The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13, July 1909 - April, 1910 Page: 155

THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
TEXAS STATE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
VOL. XIII. JANUARY, 1910. No. 3.
The publication committee and the editors disclaim responsibility for views
expressed by contributors to THE QUARTERLY.
RECOGNITION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS BY THE
UNITED STATES.'
ETHEL ZIVLEY RATHER.
THE MOVEMENT FOR INDEPENDENCE.
When Texas in the fall of 1835 found herself at war with Mex-
ico, her first step, after putting the country in a state of defense,
was to cast about for aid. Two alternatives were presented to her:
she might either ally herself with the Mexican Liberals, who were
also in rebellion against the centralized government of Santa
Anna; or she might declare independence, and trust to the United
States for assistance to sustain it. What she did was to experi-
'A thesis presented to the faculty of the Yale University in part ful-
fillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, May,
1908. This paper does not claim to be a complete study of the relations
between the United States and Texas which led to the recognition by the
former of the independence of the Republic of Texas in 1837. There
should be some material on the subject in the records of the Department
of State at Washington, to which I have not had access; while the
archives in the City of Mexico, would doubtless throw much additional
light upon the relations between the United States -and Mexico during
this period. The most valuable and complete sources, however, have been
available (see bibliography, pp. 254-255).
My acknowledgments are due to Mr. Worthington C. Ford, formerly
of the Library of Congress, and to Mr. Richard Rathbun, assistant sec-
retary of the Smithsonian Institution, for courteous assistance in the use
of materials in the Library of Congress; and especially to Professor
George P. Garrison and Dr. Eugene C. Barker of the University of Texas,
Professor Herbert E. Bolton, of Leland Stanford University, and Pro-
fessor J. S. Bassett, of Smith College, for valuable suggestions and indis-
pensable help.
ETHEL ZIVLEY RATHER.