Texas Almanac, 1954-1955 Page: 43
[674] p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this book.
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Outline of TE
The two great Americas are divided,
geographically, at the Isthmus of Pana-
ma. Politically and culturally, the divid-
ing line is at the Rio Grande and the
eastward-and westward-extending lati-
tudes of this river. Texas lies today on
the southern border of Anglo-America. In
its beginning it lay on the northern bor-
der of Latin America.
Of peculiar .historic significance has
been this transition of Texas from Latin-
American to Anglo-American sovereignty,
and political and cultural influence. No
other large area in the New World un-
derwent such a marked political and cul-
tural metamorphosis, after the conquest
of the aborigine peoples, except the area
between Texas and the Pacific which
became a part of the United States by
the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Even
this area's transition was an effect which
had its cause in developments in Texas.
Had not Moses Austin and his son,
Stephen, caught the vision of an Anglo-
American colony in Texas, and had not
Sam Houston overcome the forces of
Santa Anna at San Jacinto, Texas and
most of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific
Coast States probably would have re-
mained permanently a part of Latin
America while the people of the United
States would have settled down to sub-
sistence on the resources of the Atlantic
Seaboard, Mississippi Valley and Pacific
Northwest.
This metamorphosis of Latin-American
into Anglo-American Texas furnished a
thread of continuity in the plot of early
Texas history; and its influence is found
indelibly impressed upon Texas culture.
Today more than a million Texans are
Spanish-speaking. The Latin-American in-
fluence is found in geographic names,
architecture, law, and the general culture
and way of life in Texas.
Succession of Sovereignties.
It has not been a simple plot that has
unfolded to produce the Texas of today,
but one with far-reaching effects. It has
been one of much vicissitude and tragedy,
especially in the early and middle periods
-one that brought a succession of *six
flags while sovereignty over Texas
changed eight times.
The sequence of the six flags of Texas
has been as follows: Spain, 1519-1685;
France, 1685-1690; Spain, 1690-1821;
Mexico, 1821-1836; Republic of Texas,
1836-1845; United States, 1845-1861; the
Southern Confederacy, 1861-1865; Unitedexas History
States, 1865 to present. The sequence
above gives, with respect to the early
history of Texas, eras during which the
nations of flags indicated actually flew
over Texas soil. For this reason the
French period is limited to 1685-1690,
though the French claim extended almost
from the beginning of Texas history until
France ceded Louisiana to Spain in 1762.
Later Spain receded Louisiana to France
and the issue between these two countries
was finally settled by the sale of Louisi-
ana by France to the United States in
1803. The Spanish claim to Texas extend-
ed from 1519 to 1821. Thus there was a
long period of overlapping Spanish and
French claims.
HistorLc Eras.
The succession of the flags, however,
does not precisely parallel the political,
economic and cultural development of
Texas. The chronicle of Texas can be
broken down into the following historic
eras, beginnin with the tribal rule of
the aboriginalIndian:
I. ABORIGINAL TEXAS
Era of the aborigine, as revealed in
archaeological research and the chronicles
of the early explorers-the prehistory of
Texas. The Indian tribes as found by-the
early explorers.
II. CONQUEST AND COLONIZATION
1. The early explorations, beginning
with Pineda's visit in 1519 and extending
to the beginning of missionary effort in
1690, and the rise of conflicting Spanish-
French claims.
2. Founding of the missions and estab-
lishment of Spanish dominion, extending
from 1690 until the secularization of most
of the missions in 1793.
3. Decline of Spanish dominion, an era
of filibustering expeditions 1793-1821.
4. Mexican sovereignty and establish-
ment of Anglo-American colonies, begin-
ning with that of Stephen F. Austin,
1821-1835.
III. REVOLUTION-THE REPUBLIC
1. The Texas Revolution, 1835-1836.
2. The Republic of Texas, 1836-1845.
IV. TEXAS AFTER ANNEXATION
1. Statehood prior to the Civil War,
1845-1861.
2. Texas in the Confederacy, 1861-1865.
3. Period of Reconstruction, 1865-1874.
4. Period of early economic develop-
ment, 1874 to end of nineteenth century.
5. Beginning of industrialization and
urbanization of Texas, from beginning of
twentieth century to the present.Aboriginal Indians of Texas
Climate and the indigenous flora and maintenance of life relatively easy. Not
fauna of Texas made it a more than only was the aboriginal Indian popula-
ordinarily habitable region even in abo- tion relatively large but even in that day
riginal Texas. The great herds of buffalo Texas was characterized by an outstand-
deer and other wild animals, the fish of ea a haatrzdbya usad
thecoat ad ilad sreas, nd he ing characteristic of today--diversity.
the coast and inland streams, and the This diversity of prehistoric cultures grew
native fruits, the berries and pecans made out of the diversity of soils and physio-
*Some authorities say seven flags, including the graphic conditions that have contributed
Green Flag of the Magee-Gutierrez Expedition,
which had control of Texas for five months in argely to diversity since the advent of
1813. (See page 51.) white men. In prehistoric Texas were
43
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Texas Almanac, 1954-1955, book, 1953; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117168/m1/45/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.