Austin (1793–1836; later known as the “father of Texas”), arrived in Texas in 1821. That same year Mexico won its independence from Spain, which meant that Mexico now ruled Texas. Between 1824 and 1830, thousands of Anglo (white, non-Hispanic, and English-speaking) families, particularly from Tennessee and other southern states, entered east Texas. They

bought hundreds of thousands of acres of Texas land, which was much cheaper than in the United States. By 1830 Texas had eighteen thousand Anglo settlers—more than its population of Spanish and Mexican settlers. It also had two thousand African slaves.

Conflict with Mexico

At first Stephen Austin and the Mexican officials in Texas worked well together. Soon, however, Anglo Americans found it difficult to live under Mexican rule. They disliked Mexican laws and felt the distant government did little to protect them. Many Anglo Texans used slaves for labor and feared that the Mexican government would soon abolish slavery.

The rapid growth of the Anglo American population of Texas made Mexican officials uneasy, especially when the U.S. government began making attempts to acquire the area permanently. In 1830 Mexico passed the Colonization Law, which forbade further immigration to Texas from the United States. Illegal settlers kept entering Texas, however, and they had no interest in supporting the Mexican government. In response, the Mexican government built up its military presence around the Texas borders.

Friction between the Mexican government and the Anglo settlers in Texas grew after a new president, General Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794–1876), put the Mexican army in charge of the states and territories. The Texans, wanting the right to govern themselves at least in local matters, sent Austin to Mexico City in July 1833 to express their demands. The Mexican government would not agree to any self-rule. Austin was arrested during his return trip because of a letter he had written that appeared to advise the Texans to establish a separate state. He was not able to return to Texas until September 1, 1835.

Defeat at the Alamo

Meanwhile, the Anglo Texans created a provisional government (a temporary government set up until a permanent one is created) and raised their own army. Representatives, including Austin, were appointed to seek aid in the United States. Santa Anna responded by personally leading an army of three to four thousand men into Texas in February 1836. An army of 187 Anglo Texans gathered in the mission of El Alamo to resist the Mexicans. Two American frontier heroes, Davy Crockett (1786–1836) and Jim Bowie (1796–1836), were among them. After a thirteen-day siege, Santa Anna ordered an attack. All the Anglo defenders were killed, many after they had surrendered.

The defeat at the Alamo became a rallying cry for the Anglo Texans, and they intensified their efforts to repel Mexico's advance. In March 1836 the Anglo Texans issued a Declaration of Independence and adopted a constitution for their new independent republic. The new commander in chief, Sam Houston (1793–1863), assembled an army and was able to surprise Santa Anna's divided army near Galveston Bay on April 21, 1836. The Texans defeated about twelve hundred Mexicans with their force of eight hundred men. Santa Anna was among the captives. Before being released, Santa Anna pledged himself to secure the independence of Texas. The Mexican Congress later refused to acknowledge his pledge, but the Mexican army left Texas and made no serious attempt to regain control.

First a republic, then a state

Thus the Republic of Texas was born in 1836, with Austin as its capital. Sam Houston was elected president. The new country welcomed settlers from the United States. Between 1836 and 1845 almost ninety thousand Anglos arrived. Many brought their slaves. Houston and most Texans were interested in joining the United States, but several northern states did not want to add another slave state to the Union. When statehood was achieved in 1845, Austin became the state capital.

Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, when most of the South was economically devastated, the Texas economy thrived. The rapid development of the cattle industry in Texas created stability until the invention of barbed wire to fence cattle ranges ended the open range. By 1900 Texas was shifting from an agricultural economy to one based on industry.

The first oil discovery occurred near Beaumont in 1901, marking the beginning of the Texas petroleum and petrochemical industries. Texas became a military training center in World War I (1914–18), and industrial development continued beyond World War II (1939–45).

The oil industry boom collapsed in the early 1980s because of overproduction and the subsequent drop in price. To replace lost revenue, the state encouraged economic diversification by inviting high-technology companies and electronics leaders to Texas. After 1986, oil prices increased. This fact, coupled with the increased activity in other sectors, allowed the state to rebuild its economy.

Texas had a total population of just over 23.5 million in 2006, second only to California . Of that population, 71.9 percent were white, 35.5 percent were Hispanic, and 11 percent were African American. Houston was the largest city, with slightly over two million residents.

In the twenty-first century, Texas's industry included aircraft plants and dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including Exxon Mobil Corporation. Agriculture played a large part in the economic activity of the state, as it led the nation in output of cotton , hay, watermelon, and several other crops. More than three-fourths of the state's total area was devoted to farms and ranches.

Texas has been an influential state nationally since the 1930s. Until the late twentieth century, its politics was dominated by the Democratic Party . Four Texans have become U.S. presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969; served 1953–61), Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973; served 1963–69), George H. W. Bush (1924–; served 1989–93), and his son George W. Bush (1946–; served 2001–). Both Eisenhower and Johnson were born in Texas.