Chapter 1

Introduction:“Gone to Texas”

GTT

GTTGone to Texas•In the early 1800’s, people would find the initials G.T.T. carved on the doors of families’ and friends’.

Texas was the place to go..... a sanctuary for outlaws, a place to start all over again, a place to begin for the first time.

Introduction

• The gap between legend and reality:– Immigration under Mexico versus

today – See opening paragraphs – Frontier image versus innovation in

globalism

Texas Geography

• The connection of land and mentality:– Texas’s size encourages bragging

rights– Texas’s size contributes to

unorganized politics– Texas’s size represents limitless

potential

The Birth of Texas Traditions

• Contributions came from:– Native American tribes– The Spanish– The French– Anglo settlement

Mexican Independence

• Issues motivating Mexico’s split from Spain:– The expansion of political rights– Illegal American immigrants and slavery

The Texas Revolution

• Divisive issues regarding Texas’s split with Mexico:– Statehood within the Mexican national

government or complete independence?– Tejanos: remain under Mexican rule or risk

living under the rule of Anglo settlers?– Anglos: united against Mexican rule but

often fought amongst themselves after independence was won

•

Key events for Independence

• Goliad

• Alamo – 13 day siege. Died: Bowie, Travis, and Davy Crockett

• Battle of San Jacinto

• Texas troops fled and trained like US troops under Washington

The Republic of Texas• Key events:

– Sam Houston was elected as president.– The Constitution of the Republic was ratified.– Capital city established and named after Sam

Houston.– Process of annexation by United States started.– Mirabeau Lamar elected as second president.

• Opposed annexation, increased debt, disastrous relationship with Native American tribes

– Sam Houston elected for a second time.

Indep

Republic

of

Texas

Texas Statehood

• The U.S. Senate admits Texas by a narrow margin.

• Texas’s north and west borders are redrawn.• Texas’s southern borders are resolved through

the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.• Formal statehood: February 19, 1846.

Texas in the Confederacy

• With the rise of the cotton economy came reliance on slavery.

• Despite Sam Houston’s objections, the legislature voted to secede from the Union February 1, 1861.

• The Confederate regime was a disaster for pro-Union Anglos, Germans, and Blacks.

Reconstruction in Texas

• January 1865 vs June 19, 1865 – “Juneteenth”• 1866 Constitution failed to meet the demands

of the newly empowered “Radical Republicans” in Congress. They passed the Second Reconstruction Act purging Democrats from office and voting lists in the South.

• 1869 Constitution created real change for freed slaves.

The End of Reconstruction & Rise of the Redeemers

• Republican Governor Edmund J. Davis centralized power

• The Democrats gained control of the legislature and proclaimed themselves “Redeemers”

• The rise of the Redeemers and the role of the Grange

• The sixth constitution of the state of Texas• State government encouraged immigration

The Era of Reform

• Railroads protected from out-of-state competition.

• Prohibition of alcohol was passed but unworkable. Over 20 percent of all arrests in the state were related to prohibition.

• Galveston was a major center for liquor smuggling.

• By 1929, oil replaced cotton as the largest part of Texas’s economy.

Spindletop - 1901

The Great Depression and the New Deal in Texas

• Hoover and economic depression• Farmers and oil overproduction• Notable state politicians:

– “Pa” and “Ma” Ferguson– “Pappy” O’Daniel

Transitions to the Twenty-first Century

• Notable transitions:– Public school integration– Growth of women’s political rights and service– Growing support for the Republican Party

Texas Today

• Political culture types: – Individualism: demonstrates a general distrust for

government [“go it alone” attitude]– Traditionalism: strives to preserve the existing social

order– Moralism: views government as a positive force but

is rarely found in Texas

Race and Ethnicity

• Changing face of Texas --

Income Levels

Jobs

•

•

Modern Texas Characteristics

• Texas sometimes described as the buckle of the “Bible Belt”

• Home to over 5 million evangelical Protestants• Catholics outnumber Baptists in every major

urban area except Dallas-Fort Worth• Texans fall below the national average on

many measures of wealth• Texas, California, and Florida are expected to

account for almost half of the nation’s growth from 1995 to 2025 – Fastest growing city = El Paso

Interesting Sites

• http://www.gtt-gonetotexas.com/index.html

• www.lsjunction.com

Please find more cites for us … fromserious to comical