One of the questions facing citizens of the Republic of Texas was whether or not to trade its status as an independent nation for a place within the federal union of the United States. President Mirabeau B. Lamar represented the faction strongly opposed to abandoning the Republic. Addressing the issue at his inauguration in 1838, Lamar said: Show
Lamar’s pro-Republic stance, however, did not reflect the attitude of most Texans toward annexation. Texans officially expressed the desire to join the United States shortly after the end of the Texas Revolution. In September 1836, voters made three important electoral decisions: They ratified the Constitution adopted at Washington-on-the-Brazos; they chose Sam Houston as the Republic’s first president; and they voted 3,277 to 91 in favor of annexation. Two controversial issues — the extension of slavery and a possible war with Mexico — proved to be major roadblocks to achieving statehood for nearly ten years. By 1844, U.S. supporters of annexation had made progress in their plan to unite Texas with the United States. Diplomats from both nations negotiated a treaty that would allow Texas to join the Union, signing the document on April 12, 1844. On June 8, 1844, however, the Senate rejected the treaty by a vote of 53 to 16. But the issue was far from settled as it became part of the national debate during the presidential election that was heating up. The Democratic Party promised to “re-annex Texas” as part of its platform. U.S. supporters, led by President John Tyler, arranged for the full Congress to take up the question once more in the form of a Joint Resolution that would bring Texas into the Union. Voting on February 27, 1845, the Senate approved Texas statehood, 27–25. The House of Representatives approved the bill on the following day by a vote of 132–76. The long-sought offer of annexation had finally been extended to Texas. Texans responded quickly to the offer. President Anson Jones called a special session of Congress to advise him on the matter. Meeting on June 16, 1845, Congress authorized Jones to call for an Annexation Convention. Because of the significance of the date, the delegates voted to accept annexation 55 to 1 on July 4th. Jones then presented the annexation issue before the people of Texas, who went to the polls on October 13, 1845. The outcome of the plebiscite — 4,245 in favor to 267 against — showed that statehood was still preferred over continued existence as an independent nation. Two official acts yet remained to finalize the deed. On December 27, 1845, U.S. President James K. Polk signed the annexation bill into law and formally recognized Texas as the 28th state of the Union. In a ceremony in Austin on February 19, 1846, Texas President Anson Jones ordered the Lone Star Flag lowered for the last time, proclaiming “the Republic of Texas is no more.” On June 23, 1845, a joint resolution of the Congress of Texas voted in favor of annexation by the United States. The leaders of the republic first voted for annexation in 1836, soon after gaining independence from Mexico, but the U.S. Congress was unwilling to admit another state that permitted slavery. Sam Houston, commander of the Texas army during the fight for independence from Mexico and the first president of the Republic of Texas, was a strong advocate of annexation.  In 1845, the political climate proved more favorable to the request for statehood. On December 29, 1845, Texas officially became the twenty-eighth state in the Union although the formal transfer of government did not take place until February 19, 1846. A unique provision in its agreement with the United States permitted Texas to retain title to its public lands. Further, Texas was annexed as a slave state. Texas is divided into various regions characterized by distinct cultures and climates. East Texas includes the forested area known as the “Big Thicket” and some of the wet, coastal marsh area. The region produces cotton, rice, and sugar cane, and its economy is centered on the Gulf Coast’s petrochemical and shipping industries. The eastern part of Texas continues to be culturally tied to the Deep South. West Texas includes the Davis Mountains, the northern High Plains of the Panhandle, and some of the Hill Country. Cattle and sheep ranching continue to thrive in the legendary land of the cowboy. Near the national border, Mexican culture remains particularly influential.
One of the more than 400 Texans interviewed in American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936 to 1940, early settler Mrs. Emma Falconer, described the state’s natural beauty:
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Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 23, 1927. Over the course of an almost fifty-year career as a performer, director, and writer, Fosse emerged as one of the finest choreographers to work in American musical film and theater. Fosse, whose father worked in vaudeville, was half of the Riff Brothers dance act by the age of thirteen. He enlisted in the Navy after high school and served two years. He then began his career as a dancer. By age twenty-one, Fosse was hoofing in road companies and, soon after that, on Broadway. After a brief stint in Hollywood, which included an appearance in Kiss Me Kate (1953), Fosse returned to Broadway where his choreography career accelerated. In 1955, he won his first Tony Award—for choreography of The Pajama Game. Fosse won eight Tonys—for The Pajama Game (1954), Damn Yankees (1956), Redhead (1959), Little Me (1963), Sweet Charity (1966), Pippin (1973), Dancin’ (1978), and Big Deal (1986). He also won Drama Desk Awards as choreographer and director for some of the same productions. Fosse returned to Hollywood as a choreographer and director. His films included Cabaret (1972), Lenny (1974), and All That Jazz (1979). Fosse was the first director in history to win Oscar (Cabaret), Tony (Pippin), and Emmy (Liza with a Z) awards in the same year (1973). Fosse’s frequent collaborator and leading lady was the dancer, actress, and singer, Gwen Verdon. In 1956 Miss Verdon won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Lola in Damn Yankees; Fosse received a Tony for Best Choreography. Fosse and Verdon also worked together in New Girl in Town (1957), Redhead (1959), Sweet Charity (1966), and Chicago (1977). They married in 1960 and while they were separated when he died on September 23, 1987, they remained friends. Verdon was the artistic advisor to the Tony Award-winning musical Fosse (1999), a musical and dance revue. The Library of Congress is the repository of the Bob Fosse/Gwen Verdon Collection, a comprehensive assemblage documenting the achievements of both Fosse and Verdon. This collection provides a rich portal into the lives of these two extraordinarily talented individuals through which scholars, artists, and students of dance can construct a rich picture of the dancer’s world on Broadway and on film. The paper, manuscript, and photographic components of these collections, which are not online, are available in the Library’s Performing Arts Reading Room; the video and film materials are available in the Moving Image Research Center; and the audio materials are available at the Recorded Sound Research Center. What is an annexation agreement of Texas?On April 11, 1844, Texas and the United States signed a treaty for annexation. Texas would enter the Union as a territory, not a state, under terms of the treaty. The United States would assume Texas' debt up to $10 million and would negotiate Texas' southwestern boundary with Mexico.
What are two states that were part of the Texas annexation?These events brought within the control of the United States the future states of Texas, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, and Oregon, as well as portions of what would later become Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, and Montana.
What were two reasons the United States opposed the annexation of Texas?Constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico were the reasons given for the rejection, but antislavery sentiment in the United States undoubtedly influenced Van Buren and continued to be the chief obstacle to annexation. Texas withdrew the annexation offer in 1838; President Mirabeau B.
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