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Sam houston and the greater southwest essay
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Sam Houston was born in the year March 2, 1793. He lived a life full of adventure, and with long lasting achievements. Houston was a courageous man, practical, peacemaker, sensible, and full of determination. Houston left home when he was a boy of age fourteen, and since then he never was the same again. He decided to live with the Native Indians; the Cherokee tribe settling with them by learning their language and native ways. Houston was an ambitious man in the political arena. He became the first and only man to ever become a governor of two states; Tennessee, and Texas, commander in chief in the army, and United States senator. Though he faced controversy, this did not stop him from proceeding with his ambition rather he fought for what he thought was right and fair. Houston had shortcomings with drinking but in a way it was never an issue with his political aspirations. He also had a difficult time getting married, after his first and second marriage failed, he never gave up but eventually end up marrying Margaret Lea who stood by him till his death in 1863.
Houston was a practical man, was elected in the as a congressman in the House of Representatives. He was able to learn very fast the legislative process by being observant to the most dominant men in the house. He also learnt ways of being able to do favors for his constituents. He basically referred to Andrew Jackson who was one of his very good friends, who he campaigned for and supported during his presidential race. Although his association with Andrew Jackson was controversial, this did not deter Houston from speaking his mind in the House of Representatives or with the people in the campaign trail.
Houston’s courage was depicted in various ways: He had no experien...
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...sed on Sam Houston so as the reader can get the essence of his life and career excellence.
The sources included both primary and secondary biography. The primary biography include: Basic compilation of Houston’s letters, speeches, and messages in Amelia Williams and Eugene C. Barker, eds., The writings of Sam Houston, 1813 – 1863.
Useful material prepared by Houston contemporaries. Henderson K. Yoakum, History of Texas from its first settlement in 1685 to its Annexation to the United States in 1846 ( New York: Redfield, 1855), was a close friend of Houston’s and used sources provided by Houston himself and other leaders such as Thomas Jefferson Rusk.
Secondary biography include: Justin H. Smith, The Annexation of Texas (New York: Baker and Taylor Co., 1911), which presented the story in a positive light.
Texas and the Spanish Borderlands
Summer 2010
When we see Texas, we remember today mainly for its BBQ, Football and Black Gold, Texas tea. However, there is much more than just the usual itineraries that we find in most other states as well. Molly Ivins in her essay “Is Texas America” categorically states that, “Here's the deal on Texas. It's big. So big there's about five distinct and different places here, separated from one another geologically, topographically, botanically, ethnically, culturally and climatically” (Ivins). This is a true belief from Molly Ivins of how huge Texas was and how the demographics changed in each geographical location in Texas. The population of Texas and the demographics are two essential factors that include many important parameters in deciding the history of any state. The presence of many ethnic groups further adds to the diversification of
The books “Fertile Ground, Narrow Choices” by Rebecca Sharpless and “The Path to a Modern South” by Walter L. Buenger paint a picture of what life was like from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s. Though written with their own style and from different views these two books describe the modernization of Texas through economics, politics, lifestyles and gender roles, specifically the roles of women during this era.
Seguin, Juan N. The Personal Memoirs of John N. Seguin. San Antonio: The Ledger Book and Job Office, 1858.
Calvert, Robert A., Arnoldo De Leon and Gregg Cantrell. The History of Texas. 4th. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2007. Print.
In the afternoon of February 23, 1836, Santa Anna’s army arrived in San Antonio. The Texan defenders retreated to the well-fortified Alamo. Santa Anna had given the defenders time to escape if they wanted, but the Texans stayed, confident with their weaponry. With the few soldiers he had, Colonel Travis sent requests to Colonel James Fannin for reinforcements, but received none. Fannin thought that the 300 men he had wouldn’t make a difference and may not arrive in time. Of the 200 defenders, there were settlers who wanted independence as well as a dozen Tejanos who joined the movement. Although they believed in ind...
Eibling, Harold H., et al., eds. History of Our United States. 2nd edition. River Forest, Ill: Laidlaw Brothers, 1968.
Just before Polk's presidency Texas had freed itself from Mexican rule and desired American annexation. This desire came from thousands of former American citizens that settled in Texas in the 1820s. This was due to the Mexican government supplying huge land grants to entice new settlers to Texas and secure its northern border from America. The Mexican government failed to realize the true impact that their persuasion of Americans for settlement would cause. In 1830, Mexico finally put a freeze on all American immigration due to the large number of American settlers and their certain revolution. In 1836, The Republic of Texas was est...
Anglo- historian’s main concentration was in the area of the colonies established by the Stephen F. Austin. The Austin Colonies are the ones most frequently referenced in the history commonly known by modern Texans. However, Hispanics participated in the revolution and sacrificed their lives and property along with Anglo c...
The expansion of agriculture and railroads helped form Texas’s present economy. The invention of the steam engine not only allowed people to move across the country in 7 days, instead of 6 months, but it also allowed crops and livestock to be carried to markets and places where they would be sold anywhere in the country. They could be moved to another farm in Texas as well. Since it’s such a large state, railroads were a necessity for travel, and general transportation. The railroad-building boom lasted 40 years. The production of cotton in Texas introduced some of the first slave-based cotton farms, and was the dominant crop for a very long time. After this event, Texas’s economy was forever changed.
Narrative History of Texas Annexation, Secession, and Readmission to the Union. Texans voted in favor of annexation to the United States in the first election following independence in 1836. However, throughout the Republic period (1836-1845) no treaty of annexation negotiated between the Republic and the United States was ratified by both nations. When all attempts to arrive at a formal annexation treaty failed, the United States Congress passed--after much debate and only a simple majority--a Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas to the United States. Under these terms, Texas would keep both its public lands and its public debt, it would have the power to divide into four additional states "of convenient size" in the future if it so desired, and it would deliver all military, postal, and customs facilities and authority to the United States government.
His first order of business in Galveston was to read the General Order Number 3 to the people of Texas freeing the last 250, 000 slaves, which read as follows: "The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them. becomes that between employer and hired labor. Freedmen are advised to remain quiet at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere."
...fred D. “Frederick Douglass.” Encyclopedia of African-American Literature. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 144-146. Print.
History of the United Sates. Davis does not merely recount the glorious deeds of histories '
Texas prides itself on a strong heritage and history. Events that happened when Texas fought to gain independence will forever remain preserved and idolized in the heart of every true Texan. One of the most famous events that occurred during the fight for independence happened at a place that was not well-known and did not hold much importance at the time, but because of the events that occurred there, it will forever be a place of remembrance and pride. This place is known as The Alamo. This paper focuses on the articles written by Brian C. Baur, Richard R. Flores, and Paul Andrew Hutton over The Alamo.
So a major reason for Texas to be annexed into the United States was that the overwhelming majority of the population was former Americans. From the very time of winning independence, annexation of Texas to the United States was at the top of the list of things to do. But as soon as the Texas minister was sent to Washington to negotiate for an annexation, the Martin Van Buren administration said that the proposition could not be entertained. The reasons given were constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico. The real reason behind Washington’s excuses is slavery....