The
History is of Texas is much too rich and colorful to ever do it
justice in such a setting. All that can be done here is a bare
outline.
Texas lies between two major cultural spheres of Pre-Columbian
North America: the Southwestern and the Plains areas. Archaeologists
have found that three major indigenous cultures lived in this
territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first
European contact. These were:
the Pueblo from the upper Rio Grande region, centered west of Texas;
the Mississippian culture, also known as Mound Builder, which
extended along the Mississippi River Valley east of Texas; and the
civilizations of Mesoamerica, centered south of Texas.
Influence of Teotihuacan in northern Mexico peaked around AD 500 and
declined over the 8th to 10th centuries.
The first historical document related to Texas was a map of the
Gulf Coast, created in 1519 by Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de
Pineda. Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish explorer Álvar Núñez
Cabeza de Vaca and his cohort became the first Europeans in Texas.
European powers ignored Texas until accidentally settling there in
1685. Miscalculations by René Robert Cavelier de La Salle resulted
in his establishing the colony of Fort Saint Louis at Matagorda Bay
rather than along the Mississippi River. The colony lasted only four
years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives.
In 1690 Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed
competitive threat, constructed several missions in East Texas.
After Native American resistance, the Spanish missionaries returned
to Mexico. When France began settling Louisiana, mostly in the
southern part of the state, in 1716 Spanish authorities responded by
founding a new series of missions in East Texas. Two years later,
they created San Antonio as the first Spanish civilian settlement in
Texas.
Within Mexico, tensions continued between federalists and
centralists. In early 1835, wary Texians formed Committees of
Correspondence and Safety. The unrest erupted into armed conflict in
late 1835 at the Battle of Gonzales. This launched the Texas
Revolution, and over the next two months, the Texians successfully
defeated all Mexican troops in the region. Texians elected delegates
to the Consultation, which created a provisional government. The
provisional government soon collapsed from infighting, and Texas was
without clear governance for the first two months of 1836.
During this time of political turmoil, Mexican President Antonio
Lopez de Santa Anna personally led an army to end the revolt. The
Mexican expedition was initially successful. General Jose de Urrea
defeated all the Texian resistance along the coast culminating in
the Goliad Massacre. Santa Anna's forces, after a thirteen-day
siege, overwhelmed Texian defenders at the Battle of the Alamo. News
of the defeats sparked panic amongst Texas settlers. The
newly-elected Texian delegates to the Convention of 1836 quickly
signed a Declaration of Independence on March 2, forming the
Republic of Texas. After electing interim officers, the Convention
disbanded. The new government joined the other settlers in Texas in
the Runaway Scrape, fleeing from the approaching Mexican army. After
several weeks of retreat, the Texian Army commanded by Sam Houston
attacked and defeated Santa Anna's forces at the Battle of San
Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign the Treaties of
Velasco, ending the war.
As early as 1837, the Republic made several attempts to
negotiate annexation with the United States. Opposition within the
republic from the nationalist faction, along with strong
abolitionist opposition within the United States, slowed Texas's
admission into the Union. Texas was finally annexed when the
expansionist James K. Polk won the election of 1844. On December 29,
1845, Congress admitted Texas to the U.S. as a constituent state of
the Union.
Table of Counties
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