Samuel Maverick was not native to Texas, but got here as quick as he could. In short Maverick was Texas and what Texas still is today: Independent, proud and loyal. Influencing Texas for the better, Samuel Maverick was an important person in Texas history. He was a man of his word and someone who cared deeply about his state. Throughout his life, he demonstrated what it means to be a true Texan and how to fight for what you believe in. The word “maverick” means “someone who is an independent thinker.” The word relates back to Samuel Maverick, someone who thought originally and influenced many individuals in Texas history and in today’s society.
Originally from South Carolina, Maverick was a man who thought independently and stood up
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for what he believed in during times of doubt. When Maverick was running for legislative office in South Carolina, he stayed true to his ideas and views, even though it caused him to lose the election. When he moved from South Carolina to Texas, Maverick was consistent in staying true to his beliefs. For example, Maverick refused to brand his cattle because he thought it was a cruel thing to do. This was uncommon at the time and many people frowned upon it. However, Samuel still refused to brand his cattle no matter what others said about him. Even today, ranchers and farmers use the term Maverick to refer to livestock that is not branded. Many of his peers viewed him as someone who didn’t give up when he had an idea. This attitude was consistent through his years as a public official in Texas. “A man of determined will, unyielding when advocating what he believed to be right, and uncompromising in favor of…separation from Mexico” (A Fellow Delegate). This quote was spoken from a fellow delegate at a convention at Washington-On-the-Brazos, after the battle of San Jacinto. Samuel Maverick was passionate and cared for Texas dearly. Even in times of difficulty, he kept Texas in mind and the state’s well-being close to heart. When Maverick was being held in jail by the Mexicans, he watched their military tactics and when he was released, he used the information to help the Texas leaders successfully lead an attack on San Antonio. With the Mexican army and General Cos gone, the Texans had control over San Antonio. Maverick established himself as a Texas leader. During the time that Maverick was mayor of San Antonio, the Comanche Indians came and tried to engage in a prisoner exchange. Maverick refused and instead had a plan to capture the Indians and hold them hostage. When the Indians heard of this cruel plan, they started to attack San Antonio’s Main Plaza. Maverick fought in the attacks and by the end, many Indians were held captive or killed. Keeping San Antonio under the Texan’s control. Even today, the attacks are remembered as the Council House Fight. From the time Samuel Maverick came to Texas, he was interested in the politics of his state.
While living here, he held several political positions during his career. Samuel Maverick was recognized after helping the Texan leaders in the attack of San Antonio. Later in the month of February, he was chosen as the representative of San Antonio to act as a delegate in a convention at Washington-On-the-Brazos. Maverick nearly died while traveling to the convention, but eventually reached his destination. This election would kick off his thirty-one years of public service and holding political offices in the state of Texas. Samuel Maverick was elected mayor of San Antonio after being a landowner and making forty-one land purchases during the years 1838 and 1839. As San Antonio’s mayor, he helpe d settle many disagreements and predicaments as well as improving the security of San Antonio when threats started coming from Mexico and the Comanche Indians. After his one-year term, he settled in as treasurer of San Antonio. Being a treasurer caused Maverick to spend more time in San Antonio then he and his family had anticipated. Sometime in September 1842, the Mexicans took control over San Antonio and took many prisoners back with them to Mexico. Unfortunately, Maverick was one of those that was taken captive. In 1843, Maverick was released and able to return back to Texas. Although being kept as a prisoner in Mexico, Samuel Maverick was elected to be a senator for the Congress of the Texas Republic. Maverick served until 1845 as a senator. Between the years of 1847 and 1862, he held several public offices, including: Texas State Legislature (1851), State Senator (1855-1858), State Representative (1859), and San Antonio’s Mayor for the second time in
1862. Samuel Maverick was a man who stayed true to what he believed in and dedicated much of his life to serving Texas. He was a man who cared deeply for a state to which he was not native, and risked his life on its behalf. Samuel Maverick throughout his lifetime was an influential person for Texas and his legacy lives on in this Lone Star State.
William Barret Travis a hero of the Texas revolution impacted the American people with his meaningful letter requesting aid. Travis wrote a very inspirational letter addressed not only to the people of Texas but also to all the Americans in the world. Which impacted the way American’s view patriotism and cherish their liberty and their beliefs.
When studying Texas History there are names such as Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, and William Barrett Travis that are often brought up into discussion. These men had rolls of vital importance to the cause of revolution; however, other names such as Juan Nepomuceno Seguin may be much more obscure to those unaware of the rolls that such men played. Juan Seguin is mostly remembered as the currier to whom William Barrett Travis commissioned with the delivery of a letter to General Sam Houston requesting reinforcements and whose words were so inspiring that it may have given the Texans the push they needed to claim victory over the Mexican President Santa Anna. After independence was achieved from Mexico, Texas formed its own government in which Seguin served as a member of the Texas Senate. Seguin eventually lost all credibility and was forced to flee to Mexico because of accusations of betrayal. Was Juan Seguin’s participation in the Texas revolution limited to his delivery of the Travis letter to Sam Houston? Other than his participation at the Alamo and at San Jacinto, how significant of a part did Juan Seguin play in the Texas revolution? What lead to Seguin’s fall from favor in the eyes of the Texas government and earned him the label of traitor?
Sam struck out with one grand assault on Texas officialdom by announcing himself a candidate for Governor in the 1857 election. But his votes on Kansas and other Southern measures could not be explained away to an angry constituency, and Texas handed Sam Houston the first trouncing of his political career. On November 10, 1857, Sam Houston was unceremoniously dismissed by the Texas Legislature and a more militant spokesman for the South elected as his successor. In the fall of 1859, the aging warrior again ran as an independent candidate for Governor, again with no party, no newspaper and no organization behind him, and making but one campaign speech. Houston delivered his inaugural address directly to the people from the steps of the Capitol, instead of before a joint session of the Legislature.
Daniel Elazar created a classification scheme moralistic political culture of individuals, and traditionalistic to describe the political culture of the state. According to Elazar, Texas can be described as traditionalistic and individuals. Historically, the Texas political parties demonstrated a strong tradition, provincialism, and business dominance. The models, however, may weaken as the Republicans increase its power in the state and urbanization continues. Texas is the second largest state in the country and there are four different geographical regions: the Gulf coastal plain, the interior lowlands, Great Plains, and the basin and range province,
For almost fifty years, from 1827 to 1876, seven constitutions were adopted and implemented for Taxes and each one has its set of laws and contained specific ways, aimed at correcting the deficiencies and drawbacks of the previously adopted order. The Constitution of 1876 is the sixth one, which set the rules and laws for Texas government since the state has achieved its independence from Mexico in 1836. The constitution established the principles of Texas Democratic Government and specified the laws, which were applied to the three branches of government: legislative, juridical and executive.
Texas is a unique place with a colorful history of legendary cowboys and tall tales. The state stretches over the middle section of the southern United States. Texas has experienced shifts in governmental control within the United States. French, Spanish, Mexican, and Confederacy, and all having once been in charge, not to mention the time Texas spent as an independent republic. Texas has had many battles and wars within its borders, resulting in seven different constitutions within a span of fifty years between each document.
dictator and with independence for Texas. So a major reason for Texas to be annexed into the United States was that the overwhelming majority of the population was former Americans.
The Texas Legislature is far too archaic to provide consistent leadership for a state government; Congress has become too enmeshed with the executive branch and leaves blurry lines drawn in its separation of powers. The ideal legislature would be a modernized version of what the Texas Constitution created.
San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house-to-house fighting, they forced General Marín Perfecto de Cós and his soldiers to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo — already fortified prior to the battle by Cós' men — and strengthened its defenses.
"Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836)." Lone Star Junction: A Texas and Texas History Resource. http://www.lsjunction.com/people/austin.htm (accessed October 5, 2013).
Written by Randolph B. Campbell and edited by Mark C. Carnes, Sam Houston and the American Southwest tells the story of the life of Sam Houston. Sam Houston, born in 1793 in Tennessee, was a soldier, lawyer, and also one of the founding fathers of the state of Texas. This biography of Sam Houston goes on to describe the life of Sam Houston in topics such as presidential elections he ran in, wars he has fought, friends and rivals of Houston, his personal life, marriages, wins, defeats, and changes he brought upon the United States of America. Sam Houston was liked by the majority of people, he looked up to Andrew Jackson who was his general when Sam Houston joined the army in his 20’s. This book goes into depth to portray to the reader of the type of person Sam Houston was including his strengths, weaknesses, and the fact that he was an alcoholic and despite all that, he was a very intelligent and noble man of U.S. history as we now know.
From being established as a Spanish colony to an independent nation to finally as a state within the United States, Texas, as it is named today, held its fair share of battles and conflicts on the way to how it is today. Most notably is The Texas Revolution in which the colony fought the recently independent Mexico to become its own republic. And the colony actually succeeded in doing so by issuing the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836 and later the Treaties of Velasco which on paper ended the fighting between Mexico and Texas.
Sam Houston Sam Houston was, as legend reports, a big man about six feet and six inches tall. He was an exciting historical figure and war hero who was involved with much of the early development of our country and Texas. He was a soldier, lawyer, politician, businessman, and family man, whose name will be synonymous with nation heroes who played a vital part in the shaping of a young and prosperous country. He admired and supported the Native Americans who took him in and adopted him into their culture to help bridge the gap between the government and a noble forgotten race. Sam Houston succeeded in many roles he donned as a man, but the one most remembered is the one of a true American hero.
12 April 1844 was the Treaty of Texas’ Annexation into the United States of America. We take note that Texas was accepted into the “Union States” as an anti-slave state, as were all the territories annexed from the Mexican War. So finally, on 29 December 1846, the 29th Congress met and concluded in the Joint Resolution of Congress that the Republic of Texas was to be accepted as a new state in the United States under a republican government, equal to all of the original states before it and in every respect. Texas was entitled to two representatives in the House of Representatives until the government did a census of Texas’s people.
The Annexation of Texas was one of the most debatable events in the history of the United States. This paper argues the different opinions about doing the annexation of Texas or not. In this case Henry Clay and John L. O’Sullivan had completely opposite opinions about this issue. The reasons of why not do it was because of the desire to prevent war, for division over slavery, and for constitutional rights. On the other hand, John L. O’ Sullivan wanted to do this because of his idea of Manifest Destiny. By 1845, the annexation of Texas went into effect.