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Chapter 23 1838 in Texas
Chapter 23 1838 in Texas
"We'll we lasted one full year of independence, here's to many more!"- Davy Crockett 1838
"Houston may think he won the election but in three years i shall have my victory"- Vice President Mirabeau B. Lamar 1838
After officially managing to stay on its own two feet for its first year, Texas seemed to be doing well on its own and the world was getting used to the presence of this wild western country in the realm of nations. Though not as impactful as the previous year, 1838 was an important time for Texas as its Independence was becoming normal and its citizens were settling into routine of life on the frontier. Indeed more and more immigrants were coming to Texas within the year and it looked as though the original settlers of the revolution would soon be overwhelmed by new arrivals looking for opportunities in cattle herding and the cotton industry. While this may present a problem the people of Texas were just content to let life continue and try and meet their challenges when the time came, for now they had a country to build and they intended to make it the greatest in the world.
In terms of domestic policies for Texas's second year the government worked towards securing stability rather than creating its new laws. They had spent more than enough time pouring new amendments into the constitution and creating laws to meet the public's current needs, now the matter at hand was how to enforce them. With the borders being spread out over hundreds of miles and only around 60,000 people from which you could govern and tax from, a new system of decentralized law enforcement was required. From this arose the sheriff system that the Southwest became so famous for. Based on the old English system of law enforcement, a sheriff was an official who a local population of a settlement would elect to keep the peace. Their duties would include enforcing the laws of the Republic of Texas among the populace and prosecuting any crimes that took place within the settlement. Sheriff's were somewhat seen as the guardians of the town and would usually be seen along with the mayor as one of the principal leaders of the population during town meetings and discussions. In theory this practice would work as the sheriff could rely on the populace as support in criminal investigations and town defense against Indian attacks due to Texas's liberal stance on gun control, all that was really required from the job was to make sure the perpetrator stayed in jail and that they would be reported to authorities in Austin. It wasn't always a perfect system though as some sheriffs would become corrupt and stylize themselves as tyrants of their towns who would often extort "protection money" to look over the town. Thankfully the Texas Rangers could always be counted upon as to curb away corruption and defend the interests of the settlers. To the average pioneer in Texas, a Ranger was something of a living legend, they were the heroes of story who would battle injustice in all places while living the adventurous life of the wild west. In truth though it was often a busy and stressful job as duty required for the men of the company to constantly travel across the nation and answer calls that the capitol had received from outlying settlements. It was a perilous and dangerous life though the men of the Texas Rangers battalion were always ready to answer the call and were recruited from the highest caliber, having some of the most legendary men of the frontier such as Deaf Smith, John Coffee Hays, the McCulloch brothers, and John Salmon Ford. When situations got too large for either the local sheriff or the Texas Rangers the army would be called upon to handle the situation. Under the guise of William Travis the Texan Army had reformed to a small but capable fighting force that was ready to defend their country from all internal or external threats. They were formed as a 1000 man regiment that were split into four battalions of 250; being stationed at Santa Fe, Austin, Monterrey, and Houston. Though the Rangers would like to boast that the army was little more than a glorified militia band, the Texas army was quite a formidable force to be reckoned with. These were the men who were hardened veterans of the Alamo and San Jacinto and would spend years perfecting their craft fighting hostile Indians on the plains and minor rebellions by anarchistic citizens. While the army was never able to expand in large quantities there quality more than made up for it as their fighting could be praised as roughly equal to the Virginia 1st or the Massachusetts 4th. The last part of domestic security that needs mentioning is that of the French army stationed in Texas. While these men had superior firepower and training to their Texan counterparts they often struggled in the frontier. While the French could be counted upon as a deterrent and defense against large Indian attacks there was simply little to do during times of peace. Many soldiers were also trained in the art of Napoleonic warfare and were often puzzled by fighting styles that didn't include walking in straight columns toward the enemy. Still though these men adapted by taking lessons from their Texan counterparts and were soon seen as a welcome protection by the Texan people. These conflicts in Texas would indeed prove useful to the French military when they used this and the Algerian expeditions to build up their colonial policies. The 6000 French forces stationed in Texas were split into six 1000 man battalions that were stationed at Nacogdoches, Austin, Santa Fe, San Antonio, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
When it came to foreign relations Texas was doing pretty well on its own part. It's Southwestern alliance was still strong and relations had been established with Brazil, Belgium, the United States, with many more unofficial trade relationships in the works. One foreign development that would come to divide many Texans was the possibilities of Texas's annexation into the United States. Due to the success Texas had so far and the impossibility of a Mexican attack the pro and anti annexation groups were roughly down the middle. The pro-annexation side came from Houston's faction and many of the American settlers who lived in Eastern Texas and wanted to reconnect with their home country. Lamar and the nationalists against any concept of annexation as they argued Texas was perfectly capable being independent and that they would lose many of their freedoms upon entering the Union. This side was further supported by the frontier Texans, German and French immigrants, and the Tejano and Indian communities. Both the Tejanos and Indians knew that any annexation into the United States would only come to diminish their status to second class citizens so they fervently fought in support of the nationalists, a situation that was rather ironic considering some hardliner Nationalists were against these two groups living in Texas. Though some negotiations were in the works the Panic of 1837 and the Van Buren assassination essentially halted the process. The Whig party in the United States was able to gain control and halt the process of annexation entirely, while each passing year in Texas would turn the population more and more towards independence. The most significant development that happened during this time though is of course the Guatemala War. Texas coming victorious through the conflict was able to show the world that the nation was a rising star among the western powers and that French protection wasn't the only reason not to invade Texas. The war also did much to boost nationalist sentiments with many Texans feeling intense pride and patriotism with the success of the Texan Navy and the second successful war conducted by Texas with a foreign power in just two years.
View attachment 289592
The United States wouldn't be getting a 27th star anytime soon.
In terms of economic development there were four main sectors; cattle, bison, cotton, and timber. This limited agricultural economy would come to hold Texas's full economic potential until the 1850's with the California Gold Rush and the westward expansion. Still, the economy continued to grow despite the ongoing recession in Texas's neighbor. Of particular note was the booming growth of the cotton, shipbuilding, and gun industry. Cotton was a crop that was just beginning to be grown in Texas with the introduction by immigrants from the Southern United States. With the lands back east starting to produce lower qualities of cotton with the land dying every year due to overproduction in harvest, Texan cotton would soon rise in demand with thousands of acres of land ready for harvest and cheap prices being able to match the American market. With Texas's large forests it is of not surprise that the shipbuilding sector was able to boom so easily. With the growth of the navy, new settlements popping up on the frontier, demands for ships across the gulf, lumber was of high demand in the 1840's with shipbuilding being a profitable market. Much of this growth would center around Galveston as the island's port was being established as the nations premier port where shipyards would build the Texan merchant navy and new harbors would take in the increasing traffic of the gulf. Lastly of note was the beginning of gun culture in Texas. Due to the ferocity of life in the frontier Texans were very liberal with the usage of guns and it was not uncommon for the average child to start learning gun safety and usage at the age of 10 or for women to carry around pistols wherever they went. The constant stocking up of guns and extensive usage of ammunition in firefights made for a gun smith's dream land. The nation would benefit greatly when young entrepreneur Samuel Colt decided to immigrate to Texas in 1838 to restart his arms manufacturing company after losing an heavy amount of business in the Panic. Colt found his innovative designs to be quite popular with the Texan people and was able to gather enough funds to found the Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1840. Colt would always be in business due to a constant demand for new firearms and would soon see his new colt revolvers come to fame after 1,000 pistols were purchased by the Texas Rangers for use.
Samuel Colt and his famous Colt Revolvers
When Houston had called for the Indian Citizenship Initiative many had been skeptical. Many settlers had laughed saying that it was impossible to civilize an Indian and that the land in question rightly belonged to the white men. Yet Houston was able to prove them wrong when already within a few months of implementation the Cherokee, Lenape, and Alabama-Coushatta had signed up with the program and had dedicated themselves to serving the republic as Texas citizens. Over time the Texan people soon began to become used to the idea of Indians actually being able to become citizens as the new Indian districts were able to ensure stability in Texas and they still allowed for settlers to seek new land, albeit under the Indian's terms. Soon Texans saw the benefits of trading with these people instead of killing with them and doing business with a Cherokee would be seen as no different than one with an settler from Tennessee. Conflict had not died out entirely though as there were still many tribes primarily from the Comanche and Apache who would prey on defenseless pioneer caravans and settlements, while angry white settlers would take their anger out on civilized Indians who had integrated in Texan society. Houston resolved to solve these issues by having Texas Rangers protect Indian districts while he used the army to hunt down any hostile Indians that had attacked the settlements. The racial divide which had been ongoing between these two races wouldn't just die overnight, though it was starting to heal and move on.
When the time came for the Presidential elections in 1838 it was quite obvious that Sam Houston was going to run for re-election. Since the end of the revolution Texas had been prospering under Houston's administration and he was still quite beloved from his role in San Jacinto. Houston personally believed that he needed to stay in office as he could not let Lamar and his supporters gain control of the Presidency as it would ruin everything Houston had been working for domestically and prevent any possibility of Annexation. Surprisingly Lamar choose not to run for President during the election but instead seek a continuation of the vice-presidency. Lamar knew that at the moment he did not have enough popularity against Houston to beat him in an election and he had not built up enough political power to support him if he even won a hypothetical election. Therefore Lamar choose to continue his current plans and gain support in congress to go against Houston. He also figured that with ongoing relations with the United States continuing to be shaky and the people's call for Independence growing that they could choose him over Houston in 1841, something that he was later proven correct. Houston tried to prevent Lamar from running as Vice President by passing an amendment stating that the Vice President must be on the same ballot as the President. Houston cited the Van Buren assassination as an example that any administration voted in must be united. Lamar was able to work with his allies in the House and Senate to filibuster the amendment and it wouldn't pass until 1839. For Houston's main opposition was current Postmaster General David Burnett who wanted the presidency after losing his interim position to Houston. Though Burnett had managed to gain a small group of supporters he wasn't able to defeat Houston's large popularity and charisma in the polls. Thus, the 1838 Presidential election would end in Houston and Lamar getting re-elected to their positions, with both men already planning their policies for the next three years and for the 1841 election.
1838 Presidential Elections:
President: Houston 6,659 85.3%. Burnett 1,142 14.7%
Vice President: Lamar 6,995 93.2%. Wilson 504 6.8%
View attachment 289393View attachment 289394
Houston (Right) Vs. Burnett (Left)
"We'll we lasted one full year of independence, here's to many more!"- Davy Crockett 1838
"Houston may think he won the election but in three years i shall have my victory"- Vice President Mirabeau B. Lamar 1838
After officially managing to stay on its own two feet for its first year, Texas seemed to be doing well on its own and the world was getting used to the presence of this wild western country in the realm of nations. Though not as impactful as the previous year, 1838 was an important time for Texas as its Independence was becoming normal and its citizens were settling into routine of life on the frontier. Indeed more and more immigrants were coming to Texas within the year and it looked as though the original settlers of the revolution would soon be overwhelmed by new arrivals looking for opportunities in cattle herding and the cotton industry. While this may present a problem the people of Texas were just content to let life continue and try and meet their challenges when the time came, for now they had a country to build and they intended to make it the greatest in the world.
In terms of domestic policies for Texas's second year the government worked towards securing stability rather than creating its new laws. They had spent more than enough time pouring new amendments into the constitution and creating laws to meet the public's current needs, now the matter at hand was how to enforce them. With the borders being spread out over hundreds of miles and only around 60,000 people from which you could govern and tax from, a new system of decentralized law enforcement was required. From this arose the sheriff system that the Southwest became so famous for. Based on the old English system of law enforcement, a sheriff was an official who a local population of a settlement would elect to keep the peace. Their duties would include enforcing the laws of the Republic of Texas among the populace and prosecuting any crimes that took place within the settlement. Sheriff's were somewhat seen as the guardians of the town and would usually be seen along with the mayor as one of the principal leaders of the population during town meetings and discussions. In theory this practice would work as the sheriff could rely on the populace as support in criminal investigations and town defense against Indian attacks due to Texas's liberal stance on gun control, all that was really required from the job was to make sure the perpetrator stayed in jail and that they would be reported to authorities in Austin. It wasn't always a perfect system though as some sheriffs would become corrupt and stylize themselves as tyrants of their towns who would often extort "protection money" to look over the town. Thankfully the Texas Rangers could always be counted upon as to curb away corruption and defend the interests of the settlers. To the average pioneer in Texas, a Ranger was something of a living legend, they were the heroes of story who would battle injustice in all places while living the adventurous life of the wild west. In truth though it was often a busy and stressful job as duty required for the men of the company to constantly travel across the nation and answer calls that the capitol had received from outlying settlements. It was a perilous and dangerous life though the men of the Texas Rangers battalion were always ready to answer the call and were recruited from the highest caliber, having some of the most legendary men of the frontier such as Deaf Smith, John Coffee Hays, the McCulloch brothers, and John Salmon Ford. When situations got too large for either the local sheriff or the Texas Rangers the army would be called upon to handle the situation. Under the guise of William Travis the Texan Army had reformed to a small but capable fighting force that was ready to defend their country from all internal or external threats. They were formed as a 1000 man regiment that were split into four battalions of 250; being stationed at Santa Fe, Austin, Monterrey, and Houston. Though the Rangers would like to boast that the army was little more than a glorified militia band, the Texas army was quite a formidable force to be reckoned with. These were the men who were hardened veterans of the Alamo and San Jacinto and would spend years perfecting their craft fighting hostile Indians on the plains and minor rebellions by anarchistic citizens. While the army was never able to expand in large quantities there quality more than made up for it as their fighting could be praised as roughly equal to the Virginia 1st or the Massachusetts 4th. The last part of domestic security that needs mentioning is that of the French army stationed in Texas. While these men had superior firepower and training to their Texan counterparts they often struggled in the frontier. While the French could be counted upon as a deterrent and defense against large Indian attacks there was simply little to do during times of peace. Many soldiers were also trained in the art of Napoleonic warfare and were often puzzled by fighting styles that didn't include walking in straight columns toward the enemy. Still though these men adapted by taking lessons from their Texan counterparts and were soon seen as a welcome protection by the Texan people. These conflicts in Texas would indeed prove useful to the French military when they used this and the Algerian expeditions to build up their colonial policies. The 6000 French forces stationed in Texas were split into six 1000 man battalions that were stationed at Nacogdoches, Austin, Santa Fe, San Antonio, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
When it came to foreign relations Texas was doing pretty well on its own part. It's Southwestern alliance was still strong and relations had been established with Brazil, Belgium, the United States, with many more unofficial trade relationships in the works. One foreign development that would come to divide many Texans was the possibilities of Texas's annexation into the United States. Due to the success Texas had so far and the impossibility of a Mexican attack the pro and anti annexation groups were roughly down the middle. The pro-annexation side came from Houston's faction and many of the American settlers who lived in Eastern Texas and wanted to reconnect with their home country. Lamar and the nationalists against any concept of annexation as they argued Texas was perfectly capable being independent and that they would lose many of their freedoms upon entering the Union. This side was further supported by the frontier Texans, German and French immigrants, and the Tejano and Indian communities. Both the Tejanos and Indians knew that any annexation into the United States would only come to diminish their status to second class citizens so they fervently fought in support of the nationalists, a situation that was rather ironic considering some hardliner Nationalists were against these two groups living in Texas. Though some negotiations were in the works the Panic of 1837 and the Van Buren assassination essentially halted the process. The Whig party in the United States was able to gain control and halt the process of annexation entirely, while each passing year in Texas would turn the population more and more towards independence. The most significant development that happened during this time though is of course the Guatemala War. Texas coming victorious through the conflict was able to show the world that the nation was a rising star among the western powers and that French protection wasn't the only reason not to invade Texas. The war also did much to boost nationalist sentiments with many Texans feeling intense pride and patriotism with the success of the Texan Navy and the second successful war conducted by Texas with a foreign power in just two years.
View attachment 289592
The United States wouldn't be getting a 27th star anytime soon.
In terms of economic development there were four main sectors; cattle, bison, cotton, and timber. This limited agricultural economy would come to hold Texas's full economic potential until the 1850's with the California Gold Rush and the westward expansion. Still, the economy continued to grow despite the ongoing recession in Texas's neighbor. Of particular note was the booming growth of the cotton, shipbuilding, and gun industry. Cotton was a crop that was just beginning to be grown in Texas with the introduction by immigrants from the Southern United States. With the lands back east starting to produce lower qualities of cotton with the land dying every year due to overproduction in harvest, Texan cotton would soon rise in demand with thousands of acres of land ready for harvest and cheap prices being able to match the American market. With Texas's large forests it is of not surprise that the shipbuilding sector was able to boom so easily. With the growth of the navy, new settlements popping up on the frontier, demands for ships across the gulf, lumber was of high demand in the 1840's with shipbuilding being a profitable market. Much of this growth would center around Galveston as the island's port was being established as the nations premier port where shipyards would build the Texan merchant navy and new harbors would take in the increasing traffic of the gulf. Lastly of note was the beginning of gun culture in Texas. Due to the ferocity of life in the frontier Texans were very liberal with the usage of guns and it was not uncommon for the average child to start learning gun safety and usage at the age of 10 or for women to carry around pistols wherever they went. The constant stocking up of guns and extensive usage of ammunition in firefights made for a gun smith's dream land. The nation would benefit greatly when young entrepreneur Samuel Colt decided to immigrate to Texas in 1838 to restart his arms manufacturing company after losing an heavy amount of business in the Panic. Colt found his innovative designs to be quite popular with the Texan people and was able to gather enough funds to found the Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1840. Colt would always be in business due to a constant demand for new firearms and would soon see his new colt revolvers come to fame after 1,000 pistols were purchased by the Texas Rangers for use.
Samuel Colt and his famous Colt Revolvers
When Houston had called for the Indian Citizenship Initiative many had been skeptical. Many settlers had laughed saying that it was impossible to civilize an Indian and that the land in question rightly belonged to the white men. Yet Houston was able to prove them wrong when already within a few months of implementation the Cherokee, Lenape, and Alabama-Coushatta had signed up with the program and had dedicated themselves to serving the republic as Texas citizens. Over time the Texan people soon began to become used to the idea of Indians actually being able to become citizens as the new Indian districts were able to ensure stability in Texas and they still allowed for settlers to seek new land, albeit under the Indian's terms. Soon Texans saw the benefits of trading with these people instead of killing with them and doing business with a Cherokee would be seen as no different than one with an settler from Tennessee. Conflict had not died out entirely though as there were still many tribes primarily from the Comanche and Apache who would prey on defenseless pioneer caravans and settlements, while angry white settlers would take their anger out on civilized Indians who had integrated in Texan society. Houston resolved to solve these issues by having Texas Rangers protect Indian districts while he used the army to hunt down any hostile Indians that had attacked the settlements. The racial divide which had been ongoing between these two races wouldn't just die overnight, though it was starting to heal and move on.
When the time came for the Presidential elections in 1838 it was quite obvious that Sam Houston was going to run for re-election. Since the end of the revolution Texas had been prospering under Houston's administration and he was still quite beloved from his role in San Jacinto. Houston personally believed that he needed to stay in office as he could not let Lamar and his supporters gain control of the Presidency as it would ruin everything Houston had been working for domestically and prevent any possibility of Annexation. Surprisingly Lamar choose not to run for President during the election but instead seek a continuation of the vice-presidency. Lamar knew that at the moment he did not have enough popularity against Houston to beat him in an election and he had not built up enough political power to support him if he even won a hypothetical election. Therefore Lamar choose to continue his current plans and gain support in congress to go against Houston. He also figured that with ongoing relations with the United States continuing to be shaky and the people's call for Independence growing that they could choose him over Houston in 1841, something that he was later proven correct. Houston tried to prevent Lamar from running as Vice President by passing an amendment stating that the Vice President must be on the same ballot as the President. Houston cited the Van Buren assassination as an example that any administration voted in must be united. Lamar was able to work with his allies in the House and Senate to filibuster the amendment and it wouldn't pass until 1839. For Houston's main opposition was current Postmaster General David Burnett who wanted the presidency after losing his interim position to Houston. Though Burnett had managed to gain a small group of supporters he wasn't able to defeat Houston's large popularity and charisma in the polls. Thus, the 1838 Presidential election would end in Houston and Lamar getting re-elected to their positions, with both men already planning their policies for the next three years and for the 1841 election.
1838 Presidential Elections:
President: Houston 6,659 85.3%. Burnett 1,142 14.7%
Vice President: Lamar 6,995 93.2%. Wilson 504 6.8%
View attachment 289393View attachment 289394
Houston (Right) Vs. Burnett (Left)
- Kaiser Chris
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