History of Texas, the 28th State to Join the Union

On July 4th, we celebrated the birth of a nation. Today, we celebrate the history of Texas, the 28th state to join the union (1846) and the only state whose flag once belonged to a sovereign nation (Republic of Texas, 1836- 1845).

Why the lone star? Just like the US flag stars stand for all the states standing together under one country, the lone star stands for the unification and the solidarity of the people of Texas under “God, state, and country”

Table of Contents

• Six Flags Over Texas
• Quick Facts About Texas
• History Timeline (1820 — Present)

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Six Flags Over Texas

The phrase “Six Flags over Texas” refers to the six countries that have ruled over Texas territory since the first European exploration of the region by Cortez in 1519.

One of those flags belonged to the Republic of Texas, as Texas is the only state in the union whose flag once belonged to a sovereign country (1836–1845).

Six Flags Over Texas

• Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Texas in the Confederacy, Texas in the Union
• Spain: 1519–1685
• France: 1685–1690
• Spain: 1690–1821
• Mexico: 1821–1836
• Texas as an Independent Republic: 1836–1845
• Texas in the US: 1845–1861
• Texas in the Confederacy: 1861–1865
• Texas in the US: 1865–Present

Admittance Into the Union

• In 1845, six months after the Congress of the Republic of Texas voted for annexation by the United States, Texas was admitted into the Union as the 28th state.
• Texas formally relinquished its sovereignty to the United States on Feb. 19, 1846.

Quick Facts About Texas

The word “Texas” was the Spanish pronunciation of “Tejas” from the Hasinai Indian word meaning “allies” or “friends.”

• State flag: adopted in January of 1839 (the lone star stands for the unification and the solidarity of the people of Texas under “God, state, and country”)
• Statehood: 1845; 28th state (all other states entered the United States by territorial annexation. Only Texas entered via a treaty.)
• State song: Texas, Our Texas, hail the mighty State! (adopted in 1929)
• State flower: bluebonnet (adopted in 1901)
• State tree: pecan (adopted in 1919)
• State bird: mockingbird (adopted in 1927)
• State insect: monarch butterfly (adopted in 1995)

TX state flower: bluebonnet

TX state tree: pecan

TX state bird: mockingbird

TX state insect: monarch butterfly

• At 268,601 square miles, Texas is the largest state in the contiguous United States (only Alaska is bigger) and the second most populous (after California). If it were a country, it would be the 40th largest country in the world.
• Texas is the largest petroleum-producing state in the U.S. and would rank as the world’s 5th largest petroleum-producing nation.
• Texas still owns all of its public lands. If the federal government wants to create a park or cut a stand of timber, it must first ask the state’s permission
• Texas experiences the most tornadoes in the United States, with an average of 139 per year. Tornadoes occur most often in North Texas and the Panhandle.
• The Texas Rangers are the oldest law enforcement agency in North America with statewide jurisdiction
• Charles Alderton (1857–1941), a Waco pharmacist, first created Dr Pepper in 1885.
• Oscar, the Academy Award statuette, was named for Texan Oscar Pierce, whose niece worked in Hollywood for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. When she saw the gold statuette, she reportedly said, “Why, that looks just like my Uncle Oscar.”

History Timeline (1820 — Present)

1820–1824

Mexico Wins Independence from Spain; Moses Austin Founds New Colony

• In search of new opportunities in the unsettled territory of Tejas and with the approval of the ruling Spanish governor, Moses Austin hoped to bring 300 families to the Mexican province of Tejas in 1820
• Although Moses Austin died in 1821, his son, Stephen F. Austin, inherited the land grant for the 300 families
• In 1821, Spain accepted the independence of Mexico by agreeing to the terms of the Treaty of Córdoba

Stephen F. Austin, 1793–1836

1824

Mexico Encourages Foreign Settlement of Texas

• Mexico established rules for settling its colonies in 1824. During this time, they also joined the territories of Coahuila and Texas, forming a unified Mexican state “Coahuila y Tejas.”
• With the passage of the Coahuila-Texas colonization law, Mexico encouraged foreign settlers to buy land in the territory with a $30 down payment, without the requirement of paying taxes for ten years after that

Coahuila y Tejas

1828

Conflict with Mexico on the Horizon

• Settlers weren’t ready to embrace their new Mexican identity upon moving into the country. Largely, they didn’t see themselves as Mexican nationals and, in fact, referred to themselves as “Texians.”
• Because of the lack of allegiance to the nation, Mexican officials feared they would lose control of the state. They began encouraging more migration from Mexicans into the area

1830

Mexico Bans U.S. Immigration

• Fearing the possibility of losing control of Texas, Mexico banned further immigration from the United States on April 6, 1830 and increased their military presence in the region
• This initiative angered Texans, who pushed for statehood and self-rule

1833–1834

Texans Respond to Santa Anna (president of Mexico)

• At the Convention of 1833, 56 Texas delegates drafted a resolution requesting that Mexico roll back many of the changes in Mexican law that took place in 1830
• Texans wanted Mexico to allow immigration from the U.S., provide more protection from native peoples, exempt Texans from anti-slavery laws, improve the mail service, and separate Texas from Coahuila

Antonio López de Santa Anna

1835

Texas Revolution vs Mexico Begins: “Come and Take It!”

• As tension grew between Texas and Mexico, Texans, with a growing influx of American settlers, pushed for separate statehood, resulting in many minor skirmishes with Mexico
• The first notable battle of the Texas Revolution occurred when Texans at Gonzales refused to return a small cannon lent to them by Mexican authorities. On October 2, Colonel John H. Moore and his company famously rolled out the cannon under a flag that read, “Come and Take It.”
• The short fight that resulted sparked the beginning of the Revolution.

“Come & Take It”

1836

Texas Declares Independence From Mexico

• On March 1, 59 delegates held the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos. There they drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and adopted it on March 2
• During the Convention, delegates also drafted the Texas Constitution, outlining their plan for a new, sovereign Republic

1836

The Fall of the Alamo

• Merely declaring independence was a long way from winning the revolution
• On March 6, 1836, Santa Anna (president of Mexico) led an attack on the Alamo. Under the command of William B. Travis and James Bowie, Texas rebels fought a fierce battle against the Mexican army. Casualties were high on both sides, but Santa Anna’s army ultimately triumphed.
• The defenders of the Alamo were killed in the attack, including famed frontiersman and former U.S. Congressman David Crockett. Those who did survive were captured and executed by Santa Anna’s troops.

Alamo

1836

Texas wins independence from Mexico

• Independence seemed out of reach after the Alamo, and general Sam Houston drew criticism for not having yet attacked Santa Anna’s advancing army. At 3:30 p.m. on April 21, outnumbered and facing impossible odds, Houston ordered the attack on the Mexican army.
• With shouts of “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!”, the ragtag militia descended upon the Mexican army.
• It is widely believed Santa Anna and his soldiers were indulging in an afternoon siesta and therefore were not ready to face the attack, which lasted approximately 18 minutes. Nine Texans were killed, and 630 Mexicans lost their lives. Santa Anna was captured after the battle. And so began the Republic of Texas.

Sam Houston

1836

Republic of Texas is Born

• In September of 1836, the citizens of the new Republic of Texas quickly elected Sam Houston as their first President, and Mirabeau B. Lamar as Vice President.
• Houston appointed Stephen F. Austin to be Secretary of State (Austin died in office on December 27, 1836, at the age of 43)

1839

Austin becomes capital of Texas

• Under the second president of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, the capital was relocated to Austin (city is named in honor of Stephen F. Austin, who died in 1836).

Austin, TX State Capitol

1839

Texas adopts Lone Star flag

• The flag you know today as the official State flag of Texas was adopted in January of 1839 as the official flag of the Republic of Texas.
• It’s interesting to note that Texas is the only state whose flag once belonged to a sovereign country (Republic of Texas, 1836–1845)
• The Texas flag has three colors: red to represent courage, white to represent liberty, and blue to represent loyalty.

TX Flag

1846

Texas joins the United States as its 28th State

• Texas remained a country until 1845, when it was decided it would be better if Texas joined the United States for protection and trade.
• All other states except Texas entered the United States by territorial annexation. Only Texas entered by treaty.

1846

Beginning of the U.S.-Mexican War

• The annexation of Texas bolstered westward expansion of the United States. Settlers moved to Texas in droves. President Polk defined the border between Texas and Mexico at the Rio Grande, but Mexico did not agree. Diplomatic solutions failed.
• Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to position troops along the north bank of the Rio Grande to protect the Texas boundary. The Mexican government saw this as an invasion and thus an act of war, resulting in the Battle of Palo Alto in Brownsville on May 8, 1846 — the first major battle of the U.S.-Mexican War. War was officially declared by U.S. Congress on May 13.

1848

End of the U.S.-Mexican War (Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo)

• On February 2, 1848, the U.S.-Mexican War was brought to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. The United States added more than 25% of its present day size, and Mexico lost over half its land as a result of the treaty.
• The treaty established boundaries between the United States and Mexico, with Mexico officially recognizing Texas as a part of the United States.
• Additionally, the treaty included the acquisition of Mexico’s northern territory — which included California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well as parts of Wyoming and Colorado — for $15 million.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

1853

First Railroad in Texas is Established

• As the United States grew, so did the need for a more reliable transportation system.
• This prompted the construction of the first railroad in Texas, which opened in 1853.

1854

First Telegraph Office Opened

• Modern communication is something we all take for granted, but 19th-century Texans weren’t so lucky.
• In 1854, the Texas and Red River Telegraph Company established the first telegraph service in Texas

1860–1865

Texas joins the Confederacy; Civil War begins

• The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 prompted the secession of Southern, slave-holding states.
• The majority of Texans feared the election of a Republican would threaten slavery, which they believed was a vital part of the economy of the young state. Not all Texans bought into the idea of secession, most notably Sam Houston, the Unionist governor of the state (although Houston himself was a slave-owner and opposed abolition, he actively worked to keep the state from seceding).
• However, the State Legislature voted in favor of an Ordinance of Secession on February 23, 1861 and governor Houston was evicted from office when he refused to take an oath to the Confederacy. Houston was replaced by Lieutenant Governor Edward Clark. This would mark the beginning of a long, bloody battle between the North and South. The Union would prove victorious four years later.

Civil War

1876

Present Texas Constitution is Adopted

• Since Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836, the Texas Constitution has undergone five revisions.
• The Constitution of 1876 was the sixth revision of the document and established the foundation for the law still in effect in Texas today.
• The new constitution also created the University of Texas and confirmed the creation of Texas A&M, setting aside one million acres of land for the Permanent University Fund.

1888

New State Capitol Completed in Austin

• In the late 1870s, Texas officials decided that the original capitol building, built in 1853, was too small and understated for the post-Reconstruction grandeur of Texas. Plans for a new capitol were in the works when the old building burned down in 1881.
• The new capitol was designed by Elijah E. Meyers, who had previously designed the 1871 Michigan capitol. Ground broke in 1882 and construction was complete in 1888.
• The Texas state capitol building is the largest capitol of all state capitols in the nation in terms of gross square footage. It is second in total size only to the National Capital in D.C.

Elijah E. Meyers

1894

Oil discovered in Corsicana, Texas

• Oil was accidentally discovered by the American Well Prospecting Company on a water-prospecting trip in Corsicana.
• The discovery generated interest in prospecting in the area. In 1901, a gusher drilled at Spindletop, near Beaumont, made Texas an oil power.

Corsicana, Texas

TX Oil Fields

1910

First Military Air Flight Takes Place in San Antonio

• Wilbur and Orville Wright, who in 1903 had designed and flown the first successful aircraft at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, also built the Army’s first airplane.
• Pioneering pilot Lieutenant Benjamin Foulois brought the new plane to San Antonio and publicly demonstrated it in flight on March 2 at Fort Sam Houston. Although he crashed on the last of the four flights, Foulois’s flight marked the beginning of the U.S. Air Force.

Wilbur and Orville Wright

1911

20,000 U.S. Troops Sent to Mexican Border

• Fearing the resurgence of Mexican nationalism spurred on by the Mexican Revolution, President Taft stationed 20,000 U.S. troops to the Mexican border for national security purposes.
• The Mexican Revolution raged between 1910 and 1919.

1919

Prohibition Goes into Effect in Texas

• “Wets” and “Drys” — those opposed to and for prohibition, respectively — battled over the issue in the Texas legislature for decades.
• Texas approved the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1919. But by the mid-1920s, Prohibition had become unpopular as anti-prohibitionists took control of the Texas legislature. Prohibition was ended in 1933.

Ratification Map of 18th Amendment

1919

Texas Adopts the 19th Amendment

• After years of struggle, a bill permitting women to vote passed in both the Texas House and Senate. Governor William P. Hobby signed it into law on March 26, 1918.
• On June 28, 1919, Texas became the first state to approve the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, winning women the right to vote in national elections.

19th Amendment

1936

Texas Celebrates its Centennial

• Texans celebrated the 100th anniversary of Texas independence with statewide festivities. The United States issued commemorative three-cent stamps and half-dollars to observe the anniversary.
• The Centennial Exposition was held in Dallas on the state fairgrounds, and opened on June 6, 1936. It ran until late November of that year. Over 6 million people attended.

1962

Manned Spacecraft Center Opens in Houston

• In 1957, the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik and Sputnik II, the first artificial satellites sent into orbit from Earth.
• The American response to the Sputnik launches resulted in the creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), allocating funds for numerous space projects.
• The Manned Spacecraft Center was built in 1962 just outside of Houston. Mission control responsibilities were designated to the Center in 1963.

NASA

1963

President John F. Kennedy Assassinated in Dallas

• On November 21, 1963, President John F. Kennedy flew to Texas to attend several events across the state. On November 22, he flew to Dallas to speak at a luncheon.
• En route from the airport, Kennedy rode in an open car motorcade through downtown Dallas, along with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally and Texas First Lady Nellie Connally,. As they entered Dealey Plaza on Elm Street, shots rang out.
• Both Kennedy and Connally were struck. They were rushed to Parkland Hospital where President Kennedy was pronounced dead shortly after.

JFK Assassinated