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Chapter 74 The Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 74 The Calm Before the Storm
“How nice to see San Antonio get the recognition it deserves. It will make for a fine state capitol.”- President Juan Seguin 1860
“Developments in the East are rather disturbing to say the least. If the Confederates think they can expand to Texas however, then they are mistaken. I have plans to deal with them.”- General Albert Sidney Johnston 1861
“It seems like old Juarez just didn’t learn that Mexico can't fight for crap. You know what they say, third time’s the charm.”- President Davy Crockett 1861
Due to the importance of the Mexican War and the events that took place in the post-war environment of the Republic such as the emancipation movement and the completion of the Continental Railroad, most Texas remember little of President Juan Seguin's time in office before the war. Seguin's entire presidency usually looked back upon by historians from the declaration of war against Mexico to the day he had stepped out of office. While 1860 and the first half of 1861 was uneventful for Texas as a whole, it was the start of what would become the Wild West Era.
Upon taking office in succeeding Crockett, Seguin and the Republicans did their best to undo much of what the Western Union had implemented in their first years in office. Primarily to reverse the decentralization of power from Austin to the commonwealths and to switch economic policy back to the Republican style of management. This was far easier said than done as the Republicans were still unable to recapture the House which belonged to the Western Union at the moment. Thankfully partisan politics were not as large in Texas as they would be in the late 20th and 21st century and various factions of both parties were able to come together for a compromise. In terms of economics, Crockett's agricultural subsidies were cut down immensely but at the same time the industrial subsidies were kept at their current rate. Tariffs were increased for all nations of Western Europe outside of France and Germany, though the United States was exempt from a raise (it didn't matter too much considering the latter civil war). Due to the imposing threat that Mexico was forming and the near collapse of America at the moment, greater funding was given to the military with these new funds being directed to the enlargement of Commonwealth militias, modernization of the Army with bolt action rifles and pistols, and conversion of the Texas Navy to steam ships. A major consequence of this increase in military spending though was how Texas Rangers and Texan militias would be on the increasing attack against hostile tribes in the frontier. One issue that both Republicans and Western Unionists could agree upon was that Texas needed to continue its infrastructure expansion. Railroads, roads, and canals were given the virtual unanimous pass on every single bill and the railroads continuing to expand across the Republic, creating much conflict with Indians and Ranchers due to the loss of territory for buffalo/cattle respectively. Lastly was the issue of slavery. While there was a general desire for reform, most congressmen were still not willing to budge on a final solution until America got its problems sorted out. So instead Congress continued to focus on implementing its current slave reform laws with Texas Rangers being deployed across the Republic in the meantime to back it up. Meanwhile, multiple abolitionist lawmakers on both sides would come together in clubs and form emancipation legislation for a future of Texas without slavery. These same men later presenting their ideas to the congressional floor and being the leaders of abolition after the Mexican War.
In terms of the question of state versus republic, concessions of greater power to the commonwealths were halted and the Republicans were able to create new laws and executive orders to strengthen the powers of the various departments under the presidential cabinet. Though at the end of the day the Supreme Court held the final say and it ruled nearly 50/50 on both sides. One interesting example of Seguin's policies that strengthened both the central government and the commonwealths at the same time was Seguin's Texanization of the state of Texas. Seguin being a native Tejano, became worried over the fact that California was starting to rise in power to become equal to the state of Texas and that American settlers and Indians were soon starting to overpopulate the Tejanos and Texans in Arizona and Deseret. In order to made sure that Texas would remain supreme and that Texan culture would be the domineering force of politics, Seguin made his central platform in 1861 to be the creation of a Commonwealth of Texas to replace the old State of Texas that had been run directly underneath Austin. With these new laws, the Commonwealth of Texas would be ruled directly by Texans and the various groups living within the current state could form there own national identity that would be united by a common government and would soon grow to overpower the different Californian culture developing on the west coast. Before the old State of Texas was just a territory ruled directly by the Central government in Austin and the executive departments overseeing the implementation of state laws. The only original position was that of governor and it would often be very confusing to make laws separating the State and Republic of Texas. This plan was understandable to both of the parties since it gave into the Western Union's ideology of commonwealth rights and the Republicans could spread their nationalism across the Republic. The Texan Commonwealth Bill passed both the House and the Senate with huge majorities on March 22nd of 1860 with President Seguin signing it into law. For the status of Austin and the new capitol of a Texan Commonwealth, Austin and its territory would be rebranded as a republican district (R.D), and would be independent of the other commonwealths to run the country. Meanwhile the new capitol of the Commonwealth of Texas would be the city of San Antonio. The reasons for this were plentifold as San Antonio was the cultural center of the nation and an important historical location with it being the first city of Texas, along with its central location. But mostly it was due to the fact that it was Juan Seguin's hometown which gave him a heavy preference. The Commonwealth was then cemented with its establishment on April 21st, the 24th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto with James Flanagan elected as its first governor.
View attachment 313904
San Antonio, capitol of the Commonwealth of Texas.
An additional platform of strengthening Texan nationalism against the tide of old American identities were Seguin's policies strengthening the ethnic power of various groups in Texas to combat that of the American South while investing in Texan nationalism. With immense support from their constituents, the Republicans were able to pass new amendments to the Constitution that made Spanish a Co-De Facto language of Texas while German was introduced as a new De Jure language of Texas much in the same way as Spanish's previous treatment as a secondary language. Gerrymandering soon became commonplace in both Austin and the various Commonwealth capitols as new senatorial districts and county lines were drawn to reflect a concentration of power and representation for the various immigrant groups of Texas along with those white communities deemed to be Texanized. Soon causing the predominantly Southern American and Yankee communities of both East Texas and Northern California to become outnumbered in power and representation. Lastly of importance was the creation of the Texas Archives, a bureaucratic organization under the Department of Education dedicated to preserving Texan history and spreading Texas culture. The Texas Archives made it their main mission to preserve many of the early historical Texan sites both before and during the Revolution, leading many Spanish missions, Indian counties, Empressario Settlements, and Revolution battles to become labelled and actively supported in upkeep as important historical sites. Their efforts would later be reflected in the Elementary schools of Texas with the new curriculum having a special importance on the history and development of Texas as a whole. Creating a new sense of national identity and patriotism into future generations. Lastly, the Texas Archives would use much of their government funding to invest in important public and cultural works that would spread Texan identity across the country. Though these types of investments would not take place until the Texas Renaissance after the Mexican War with its main actions being seen in the creation of national parks and investment into Texan literature and monuments for the various cities and towns being built.
View attachment 313902
Mission San Jose in San Antonio, Texas. This mission along with many others in Arizona and California, were renovated in cooperation with the Catholic Church to serve as important archaeological sites of Spanish Texas.
The main agenda of foreign policy for Texas until Mexico invaded the Rio Grande was the ongoing disintegration of the United States and the eventual Civil War. At first all that Seguin and most of Congress did was watch as they had little say in the internal politics of America and did not want to create a situation that would cause similar conditions in Texas, which is why the slave question was largely put on hold. This created a torn feelings of loyalties to many of the American Texans as they were both equally divided by Southern and Yankee loyalties, most having come from the border states. A big example being how former President Mirabeau Lamar was from Georgia, Davy Crockett being from Tennessee, and Vice President Pease being from Connecticut. Seguin himself did not care too much personally since his roots were from Mexico, it was more that Texas would be immensely affected by whatever actions its eastern neighbor took. When South Carolina seceded in December and later the Confederacy formed in April, many Southerners assumed that their cousins in Texas would be sympathetic to their cause. They were wrong. When news of the formation of the Confederacy spread across Texas many Texan citizens actually rose up in denouncing the new rebel nation. Most of the American Texans while having come from the south, still held a great amount of admiration and respect for the Union as a whole and saw Toombs actions as illegal and a betrayal to the American Founding Fathers. At the same time the non-American citizens of Texas were mostly anti-slavery and as such could not put upon themselves to support a slave nation. Yet at the same time there was a visible minority from East Texas who wanted to join in common cause with the Confederacy, the supporters being plantation owners and slaveholders. These deep divisions caused an huge amount of deadlock in congress with no clear resolution for how to treat the new nation. Meeting with Secretary of State Prince Carl for many times during the Spring of 1861, President Seguin eventually came to the conclusion that for the moment Texas would remain neutral and would not take a stance on the Confederacy. They would not recognize the South as an independent nation yet at the same time they would not take an open stance towards the Union, the only change being the halting of all railroad connections to the South. Causing many in Congress to complain though most saw it as a reasonable policy considering it would keep Texas out. In secret Seguin would form extensive meetings with both the State Department and the Department of War to try and come up with potential contingency plans for what would happen if there was a civil war. Prince Carl would be ordered to inform his state department officials and ambassadors in Britain and France to try and get a read on any chance of a foreign intervention in the Civil War and would clandestinely meet with Confederate diplomats for the set up of possible relations if a southern victory is secure. In the meantime Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnston came up with multiple war plans for hostile scenarios against both the Union and the Confederacy. One main warplan against the south involving an invasion of Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Louisiana to gain two new commonwealths along the Sabine and Red rivers. While a different approach would involve an invasion of Oregon and the Nebraska territory for a war against the Union. No matter what would come for Texas after Fort Sumter and Petersburg, they would be ready.
Before we dive into next chapter it is important to address Texas' stance against Mexico and overall Texan-Mexican relations before the Mexican War. Since the end of the Border Wars relations had been frozen and heated between both sides with any signs of reconciliation being thrown out the window. Texans saw Mexico as a lawless land much like the Rio Grande and hated them with a passion for Santa Anna and his dictatorship. Mexicans had the same levels of hate with Texas for being the nation who had brought them down the path of stagnation and near-collapse. Both embassies in their respective capitols would often refuse to make contact with the central governments unless it was out of direct necessity for border disputes and issues of private citizens. The situation only got worse when Juarez came into power and started spreading his Pan-Mexican propaganda and made frequent attacks on the existence of Texas itself. Hawkish elements of the Republican party were quite vocal over the need for an intervention into Mexico or the possible breaking up of the country itself. Yet they were ignored by the rest of the nation as Texas was facing too many other crises such as the Mormon Rebellion, Nicaraguan War, and was currently prospering. There was no real reason then to have to end this prosperity over the concept of another war taking place. Davy Crockett in his term saw little need to deal with Mexico and thought it would be best for the two countries to leave each other alone. This changed when Seguin came into power. While Seguin was a Tejano and a former citizen of Mexico, he had no love for his former nation and was one of the most fervent supporters for independence during the Revolution. Working with Major General Travis to try and prepare for a future war with Mexico alongside one with America, the Texan Army and Texas Rangers would be deployed regularly on the border with patrols occurring daily in the deserts of Arizona and California. The Texas Navy was active in patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, with pressure put on any and all trade ships to Mexico. The State Department was quite active in pressuring other nations to not support Mexico while their Yucatan partners made regular attempts at patrolling and strengthening their own borders. With these actions it was thought that Mexican aggression would be warded off and the status quo would be returned. When war came no one on either side would be truly prepared for the new grand scale of the conflict and how it would shape the Southwest for decades to come.
Texas Rangers patrolling a bridge crossing on the Californian border
A/N: I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates this week. With Chapter 74 done the prelude to the Mexican War is now finished and Chapter 75 will be the start of the Mexican War itself. Chapter 76 will be the introduction into German affairs and Chapter 77 will switch back to the Civil War with its first battles. From there a cycle will take place with the early 1860's updates with Mexican War, then Civil War, then German Unificaiton updates until around 164-1865 when these all stop. Between the conflicts will be updates on the rest of Europe, East Asia, and South America. Thank you guys for reading and stay tuned for more. Long live the Republic!
“How nice to see San Antonio get the recognition it deserves. It will make for a fine state capitol.”- President Juan Seguin 1860
“Developments in the East are rather disturbing to say the least. If the Confederates think they can expand to Texas however, then they are mistaken. I have plans to deal with them.”- General Albert Sidney Johnston 1861
“It seems like old Juarez just didn’t learn that Mexico can't fight for crap. You know what they say, third time’s the charm.”- President Davy Crockett 1861
Due to the importance of the Mexican War and the events that took place in the post-war environment of the Republic such as the emancipation movement and the completion of the Continental Railroad, most Texas remember little of President Juan Seguin's time in office before the war. Seguin's entire presidency usually looked back upon by historians from the declaration of war against Mexico to the day he had stepped out of office. While 1860 and the first half of 1861 was uneventful for Texas as a whole, it was the start of what would become the Wild West Era.
Upon taking office in succeeding Crockett, Seguin and the Republicans did their best to undo much of what the Western Union had implemented in their first years in office. Primarily to reverse the decentralization of power from Austin to the commonwealths and to switch economic policy back to the Republican style of management. This was far easier said than done as the Republicans were still unable to recapture the House which belonged to the Western Union at the moment. Thankfully partisan politics were not as large in Texas as they would be in the late 20th and 21st century and various factions of both parties were able to come together for a compromise. In terms of economics, Crockett's agricultural subsidies were cut down immensely but at the same time the industrial subsidies were kept at their current rate. Tariffs were increased for all nations of Western Europe outside of France and Germany, though the United States was exempt from a raise (it didn't matter too much considering the latter civil war). Due to the imposing threat that Mexico was forming and the near collapse of America at the moment, greater funding was given to the military with these new funds being directed to the enlargement of Commonwealth militias, modernization of the Army with bolt action rifles and pistols, and conversion of the Texas Navy to steam ships. A major consequence of this increase in military spending though was how Texas Rangers and Texan militias would be on the increasing attack against hostile tribes in the frontier. One issue that both Republicans and Western Unionists could agree upon was that Texas needed to continue its infrastructure expansion. Railroads, roads, and canals were given the virtual unanimous pass on every single bill and the railroads continuing to expand across the Republic, creating much conflict with Indians and Ranchers due to the loss of territory for buffalo/cattle respectively. Lastly was the issue of slavery. While there was a general desire for reform, most congressmen were still not willing to budge on a final solution until America got its problems sorted out. So instead Congress continued to focus on implementing its current slave reform laws with Texas Rangers being deployed across the Republic in the meantime to back it up. Meanwhile, multiple abolitionist lawmakers on both sides would come together in clubs and form emancipation legislation for a future of Texas without slavery. These same men later presenting their ideas to the congressional floor and being the leaders of abolition after the Mexican War.
In terms of the question of state versus republic, concessions of greater power to the commonwealths were halted and the Republicans were able to create new laws and executive orders to strengthen the powers of the various departments under the presidential cabinet. Though at the end of the day the Supreme Court held the final say and it ruled nearly 50/50 on both sides. One interesting example of Seguin's policies that strengthened both the central government and the commonwealths at the same time was Seguin's Texanization of the state of Texas. Seguin being a native Tejano, became worried over the fact that California was starting to rise in power to become equal to the state of Texas and that American settlers and Indians were soon starting to overpopulate the Tejanos and Texans in Arizona and Deseret. In order to made sure that Texas would remain supreme and that Texan culture would be the domineering force of politics, Seguin made his central platform in 1861 to be the creation of a Commonwealth of Texas to replace the old State of Texas that had been run directly underneath Austin. With these new laws, the Commonwealth of Texas would be ruled directly by Texans and the various groups living within the current state could form there own national identity that would be united by a common government and would soon grow to overpower the different Californian culture developing on the west coast. Before the old State of Texas was just a territory ruled directly by the Central government in Austin and the executive departments overseeing the implementation of state laws. The only original position was that of governor and it would often be very confusing to make laws separating the State and Republic of Texas. This plan was understandable to both of the parties since it gave into the Western Union's ideology of commonwealth rights and the Republicans could spread their nationalism across the Republic. The Texan Commonwealth Bill passed both the House and the Senate with huge majorities on March 22nd of 1860 with President Seguin signing it into law. For the status of Austin and the new capitol of a Texan Commonwealth, Austin and its territory would be rebranded as a republican district (R.D), and would be independent of the other commonwealths to run the country. Meanwhile the new capitol of the Commonwealth of Texas would be the city of San Antonio. The reasons for this were plentifold as San Antonio was the cultural center of the nation and an important historical location with it being the first city of Texas, along with its central location. But mostly it was due to the fact that it was Juan Seguin's hometown which gave him a heavy preference. The Commonwealth was then cemented with its establishment on April 21st, the 24th anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto with James Flanagan elected as its first governor.
View attachment 313904
San Antonio, capitol of the Commonwealth of Texas.
An additional platform of strengthening Texan nationalism against the tide of old American identities were Seguin's policies strengthening the ethnic power of various groups in Texas to combat that of the American South while investing in Texan nationalism. With immense support from their constituents, the Republicans were able to pass new amendments to the Constitution that made Spanish a Co-De Facto language of Texas while German was introduced as a new De Jure language of Texas much in the same way as Spanish's previous treatment as a secondary language. Gerrymandering soon became commonplace in both Austin and the various Commonwealth capitols as new senatorial districts and county lines were drawn to reflect a concentration of power and representation for the various immigrant groups of Texas along with those white communities deemed to be Texanized. Soon causing the predominantly Southern American and Yankee communities of both East Texas and Northern California to become outnumbered in power and representation. Lastly of importance was the creation of the Texas Archives, a bureaucratic organization under the Department of Education dedicated to preserving Texan history and spreading Texas culture. The Texas Archives made it their main mission to preserve many of the early historical Texan sites both before and during the Revolution, leading many Spanish missions, Indian counties, Empressario Settlements, and Revolution battles to become labelled and actively supported in upkeep as important historical sites. Their efforts would later be reflected in the Elementary schools of Texas with the new curriculum having a special importance on the history and development of Texas as a whole. Creating a new sense of national identity and patriotism into future generations. Lastly, the Texas Archives would use much of their government funding to invest in important public and cultural works that would spread Texan identity across the country. Though these types of investments would not take place until the Texas Renaissance after the Mexican War with its main actions being seen in the creation of national parks and investment into Texan literature and monuments for the various cities and towns being built.
View attachment 313902
Mission San Jose in San Antonio, Texas. This mission along with many others in Arizona and California, were renovated in cooperation with the Catholic Church to serve as important archaeological sites of Spanish Texas.
The main agenda of foreign policy for Texas until Mexico invaded the Rio Grande was the ongoing disintegration of the United States and the eventual Civil War. At first all that Seguin and most of Congress did was watch as they had little say in the internal politics of America and did not want to create a situation that would cause similar conditions in Texas, which is why the slave question was largely put on hold. This created a torn feelings of loyalties to many of the American Texans as they were both equally divided by Southern and Yankee loyalties, most having come from the border states. A big example being how former President Mirabeau Lamar was from Georgia, Davy Crockett being from Tennessee, and Vice President Pease being from Connecticut. Seguin himself did not care too much personally since his roots were from Mexico, it was more that Texas would be immensely affected by whatever actions its eastern neighbor took. When South Carolina seceded in December and later the Confederacy formed in April, many Southerners assumed that their cousins in Texas would be sympathetic to their cause. They were wrong. When news of the formation of the Confederacy spread across Texas many Texan citizens actually rose up in denouncing the new rebel nation. Most of the American Texans while having come from the south, still held a great amount of admiration and respect for the Union as a whole and saw Toombs actions as illegal and a betrayal to the American Founding Fathers. At the same time the non-American citizens of Texas were mostly anti-slavery and as such could not put upon themselves to support a slave nation. Yet at the same time there was a visible minority from East Texas who wanted to join in common cause with the Confederacy, the supporters being plantation owners and slaveholders. These deep divisions caused an huge amount of deadlock in congress with no clear resolution for how to treat the new nation. Meeting with Secretary of State Prince Carl for many times during the Spring of 1861, President Seguin eventually came to the conclusion that for the moment Texas would remain neutral and would not take a stance on the Confederacy. They would not recognize the South as an independent nation yet at the same time they would not take an open stance towards the Union, the only change being the halting of all railroad connections to the South. Causing many in Congress to complain though most saw it as a reasonable policy considering it would keep Texas out. In secret Seguin would form extensive meetings with both the State Department and the Department of War to try and come up with potential contingency plans for what would happen if there was a civil war. Prince Carl would be ordered to inform his state department officials and ambassadors in Britain and France to try and get a read on any chance of a foreign intervention in the Civil War and would clandestinely meet with Confederate diplomats for the set up of possible relations if a southern victory is secure. In the meantime Brigadier General Albert Sidney Johnston came up with multiple war plans for hostile scenarios against both the Union and the Confederacy. One main warplan against the south involving an invasion of Arkansas, Indian Territory, and Louisiana to gain two new commonwealths along the Sabine and Red rivers. While a different approach would involve an invasion of Oregon and the Nebraska territory for a war against the Union. No matter what would come for Texas after Fort Sumter and Petersburg, they would be ready.
Before we dive into next chapter it is important to address Texas' stance against Mexico and overall Texan-Mexican relations before the Mexican War. Since the end of the Border Wars relations had been frozen and heated between both sides with any signs of reconciliation being thrown out the window. Texans saw Mexico as a lawless land much like the Rio Grande and hated them with a passion for Santa Anna and his dictatorship. Mexicans had the same levels of hate with Texas for being the nation who had brought them down the path of stagnation and near-collapse. Both embassies in their respective capitols would often refuse to make contact with the central governments unless it was out of direct necessity for border disputes and issues of private citizens. The situation only got worse when Juarez came into power and started spreading his Pan-Mexican propaganda and made frequent attacks on the existence of Texas itself. Hawkish elements of the Republican party were quite vocal over the need for an intervention into Mexico or the possible breaking up of the country itself. Yet they were ignored by the rest of the nation as Texas was facing too many other crises such as the Mormon Rebellion, Nicaraguan War, and was currently prospering. There was no real reason then to have to end this prosperity over the concept of another war taking place. Davy Crockett in his term saw little need to deal with Mexico and thought it would be best for the two countries to leave each other alone. This changed when Seguin came into power. While Seguin was a Tejano and a former citizen of Mexico, he had no love for his former nation and was one of the most fervent supporters for independence during the Revolution. Working with Major General Travis to try and prepare for a future war with Mexico alongside one with America, the Texan Army and Texas Rangers would be deployed regularly on the border with patrols occurring daily in the deserts of Arizona and California. The Texas Navy was active in patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, with pressure put on any and all trade ships to Mexico. The State Department was quite active in pressuring other nations to not support Mexico while their Yucatan partners made regular attempts at patrolling and strengthening their own borders. With these actions it was thought that Mexican aggression would be warded off and the status quo would be returned. When war came no one on either side would be truly prepared for the new grand scale of the conflict and how it would shape the Southwest for decades to come.
Texas Rangers patrolling a bridge crossing on the Californian border
A/N: I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates this week. With Chapter 74 done the prelude to the Mexican War is now finished and Chapter 75 will be the start of the Mexican War itself. Chapter 76 will be the introduction into German affairs and Chapter 77 will switch back to the Civil War with its first battles. From there a cycle will take place with the early 1860's updates with Mexican War, then Civil War, then German Unificaiton updates until around 164-1865 when these all stop. Between the conflicts will be updates on the rest of Europe, East Asia, and South America. Thank you guys for reading and stay tuned for more. Long live the Republic!
- Kaiser Chris
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