The Lone Star Republic

Sam Houston and

Mirabeau B. Lamar’s Government

p. 270 - 279

Answer: Texas was unable to pay back money it owed to other countries and could not pay their own military and government workers.

Houston Forms a Government Texas elected Sam Houston as the first president and Mirabeau B. Lamar as Vice President.

Lamar is elected 2nd president of Texas in 1838

Stephen Austin became secretary of state, but only for a few weeks because he died of pneumonia on December 27, 1836 at age 43.

Question: Who was the first president of the Republic of Texas?

Answer: Sam Houston

The United States Delays Annexation Sam Houston and most Texans

wanted to join the United States for protection.

Mexico refused to recognize Texas’s independence and the U.S. did not want to annex Texas if it meant damaging relations with Mexico.

Slavery was another problem; antislavery groups in the U.S. were against the annexation of Texas because it would tip the balance of U.S. Senate towards the slave states.

Lamar opposed annexation to the U.S. because he believed that one day Texas would be a powerful, independent nation that would extend all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Question: Why did the United States refuse to annex Texas ?

Answer: The United States did not want to upset the balance between free and slave-holding states and did not want to damage relations with Mexico.1q

Recognition as a Nation The U.S. did not officially recognize Texas as a nation

for several months. On March 3, 1837, U.S. President Jackson granted

official recognition of Texas. France and Great Britain hesitated because they did

not want to offend Mexico and figured Texas would soon be annexed by the United States.

Finally France, Great Britain and the Netherlands recognized Texas which meant the countries could set up trade agreements.

Houston hoped this would make the U.S. annex Texas quickly.

Question: Why was it important for France, Great Britain and other countries to recognize Texas as an independent country?g

Answer: So that Texas could set up economic trade (supplies) and political agreements (protection) with other countries.

Houston - Native American Conflict

More Native American raids began as more Anglo Americans settled in central Texas.

In one attack, Comanche and Kiowa killed several settlers and kidnapped two women and several children, including Cynthia Ann Parker.

The raids decreased when Houston called on the Texas Rangers, who began patrolling central Texas.

Question: How did Sam Houston deal with the Native American raids in central Texas?

Answer: He placed the Texas Rangers in Central Texas to patrol and help prevent Native American Raids.

Lamar - Native American Conflict Years later, Lamar reversed Sam Houston’s policy toward

Native Americans. Lamar believed the Cherokees had no fair claim to the Texas

lands they occupied. He had also heard the Mexicans were attempting to stir up the Cherokees against Texas.

In the summer of 1839, President Lamar ordered the removal of the Cherokees from Texas.

Question: How did Mirabeau B. Lamar deal with the Native Americans when he became president?

Answer – He kicked all of the Native Americans out of Texas and across the Red River (into Oklahoma).

Lamar - Raids Lead To Council House Fight

After a series of battles with Texans along the upper Colorado River, the Comanche's agreed to meet with Texan authorities.

The Comanche's had promised to bring their Anglo captives, but they reduced only one, a girl named Matilda Lockhart.

Angry Texan troops attempted to take the Comanche negotiators as hostages until they freed their captives.

The Comanche's resisted, and in the struggle, known as the Council House Fight, 7 Texans and 35 Comanche's died.

The Comanche's killed many of their white captives and set out to avenge the Comanche deaths.

Because of the fight, Comanche's refused to make treaties with Texans.

Question: Explain the significance of the Council House Fight.

Answer: Native Americans no longer trusted Mirabeau B. Lamar and refused to make any more treaties with Texas.

Texas Navy Lamar thought that having a strong military

would force Mexico to recognize the Republic of Texas so he ordered the newly restored navy into Mexican waters.

Lamar hoped that the Mexican government would recognize Texas in exchange for the promise that the Texan navy would not harass Mexican ships.

When Sam Houston regained the presidency in 1841, he recalled the navy.

Question: Why did Lamar choose to “bulk up” (make stronger) the Texas Navy?

Answer: He believed it would make Texas look stronger and thought he could “bully” Mexico into recognizing Texas independence.

Lamar - The Santa Fe Expedition

Although the Nueces River traditionally had been the boundary between Texas and Mexico, Texans claimed the Rio Grande as the border after the revolution.

Texans were interested in controlling Santa Fe, the trading center on the upper Rio Grande. Santa Fe was the destination of traders from St. Louis, Missouri.

Lamar sent an expedition to Santa Fe to control the region and open trade with New Mexico.

Question: Why was Texas interested in Santa Fe?

Answer:: To take control of the trading center there (mall) and set up trade with the nearby Native Americans in New Mexico.

Lamar - The Santa Fe Expedition As the expedition neared Santa Fe, the members

encountered a Mexican army detachment that forced the Texans to surrender and marched more than 1,000 miles to Mexico City.

Many died on the way and others perished in a Mexican prison.

Most of those who survived were released in April 1842, after British and American diplomats worked for their release.

The Santa Fe expedition was a failure in many ways It angered the Mexicans Resulted in the loss of many lives Failed to take control of Santa Fe

Question: What is the significance of the Santa Fe Expedition?

Answer: Lamar lost soldiers, failed to accomplish his goal, and ultimately only angered Mexico more.

Texas Debt Soars Texas had unpaid bills for the supplies and equipment of the revolution.

When Houston became president, the debt was 1.25 million. By the end of Houston’s first term as president, the public debt

of Texas had climbed to 2 million.

Lamar was extravagant in many matters, such as outfitting expeditions, Native American fights, and reorganizing the Texas navy.

He failed in attempts to borrow money from the United States and European nations.

By the end of Lamar’s term, the public debt rose to $7 million. A paper dollar in Texas was worth about 15 cents in the U.S.

Question: How did debt (money owed) affect the Republic of Texas?

Cause-Effect StatementsUse your notes to properly match the cause-effect statements: Because Texas was a slave-holding state… Because of Texas debt… Because of threat of Mexican invasion… Because he believed Texas would one day be a large and

strong country… Because of the Native American threat in Texas

…abolitionists did not want Texas annexed. … Houston called the Texas Rangers to patrol central Texas. … Lamar did not want Texas annexation. … Texas requested protection from the U.S. … Texas sold land to the U.S. when annexed.