The Republic of Texas 1836-1845

The independent Republic of Texas governed itself, collected taxes, and maintained embassies in foreign countries from 1836 until 1845 when it dissolved to accept statehood in the United States of America.

The land which would become Texas was once Mexican territory; when the Texans' request to separate from Mexico was denied, they decided to secede. In 1836, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, ruler of Mexico, headed an army north intending to restore order. At the Alamo, an old Franciscan mission in San Antonio, 187 Texans, led by Colonel William B. Travis, fought off Santa Ana's army of 6,000 Mexican soldiers for a full eleven days, giving birth to the legend of los diablos tejanos -- the Devil Texans.

The war ended less than two months later on April 21, 1836 at San Jacinto where 1,000 Texans -- now under the command of General Sam Houston and using "Remember the Alamo" as their battle cry -- routed a force of 1,200 Mexicans under Santa Ana. The Texans subsequently ratified a constitution and made Sam Houston president of a new republic.

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Last update: December 30, 1999
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