History of Texas

The history of Texas is one of varied cultural backgrounds. The earliest Texans were, of course, members of a few different Native American tribes. However, early settlements by Europeans were started by the French, as well as the Spanish. The Spanish controlled and had a major influence on Texas’s development in the 18th century.

However, in 1821, Texas became a part of the newly formed country of Mexico. In large part due to restrictions placed on Texas and its inhabitants by the government, Texas only remained a part of Mexico for less than 15 years. The Texas Revolution of late 1835 eventually resulted in Texas becoming its own country, the Republic of Texas. This revolution also resulted in the infamous Battle of the Alamo, in which several Texan heroes, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, were killed.

In 1848, the Mexican-American War ended and Texas was annexed by the United States of American. By 1861, Texas had seceded from the United States of America and fought for the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. While Texas was not the focal point of the war, the last battle of the Civil War was fought there, the Battle of Palmito Ranch. After the Civil War, the history of Texas has been the history of the United States, as it has remained a part of the country since.

The history of Texas in the 20th century featured a few infamous events of incredibly tragedy. The first was the destruction of Galveston, Texas by a hurricane in 1900. The second was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Despite these tragedies, Texas in more recent years has been growing and its economy is fairly robust and stable.