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In 1519 Spain was the first European nation to claim Texas. However, settlement did not start for another 100 years.
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France placed a flag on Texas soil while still territory of Spain. No Spanish settlers were nearby so Rene Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle founded the colony Fort St. Louis but soon failed due to poor living environments.
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The first Texas mission served as a way station between mission in East Texas.
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The San Jose mission was established by Fray Antonio Margil de Jesus which was known for being a major social and cultural center.
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The Church at Concepcion was the center for religious practices. There are still origional paintings hanging in the building.
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This mission was renamed from San Francisco de los Tejas and relcoated. This is the southernmost mission in Texas.
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Born in Virginia, Sam Houston became acquaintanices with the Cherokee Indians early in age.
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France sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States on April 30, 1803. The land included land between the Missippippi River and the Rocky Mountains, excluding areas of Texas and New Mexico.
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Sam Houston begins living with the Cherokee at an early age, and learns their language and their lifestlye. The Cherokee gave him the nickname the "Raven".
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Sam Houston returned to Maryville in 1812 and founds a one room schoolhouse.
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In 1818 Sam Houston moved to Nashville to study law and set up his own law office.
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The Hispanic South and Anglo Texans began settling. Soon social and political differences caused tension between the two cultures.
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In 1822 Sam Houston was elected to the House of Representatives.
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President James Monroe introducted a new U.S foreign policy by the work of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams . The Monroe Doctrine forbade European interference in America and established neutrality from future conflict.
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The constitution was drafted due to Texas's relationship with Coahuila. This gave Texas a seperate statehood from Coahuila within the Mexican Republic.
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He was appointed general of military of a distict east of the Trinity.
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It was at the Convention of 1836 at Washington on the Brazos, when they declared independence from Mexico, Houston was elected commander-in-chief of Texas armies.
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Served as President of ad interem government.
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Lorenzo de Zavala was the interim vice president of the Republic of Texas under interim president David G. Burnet who was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Indepenence.
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Texas won their independence at Battle of San Jacinto in Houston.
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At the Battle of San Jacinto, Sam Houstons army defeated Santa Anna which won Texas its independence.
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San Jacinto reinactment footageSan Jacinto Day is a Texas holiday that celebrates Texas's victory over Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. Many people gather every year at the historical site of the Battle of San Jacinto and hold a reinactment of the battle.
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In the fall of 1837 the Republic printed Promissory Notes or Interest notes as the currency, By Jauary 1839, their value was less that 50 cents to the dollar.
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Served in office from December 1838 to Decepber of 1841. He served as President of the Republic after Sam Houston's first term.
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The Redbacks were issued in 1839 and were roughly worth 39 cents to the U.S dollar.
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William Henry Harrison was the 9th presdient of the United States, and died 32 days into his term due to pneumonia complications. Vice President John Tyler took office after Harrison's death.
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Sam Houston served for a second time from December 1941 to December 1844 following Mirabeua Lamar.
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Anson Jones served as the fourth President of the Republic following Sam Houston's second time in office. He served until February 1846.
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This constitution caused statehood.
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Texas currency started to revover from being basically worthless in 1845 when anexation occured and the U.S economy improved.
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Texas joined the United States and became the 28th state.
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Texas remained in the Confederacy until 1865. Sam Houston was removed from office after trying to keep Texans to establish a neutral republic.
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In 1861, the Texas Legislature voted 166 to 8 to secede from the Union.
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On April 12, 1861 the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter.
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Born November 28, 1861, the grandaughter of Lorenzo locked herself in the barracks of the Alamo for three days to protest a commerical takeover
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The Emancipation Proclamation was written in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. This document was written with the intent to free all slaves, but it only occured in Union states, and took time to come into effect.
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Sam Houston died at his home in Huntsville, Texas July 26, 1863 at the age of 70, and is buried in Huntsville's Oakwood Cementary.
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After the Confederate States of America were defeated, Texas rejoins the United States and is currently still a state.
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Juneteenth is the oldest celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States. This is when African Americans come together to pray and celebrate their suceess from slavery.
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This constitution was in act during most of Reconstruction Era which followed the defeat of the Confederacy.
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Was criticized for the time it took to put into place and because it resembled the Republican Party and its verbous beliefts.
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This constitution was put into place after Reconstruction and is still in place today.
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in 1876, John W. Gates rented out San Antonio's Military Plaza where he built a barbed-wire corral in which he used a herd of Longhorns to demonstrate the effectiveness of fencing, which caused a boom in production of fencing.
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A democrat who provided the money to preserve the Alamo.
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The Legend of the BluebonnetThe Bluebonnet became the state flower in 1901 and is compared to Ireland and its shamrock. There are many books and songs about the Bluebonnet such as The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie DePaola.
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Sam Rayburn was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1906. He continued in politics until 1961, the year of his death. Rayburn was also elected as Speaker of the House, Democratic Representative of the House of Representatives, chairman of Interstate Commerce Committee,
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USS Texas USS Texas way a Naval ship that served from 1914 to 1948 and is the only ship to have been involved in both Word Wars. Today, Battleship Texas is a historical site that Texan can tour.
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In the year 1919 Texas adopted the Pecan Tree as it's state tree. Pecan tree's can live up to 1,000 years and grow over 100 feet in height.
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The Northern Mockingbird became the official state bird in 1927, which so happens to be the state bird of Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
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"Texas, Our Texas" clip"Texas, Our Texas" was a song written by William J. Marsh of Fort Worth, Texas in 1924. Marsh entered the song in a statewide cometition, and Texas legislature adopted "Texas, Our Texas" as the state song in 1929.
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The Flag Act of 1933 made the "Lone Star Flag" as the official flag of Texas after not having an official flag for 42 years.
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First African American elected to the Texas Senate
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Henry Gonzalez, the first Hispanic Representative from Texas, is known for holding the longest filibuster in Texas Legislature which was 36 hours.
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First African-American chief justice in the history of Texas. He was also the Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Texas in 2004. He retired from office October 1, 2013
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Lyndon Baines Johnson Day was first celebrated August 27. 1973 shortly after LBJ's death. This holiday celebrates his birth, and life as the 36th president of the United States.
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In 1977 Texas made Chili it's offical state dish.
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On January 1, 1980 Al Edwards made Juneteenth an offical state holiday.
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A Texas born RepublicanAppointed Secretary of State on January 25, 1989
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Ann Richards served as governor of Texas from January 15, 1991 to January 17, 1995 losing the election to George W. Bush. During office she added African Americans to the Texas Rangers, started the state lottery, and improved the prison systems.
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The Texas Horned Lizard was named the Texas State Reptile in 1993. This animal is now classified as threatened.
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In 1995, Texas declared the Monarch butterfly as the state insect.