Texas

==History==
===Precontact era===
{{Texas History}}
{{main|History of Texas}}
{{further|Pre-Columbian Mexico|Native American tribes in Texas}}

[[File:Early indian west.jpg|thumb|Early Native American tribal territories]]Texas lies between two major cultural spheres of [[Pre-Columbian North America]]: the [[Southwestern tribes|Southwestern]] and the [[Plains Indians|Plains]] areas. [[Archaeologists]] have found that three major Indigenous cultures lived in this territory, and reached their developmental peak before the first European contact. These were:{{sfn|Richardson|Wintz|Boswell|Anderson|2021|p=9}} the [[Ancestral Puebloans]] from the upper [[Rio Grande]] region, centered west of Texas; the [[Mississippian culture]], also known as [[Mound Builders]], which extended along the [[Mississippi River Valley]] east of Texas; and the civilizations of [[Mesoamerica]], which were centered south of Texas. Influence of [[Teotihuacan]] in northern Mexico peaked around AD 500 and declined between the 8th and 10th centuries.

When Europeans arrived in the Texas region, the language families present in the state were [[Caddo]]an, [[Atakapa]]n, Athabaskan, [[Coahuiltecan]], and Uto-Aztecan, in addition to several language isolates such as [[Tonkawa language|Tonkawa]]. Uto-Aztecan Puebloan and [[Jumanos|Jumano]] peoples lived neared the Rio Grande in the western portion of the state and the Athabaskan-speaking Apache tribes lived throughout the interior. The agricultural, mound-building Caddo controlled much of the northeastern part of the state, along the [[Red River of the South|Red]], [[Sabine River (Texas–Louisiana)|Sabine]], [[Neches River|and Neches River]] basins.<ref name="Carter 1995">{{Cite book |last=Carter |first=Cecile Elkins |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1253386080 |title=Caddo Indians where we come from |date=1995 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=0-585-17049-5 |oclc=1253386080}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.7560/711501 |title="The Caddo Nation" |date=1993 |publisher=University of Texas Press |doi=10.7560/711501 |isbn=978-0-292-79978-3}}</ref> Atakapan peoples such as the [[Akokisa]] and [[Bidai]] lived along the northeastern Gulf Coast; the [[Karankawa people|Karankawa]] lived along the central coast.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Aten |first=Lawrence E. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/254092448 |title=Indians of the upper Texas coast |date=1983 |publisher=Academic Pr |isbn=0-12-065740-6 |oclc=254092448}}</ref> At least one tribe of Coahuiltecans, the [[Aranama people|Aranama]], lived in southern Texas. This entire culture group, primarily centered in northeastern Mexico, is now extinct.

No culture was dominant across all of present-day Texas, and many peoples inhabited the area.{{sfn|Richardson|Wintz|Boswell|Anderson|2021|p=10}} Native American tribes who have lived inside the boundaries of present-day Texas include the [[Alabama people|Alabama]], [[Apache]], Atakapan, [[Bidai]], Caddo, Aranama, [[Comanche]], [[Choctaw]], [[Coushatta]], [[Hasinai]], [[Jumano people|Jumano]], [[Karankawa people|Karankawa]], [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]], [[Kiowa]], [[Tonkawa]], and [[Wichita people|Wichita]].{{sfn|Richardson|Wintz|Boswell|Anderson|2021|p=12}}<ref name="HoT bzi04">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=bzi04|title=Indians|first=George |last=Klos|date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> Many of these peoples migrated from the north or east during the colonial period, such as the Choctaw, Alabama-Coushatta, and [[Lenape|Delaware]].<ref name="Carter 1995"/>

The region was primarily controlled by the Spanish until the [[Texas Revolution]]. They were most interested in relationships with the Caddo, who were—like the Spanish—a settled, agricultural people. Several Spanish missions were opened in Caddo territory, but a lack of interest in Christianity among the Caddo meant that few were converted. Positioned between French Louisiana and Spanish Texas, the Caddo maintained relations with both, but were closer with the French.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barr |first=Juliana |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1148108904 |title=Peace Came in the Form of a Woman : Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands. |date=November 2009 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |isbn=978-1-4696-0470-1 |oclc=1148108904}}</ref> After Spain took control of Louisiana, most of the missions in eastern Texas were closed and abandoned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Galán |first=Francis X. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1128731300 |title=Los Adaes : the first capital of Spanish Texas |year=2020 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=978-1-62349-878-8 |oclc=1128731300}}</ref> The United States obtained Louisiana following the 1803 [[Louisiana Purchase]] and began convincing tribes to self-segregate from whites by moving west; facing an overflow of native peoples in Missouri and Arkansas, they were able to negotiate with the Caddo to allow several displaced peoples to settle on unused lands in eastern Texas. These included the [[Muscogee]], [[Houma people|Houma Choctaw]], [[Lenape]] and [[Mingo|Mingo Seneca]], among others, who came to view the Caddoans as saviors.<ref name="ReferenceA">Glover, William B. "A History of the Caddo Indians". Reprinted from 'The Louisiana Historical Quarterly'; Vol. 18, No. 4. October 1935</ref><ref>Swanton, John R. Indians of the Southeastern United States (Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1946) p. 139</ref>

The temperament of Native American tribes affected the fates of European explorers and [[settler]]s in that land.<ref name=Richardson2005/> Friendly tribes taught newcomers how to grow local crops, prepare foods, and hunt [[game (food)|wild game]]. Warlike tribes resisted the settlers.<ref name=Richardson2005>{{cite book |first1=Rupert N. |last1=Richardson |first2=Adrian |last2=Anderson |first3=Cary D. |last3=Wintz |first4=Ernest |last4=Wallace |title=Texas: the Lone Star State |edition=9th |publisher=Prentice Hall |isbn=978-0-1318-3550-4 |pages=10–16|year=2005 }}</ref> Prior treaties with the Spanish forbade either side from militarizing its native population in any potential conflict between the two nations. Several outbreaks of violence between Native Americans and Texans started to spread in the prelude to the Texas Revolution. Texans accused tribes of stealing livestock. While no proof was found,<ref name="Carter 1995" /> those in charge of Texas at the time attempted to publicly blame and punish the Caddo, with the U.S. government trying to keep them in check. The Caddo never turned to violence because of the situation, except in cases of self-defense.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

By the 1830s, the U.S. had drafted the Indian Removal Act, which was used to facilitate the Trail of Tears. Fearing retribution, Indian Agents all over the eastern U.S. tried to convince all Indigenous peoples to uproot and move west. This included the Caddo of Louisiana and Arkansas. Following the Texas Revolution, the Texans chose to make peace with the Indigenous people, but did not honor former land claims or agreements.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} The first president of Texas, [[Sam Houston]], aimed to cooperate and make peace with Native tribes, but his successor, [[Mirabeau B. Lamar]], took a much more hostile stance. Hostility towards Natives by white Texans prompted the movement of most Native populations north into what would become [[Indian Territory]] (modern Oklahoma).<ref name="Carter 1995"/><ref name="ReferenceA"/> Only the [[Alabama–Coushatta Tribe of Texas|Alabama-Coushatta]] would remain in the parts of Texas subject to white settlement, though the [[Comanche]] would continue to control most of the western half of the state until their defeat in the 1870s and 1880s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gwynne |first=S. C. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/968100096 |title=Empire of the Summer Moon. |date=2011 |publisher=Constable & Robinson |isbn=978-1-84901-820-3 |oclc=968100096}}</ref>

===Colonization===
{{main|New France|Louisiana (New France)|French colonization of Texas|French and Indian War|Treaty of Paris (1763)|New Spain|Spanish Texas|Seminole Wars|Adams–Onís Treaty|Mexican War of Independence|Treaty of Córdoba|First Mexican Empire|Mexican Texas|Provisional Government of Mexico (1823–24)|1824 Constitution of Mexico|First Mexican Republic|Siete Leyes|Centralist Republic of Mexico}}
The first historical document related to Texas was a map of the [[Gulf Coast]], created in 1519 by Spanish explorer [[Alonso Álvarez de Pineda]].<ref>{{harvp|Chipman|1992|p=243}}; {{harvp|Weber|1992|p=34}}</ref> Nine years later, shipwrecked Spanish explorer [[Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca]] and his cohort became the first Europeans in what is now Texas.<ref name="CVaca">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=fca06|title=Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca|first=Donald E. |last=Chipman|orig-year=June 12, 2010 |date=August 3, 2017}}</ref><ref name="SpanishT">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=nps01|title=Spanish Texas|first=Donald E. |last=Chipman|orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=January 23, 2017}}</ref> Cabeza de Vaca reported that in 1528, when the Spanish landed in the area, "half the natives died from a disease of the bowels and blamed us."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-070/summary/index.asp |title=The Journey of Alvar Nuńez Cabeza de Vaca |website=American Journeys |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005010422/http://www.americanjourneys.org/aj-070/summary/index.asp |archive-date=October 5, 2012}}</ref> Cabeza de Vaca also made observations about the way of life of the Ignaces Natives of Texas.{{Efn|Cabeza de Vaca wrote, "They went about with a firebrand, setting fire to the plains and timber so as to drive off the mosquitos, and also to get lizards and similar things which they eat, to come out of the soil. In the same manner they kill deer, encircling them with fires, and they do it also to deprive the animals of pasture, compelling them to go for food where the Indians want."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=James West |first2=Mark H |last2=Lytle |title=After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection |volume=1 |publisher=McGraw Hill|date=2010 |chapter=Chapter 1 |page=7 |isbn=978-0-0733-8548-8 |edition=6th}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=James West |title=After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection |last2=Lytle |first2=Mark H |date=2010 |publisher=McGraw Hill |isbn=978-0-0733-8548-8 |edition=6th |volume=1 |page=7 |chapter=Chapter 1}}</ref> [[Francisco Vázquez de Coronado]] described another encounter with native people in 1541.{{Efn|Vázquez de Coronado wrote, "Two kinds of people travel around these plains with the cows; one is called [[Querecho Indians|Querechos]] and the others [[Teyas Indians|Teyas]]; they are very well built, and painted, and are enemies of each other. They have no other settlement or location than comes from traveling around with the cows. They kill all of these they wish and tan the hides, with which they clothe themselves and make their tents, and they eat the flesh, sometimes even raw, and they also even drink the blood when thirsty. The tents they make are like field tents, and they set them up over poles they have made for this purpose, which come together and are tied at the top, and when they go from one place to another they carry them on some dogs they have, of which they have many, and they load them with the tents and poles and other things, for the country is so level, as I said, that they can make use of these, because they carry the poles dragging along on the ground. The sun is what they worship most."<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Winship |editor-first=George Parker |title=The Journey of Coronado, 1540–1542|publisher=A.S. Barnes & Company |date=1904 |pages=210–211 |url=https://archive.org/stream/journeycoronado00winsrich#page/210/mode/2up}}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/journeycoronado00winsrich#page/210/mode/2up |title=The Journey of Coronado, 1540–1542 |date=1904 |publisher=A.S. Barnes & Company |editor-last=Winship |editor-first=George Parker |pages=210–211}}</ref>

The expedition of [[Hernando de Soto]] entered into Texas from the east, seeking a route to Mexico. They passed through the Caddo lands but turned back after reaching the River of Daycao (possibly the Brazos or Colorado), beyond which point the Native peoples were nomadic and did not have the agricultural stores to feed the expedition.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hudson |first=Charles M. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/981166517 |title=Knights of Spain, warriors of the sun : Hernando De Soto and the South's ancient chiefdoms |year=2018 |publisher=University of Georgia Press |isbn=978-0-8203-5160-5 |oclc=981166517}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Clayton |first1=Lawrence A. |last2=Knight |first2=Vernon J. |last3=Moore |first3=Edward C. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/47010055 |title=The De Soto chronicles : the expedition of Hernando de Soto to North America in 1539-1543 |date=1995 |publisher=University of Alabama Press |isbn=0-585-36805-8 |oclc=47010055}}</ref>

European powers ignored the area until accidentally settling there in 1685. Miscalculations by [[René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle]] resulted in his establishing the colony of [[French colonization of Texas|Fort Saint Louis]] at [[Matagorda Bay]] rather than along the [[Mississippi River]].{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=149}} The colony lasted only four years before succumbing to harsh conditions and hostile natives.{{Sfnp|Chipman|1992|p=83}} A small band of survivors traveled eastward into the lands of the Caddo, but La Salle was killed by disgruntled expedition members.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joutel |first=Henri |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/962854705 |title=The La Salle expedition to Texas : the journal of Henri Joutel, 1684-1687 |year=1998 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |isbn=0-87611-165-7 |oclc=962854705}}</ref>

In 1690 Spanish authorities, concerned that France posed a competitive threat, constructed several [[Spanish missions in Texas|missions]] in [[East Texas]] among the Caddo.{{sfnp|Chipman|1992|p=89}} After Caddo resistance, the Spanish missionaries returned to Mexico.{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=155}} When France began settling [[Louisiana (New France)|Louisiana]], in 1716 Spanish authorities responded by founding a new series of missions in East Texas.<ref>{{harvp|Chipman|1992|pp=111–112}}; {{harvp|Weber|1992|p=160}}</ref> Two years later, they created [[San Antonio]] as the first Spanish civilian settlement in the area.{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=163}}
[[File:LaFora 1771 2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Nicolas de La Fora's 1771 map of the northern frontier of [[New Spain]] clearly shows the Provincia de los Tejas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bolton |first=Herbert Eugene |date=1915 |title=Texas in the Middle 18th Century|publisher=University of California Press |page=facing p. 382 |url=https://archive.org/stream/texasinmiddleei00boltgoog#page/n420/mode/2up}}</ref>|left]]

Hostile native tribes and distance from nearby Spanish colonies discouraged settlers from moving to the area. It was one of New Spain's least populated provinces.{{sfnp|Chipman|1992|p=205}} In 1749, the Spanish peace treaty with the [[Lipan Apache people|Lipan Apache]] angered many tribes,{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=193}} including the [[Comanche]], [[Tonkawa]], and [[Hasinai]].{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=189}} The Comanche signed a treaty with Spain in 1785 and later helped to defeat the Lipan Apache and [[Karankawa people|Karankawa]] tribes.<ref>{{harvp|Weddle|1995|p=164}}; {{harvp|Chipman|1992|p=200}}</ref>{{sfnp|Weddle|1995|p=163}} With numerous missions being established, priests led a peaceful conversion of most tribes. By the end of the 18th century only a few [[nomad]]ic tribes had not converted.{{sfnp|Chipman|1992|p=202}}
[[File:Stephen f austin.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Stephen F. Austin]] was the first American ''[[empresario]]'' given permission to operate a colony within [[Mexican Texas]].]]
[[File:Mexico 1824 (equirectangular projection).png|thumb|upright=1.35|Mexico in 1824. [[Coahuila y Tejas]] is the northeasternmost state.]]

When the United States [[Louisiana Purchase|purchased Louisiana]] from France in 1803, American authorities insisted the agreement also included Texas. The boundary between New Spain and the United States was finally set in 1819 at the [[Sabine River (Texas–Louisiana)|Sabine River]], the modern border between Texas and Louisiana.{{sfnp|Weber|1992|pp=291–299}} Eager for new land, many U.S. settlers refused to recognize the agreement. Several [[filibuster (military)|filibusters]] raised armies to invade the area west of the Sabine River.{{sfnp|Davis|2006|p=46}} Marked by the [[War of 1812]], some men who had escaped from the Spanish, held (Old) Philippines had immigrated to and also passed through Texas (New Philippines)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://texascultures.housing.utexas.edu/assets/pdfs/GTC_filipinotexans.pdf|title=Most of the Filipinos in Texas are comparatively recent arrivals. Strong economic and political ties with the Spanish empire from the 16th to the 19th centuries brought few known individuals to the Americas, but United States control in the early 20th century was responsible for Filipino settlement in every metropolitan area in the state. Considering the Spanish trade with the Philippines—the Manila galleons operated between Acapulco and Manila from 1565 to 1815—travelers from the islands may have been in Mexico after the mid-16th century|website=Texascultures.housing.utexas.edu|access-date=April 17, 2021}}</ref> and reached [[Louisiana]] where [[Ethnic groups in the Philippines|Philippine exiles]] aided the United States in the defense of [[New Orleans]] against a [[British Empire|British]] invasion, with [[Filipino people|Filipino]]s in the [[Saint Malo, Louisiana|Saint Malo]] settlement assisting [[Jean Lafitte]] in the [[Battle of New Orleans]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=From Manila to the Marigny: How Philippine pioneers left a mark at the 'end of world' in New Orleans|url=https://nola.verylocal.com/from-manila-to-the-maringny-how-philippine-pioneers-left-a-mark-at-the-end-of-world-in-new-orleans/89392/|last=Hinton|first=Matthew|date=October 23, 2019|website=Very Local New Orleans}}</ref>

In 1821, the [[Mexican War of Independence]] included the Texas territory, which became part of Mexico.{{sfnp|Weber|1992|p=300}} Due to its low population, the territory was assigned to other [[administrative divisions of Mexico|states and territories of Mexico]]; the core territory was part of the state of [[Coahuila y Tejas]], but other parts of today's Texas were part of [[Tamaulipas]], [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], or the Mexican Territory of [[Santa Fe de Nuevo México]].{{sfnp|Manchaca|2001|p=162}}

Hoping more settlers would reduce the near-constant Comanche raids, [[Mexican Texas]] liberalized its immigration policies to permit immigrants from outside Mexico and Spain.{{sfnp|Manchaca|2001|p=164}} Large swathes of land were allotted to ''[[empresario]]s'', who recruited settlers from the United States, Europe, and the Mexican interior, primarily the U.S. Austin's settlers, the [[Old Three Hundred]], made places along the [[Brazos River]] in 1822.{{sfnp|Manchaca|2001|p=198}} The population of Texas grew rapidly. In 1825, Texas had about 3,500 people, with most of Mexican descent.{{sfnp|Edmondson|2000|p=75}} By 1834, the population had grown to about 37,800 people, with only 7,800 of Mexican descent.{{sfnp|Manchaca|2001|p=172, 201}}

Many immigrants openly flouted Mexican law, especially the prohibition against [[slavery]]. Combined with United States' attempts to purchase Texas, Mexican authorities decided in 1830 to prohibit continued immigration from the United States.{{sfnp|Edmondson|2000|p=78}} However, [[illegal immigration]] from the United States into Mexico continued to increase the population of Texas.{{sfnp|Manchaca|2001|p=200}} New laws also called for the enforcement of [[duty (economics)|customs duties]] angering native Mexican citizens (''[[Tejano]]s'') and recent immigrants alike.{{sfnp|Davis|2006|p=77}}
The [[Anahuac Disturbances]] in 1832 were the first open revolt against Mexican rule, coinciding with a revolt in Mexico against the nation's president.{{sfnp|Davis|2006|p=85}} [[Texian]]s sided with the [[federalism|federalists]] against the government and drove all Mexican soldiers out of East Texas.{{sfnp|Davis|2006|pp=86–89}} They took advantage of the lack of oversight to agitate for more political freedom. Texians met at the [[Convention of 1832]] to discuss requesting independent statehood, among other issues.{{sfnp|Davis|2006|p=92}} The following year, Texians reiterated their demands at the [[Convention of 1833]].<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=mjc10 |title=Convention of 1833 |first=Ralph W. |last=Steen |date=June 12, 2010}}</ref>

===Republic===
{{main|Texas Revolution|Convention of 1836|Texas Declaration of Independence|Treaties of Velasco|Republic of Texas}}
Within Mexico, tensions continued between federalists and centralists. In early 1835, wary [[Texians]] formed Committees of Correspondence and Safety.<ref>{{cite book |last=Huson |first=Hobart |title=Captain Phillip Dimmitt's Commandancy of Goliad, 1835–1836: An Episode of the Mexican Federalist War in Texas, Usually Referred to as the Texian Revolution|publisher=Von Boeckmann-Jones Co. |year=1974 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THI8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA4}}</ref> The unrest erupted into armed conflict in late 1835 at the [[Battle of Gonzales]].{{sfnp|Hardin|1994|p=12}} This launched the [[Texas Revolution]]. Texians elected delegates to the [[Consultation (Texas)|Consultation]], which created a provisional government.{{sfnp|Winders|2004|p=72}} The provisional government soon collapsed from infighting, and Texas was without clear governance for the first two months of 1836.<ref>{{harvp|Winders|2004|pp=90, 92}}{{harvp|Hardin|1994|p=109}}</ref>
[[File:SantaAnnaSurrender.jpg|thumb|''Surrender of Santa Anna''. Painting by William Henry Huddle, 1886.]]

Mexican President [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]] personally led an army to end the revolt.{{sfnp|Hardin|1994|p=102}} General [[José de Urrea]] defeated all the Texian resistance along the coast culminating in the [[Goliad massacre]].<ref>{{Cite Handbook of Texas |last=Roell |first=Craig H. |title=Coleto, Battle of |orig-year=June 12, 2010 |date=July 12, 2016 |id=qec01}}</ref> López de Santa Anna's forces, after a [[Siege of the Alamo|thirteen-day siege]], overwhelmed Texian defenders at the [[Battle of the Alamo]]. News of the defeats sparked panic among Texas settlers.{{sfnp|Todish|Todish|Spring|1998|p=68}}
[[File:Wpdms republic of texas.svg|thumb|right|The [[Republic of Texas]] with present-day borders superimposed]]

The newly elected Texian delegates to the [[Convention of 1836]] quickly signed a [[Texas Declaration of Independence|declaration of independence]] on March 2, forming the [[Republic of Texas]]. After electing interim officers, the Convention disbanded.<ref name=roberts144>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 144.</ref> The new government joined the other settlers in Texas in the [[Runaway Scrape]], fleeing from the approaching Mexican army.{{sfnp|Todish|Todish|Spring|1998|p=68}}

After several weeks of retreat, the [[Texian Army]] commanded by [[Sam Houston]] attacked and defeated López de Santa Anna's forces at the [[Battle of San Jacinto]].{{sfnp|Todish|Todish|Spring|1998|p=69}} López de Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign the [[Treaties of Velasco]], ending the war.{{sfnp|Todish|Todish|Spring|1998|p=70}} The [[Constitution of the Republic of Texas]] prohibited the government from restricting slavery or freeing slaves, and required free people of African descent to leave the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tarlton Law Library: Constitution of the Republic of Texas (1836): General Provisions|url=https://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/republic-texas-1836/general-provisions|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=tarlton.law.utexas.edu |quote=No free person of African descent, either in whole or in part, shall be permitted to reside permanently in the Republic, without the consent of Congress, and the importation or admission of Africans or negroes into this Republic, excepting from the United States of America, is forever prohibited, and declared to be piracy.}}</ref>

Political battles raged between two factions of the new Republic. The nationalist faction, led by [[Mirabeau B. Lamar]], advocated the continued independence of Texas, the expulsion of the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], and the expansion of the Republic to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Their opponents, led by Sam Houston, advocated the annexation of Texas to the United States and peaceful co-existence with Native Americans. The conflict between the factions was typified by an incident known as the [[Texas Archive War]].<ref name="archivewar">{{cite web |title=The Archives War |website=Texas Treasures- The Republic |publisher=The Texas State Library and Archives Commission |date=November 2, 2005 |url=https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/republic/archwar/archwar.html |access-date=January 3, 2009 |archive-date=January 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107025915/http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/republic/archwar/archwar.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> With wide popular support, Texas first applied for annexation to the United States in 1836, but its status as a slaveholding country caused its admission to be controversial and it was initially rebuffed. This status, and Mexican diplomacy in support of its claims to the territory, also complicated Texas's ability to form foreign alliances and trade relationships.<ref name="seeds">{{cite book |title=Seeds of Empire: Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800–1850 |year=2015 |isbn=978-1469624242 |publisher=The University of North Carolina Press |author=Andrew J. Torget}}</ref>

The [[Comanche]] Indians furnished the main Native American opposition to the Texas Republic, manifested in multiple [[Comanche Wars|raids on settlements]].<ref>This had also been their policy toward neighboring tribes before the arrival of the settlers.
{{cite book|last=Gwinnett|first=S.C.|title=Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History|isbn=978-1-4165-9106-1|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/empireofsummermo00gwyn|year=2010|publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> Mexico launched two small expeditions into Texas in 1842. The town of San Antonio was captured twice and Texans were defeated in battle in the [[Dawson massacre]]. Despite these successes, Mexico did not keep an occupying force in Texas, and the republic survived.<ref name="Calvert">{{cite book|last1=Calvert|first1=Robert A.|last2=León|first2=Arnoldo De|last3=Cantrell|first3=Gregg|title=The History of Texas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mS5NPwAACAAJ&pg=PP1|year=2002|publisher=Harlan Davidson|isbn=978-0-88295-966-5}}</ref> The cotton price crash of the 1840s depressed the country's economy.<ref name="seeds" />

===Statehood===
{{main|History of Texas (1845–1860)}}
{{further|Texas annexation|Admission to the Union|Mexican–American War|Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo}}
{{see also|List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union}}

[[File:3c Texas Centennial Sam Houston, Stephen Austin, and Alamo, 1936 issue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|On March 2, 1936, the U.S. Post Office issued a [[commemorative stamp]] commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Texas Declaration of Independence, featuring Sam Houston (left), Stephen Austin and the Alamo.]]
Texas was finally [[Texas annexation|annexed]] when the expansionist [[James K. Polk]] won the [[1844 United States presidential election|election of 1844]].<ref>Buescher, John. [http://www.teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/23927 "Senatorial Division"], [http://www.teachinghistory.org/ Teachinghistory.org], accessed August 21, 2011. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711054633/http://teachinghistory.org/ |date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref> On December 29, 1845, the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] admitted Texas to the U.S.<ref name="TAnnexation">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=mga02|title=Annexation|first=C. T. |last=Neu|orig-year=June 9, 2010 |date=December 2, 2015}}</ref>
After Texas's annexation, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the United States. While the United States claimed Texas's border stretched to the Rio Grande, Mexico claimed it was the [[Nueces River]] leaving the [[Rio Grande Valley (Texas)|Rio Grande Valley]] under contested Texan sovereignty.<ref name="TAnnexation" /> While the former Republic of Texas could not enforce its border claims, the United States had the military strength and the political will to do so. President Polk ordered General [[Zachary Taylor]] south to the Rio Grande on January 13, 1846. A few months later Mexican troops routed an American cavalry patrol in the disputed area in the [[Thornton Affair]] starting the [[Mexican–American War]]. The first battles of the war were fought in Texas: the [[Siege of Fort Texas]], [[Battle of Palo Alto]] and [[Battle of Resaca de la Palma]]. After these decisive victories, the United States invaded Mexican territory, ending the fighting in Texas.<ref name="Mwar">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=qdm02|title=Mexican War|first= K. Jack |last=Bauer|orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=March 28, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Remember Your Regiment, U.S. Army in Action Series, 2d Dragoons charge in Mexican War 1846.jpg|thumb|left|Captain [[Charles A. May]]'s squadron of the 2nd Dragoons slashes through the Mexican Army lines. [[Battle of Resaca de la Palma|Resaca de la Palma]], Texas, May 1846.]]
The [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo]] ended the two-year war. In return for US$18,250,000, Mexico gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, ceded the [[Mexican Cession]] in 1848, most of which today is called the American Southwest, and Texas's borders were established at the Rio Grande.<ref name="Mwar" />

The [[Compromise of 1850]] set Texas's boundaries at their present position: Texas ceded its claims to land which later became half of present-day [[New Mexico]],<ref name="comp1850" /> a third of [[Colorado]], and small portions of [[Kansas]], [[Oklahoma]], and [[Wyoming]] to the federal government, in return for the assumption of $10 million of the old republic's debt.<ref name="comp1850">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=nbc02|title=Compromise of 1850|first=Roger A. |last=Griffin|orig-year=June 12, 2010 |date=March 21, 2016}}</ref> Post-war Texas grew rapidly as migrants poured into the cotton lands of the state.<ref name="CCulture">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=afc03|title=Cotton Culture|first1=Karen Gerhardt |last1=Britton |first2=Fred C. |last2=Elliott |first3=E. A. |last3=Miller|date=June 12, 2010}}</ref> They also brought or purchased enslaved African Americans, whose numbers tripled in the state from 1850 to 1860, from 58,000 to 182,566.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/visualizing-slavery/ |first=Susan |last=Schulte |title=Visualizing Slavery: A Map of Slavery Interactive Feature |work=The New York Times |date=December 9, 2010}}</ref>

===Civil War to late 19th century===
{{main|History of Texas (1865–1899)}}
{{further|Ordinance of Secession|Confederate States of America|Texas in the American Civil War}}
Texas re-entered war following the [[1860 United States presidential election|election of 1860]]. During this time, Black people comprised 30 percent of the state's population, and they were overwhelmingly enslaved.<ref name=HOT>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=pkaan |first=W. Marvin |last=Dulaney |title=African Americans |orig-year=June 9, 2010 |date=July 25, 2016}}</ref> When [[Abraham Lincoln]] was elected, South Carolina seceded from the Union; five other [[Deep South]] states quickly followed. A state convention considering secession opened in Austin on January 28, 1861. On February 1, by a vote of 166–8, the convention adopted an [[Ordinance of Secession]]. Texas voters approved this Ordinance on February 23, 1861. Texas joined the newly created Confederate States of America on March 4, 1861, ratifying the permanent [[Constitution of the Confederate States|C.S. Constitution]] on March 23.<ref name="facts" /><ref name="SecessionConvention">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=mjs01|title=Secession Convention|first=Walter L. |last=Buenger|orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=March 8, 2011}}</ref>

Not all Texans favored secession initially, although many of the same would later support the Southern cause. Texas's most notable [[Southern Unionist|Unionist]] was the state governor, [[Sam Houston]]. Not wanting to aggravate the situation, Houston refused two offers from President Lincoln for Union troops to keep him in office. After refusing to swear an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Houston was deposed.<ref name="SamHoustonHB">{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=fho73| name=Houston, Samuel |first=Thomas H. |last=Kreneck |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=March 30, 2017}}</ref>

While far from the [[Eastern Theater of the American Civil War|major battlefields]] of the [[American Civil War]], Texas contributed large numbers of soldiers and equipment.<ref name="CivilwarHB">{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=qdc02 |title=Civil War |first=Ralph A. |last=Wooster |orig-year=June 12, 2010 |date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> Union troops briefly [[First Battle of Galveston|occupied]] the state's primary port, Galveston. Texas's border with Mexico was known as the "backdoor of the Confederacy" because trade occurred at the border, bypassing the Union blockade.<ref name="FederalWriter">{{cite book |last=Federal Writers' Project |title=Texas, A Guide to the Lone Star State: Brownsville |publisher=Native American Books Distributor |date=December 1997 |page=206 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zUI26u0B_VEC&pg=PA206 |isbn=978-0-403-02192-5}}</ref> The Confederacy repulsed all Union attempts to shut down this route,<ref name="CivilwarHB" /> but Texas's role as a supply state was marginalized in mid-1863 after the Union capture of the [[Mississippi River]]. The [[Battle of Palmito Ranch|final battle of the Civil War]] was fought at [[Palmito Ranch Battlefield|Palmito Ranch]], near Brownsville, Texas, and saw a Confederate victory.<ref name="BattlePR">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=qfp01|title=Palmito Ranch, Battle of |first=Jeffrey William |last=Hunt |orig-date=1952 |date=April 20, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230410145326/https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/palmito-ranch-battle-of |archive-date= Apr 10, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Marvel |first=William |date=June 12, 2006|title=Battle of Palmetto Ranch: American Civil War's Final Battle|url=https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-palmetto-ranch-american-civil-wars-final-battle.htm|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=HistoryNet|language=en-US |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122140801/https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-palmetto-ranch-american-civil-wars-final-battle.htm |archive-date= Jan 22, 2021 }}</ref>

Texas descended into anarchy for two months between the [[Battle of Appomattox Courthouse|surrender]] of the [[Army of Northern Virginia]] and the assumption of authority by Union General [[Gordon Granger]]. Violence marked the early months of [[Reconstruction Era|Reconstruction]].<ref name="CivilwarHB" /> [[Juneteenth]] commemorates the announcement of the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] in Galveston by General Gordon Granger, almost two and a half years after the original announcement.<ref name="BarriersVoting">{{cite web|title=Historical Barriers to Voting |website=Texas Politics |publisher=University of Texas |url=https://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_5_3.html |access-date=October 13, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402060131/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/vce/0503.html |archive-date=April 2, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="Juneteenth">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=lkj01|title=Juneteenth|first=Teresa Palomo |last=Acosta|orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=October 6, 2017}}</ref> President Johnson, in 1866, declared the civilian government restored in Texas.<ref name="readmission">{{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Johnson |date=August 20, 1866 |title=Proclamation Declaring the Insurrection at an End |series=American Historical Documents |publisher=President of the United States |url=https://www.bartleby.com/43/42.html |access-date=April 28, 2008}}</ref> Despite not meeting Reconstruction requirements, Congress resumed allowing elected Texas representatives into the federal government in 1870. Social volatility continued as the state struggled with agricultural depression and labor issues.<ref name="restoration">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=mzr01|title=Restoration|first=Carl H. |last=Moneyhon |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>

Like most of the South, the Texas economy was devastated by the War. However, since the state had not been as dependent on slaves as other parts of the South, it was able to recover more quickly. The culture in Texas during the later 19th century exhibited many facets of a frontier territory. The state became notorious as a haven for people from other parts of the country who wanted to escape debt, war tensions, or other problems. "Gone to Texas" was a common expression for those fleeing the law in other states. Nevertheless, the state also attracted many businessmen and other settlers with more legitimate interests.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pettit|first=Gwen|title=Between the Creeks|url=https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth752794/m2/1/high_res_d/Between%20_the_Creeks_by_Gwen_Pettit_compiled_by_Melinda_Fisher.pdf|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=texashistory.unt.edu|quote=The Southern states, especially the hills of Tennessee and Alabama, were impoverished; war tensions still split neighborhoods. Soon, empty houses had crude signs that stated that the former inhabitants had "Gone to Texas." Church records, also, had the phrase, "Gone to Texas" by numerous names on their roles. So many families left Maury County, Tenn., to settle in eastern Collin County, just across East Fork, that several communities, such as Culleoka, have names directly from south Maury County. That group joined relatives that had come here in the 1850s. Most new immigrants had some link to Collin County, which brought them here. They stayed with relatives and friends until they could find a place to settle. Landowners recruited farmers from the old states by persuading relatives and former neighbors to come. However, numerous families, in the pioneer tradition, loaded their children and belongings in a wagon and headed toward the unknown west. Clarksville, Bonham and Dallas newspapers reported how many wagons passed through each day and how many were camped on the "jockey yards" waiting to find a place to settle. Some of these had sold farms and had money to buy land, but most of these immigrants became tenant farmers and worked on shares.}}</ref>

The cattle industry continued to thrive, though it gradually became less profitable. Cotton and lumber became major industries creating new economic booms in various regions. Railroad networks grew rapidly as did the port at Galveston as commerce expanded. The lumber industry quickly expanded and was Texas' largest industry prior to the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|title= Lumber Industry|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/lumber-industry|access-date=December 28, 2020|publisher=TSHA |work=Handbook of Texas |first1= Robert S. |last1=Maxwell |orig-date=1976 |date=February 15, 2012 |quote=But relatively, the industry's status is far below its dominant position at the beginning of the twentieth century. Then it was the state's largest manufacturing enterprise, first among Texas industries in generating income, and the largest employer of labor in the Lone Star State.}}</ref>

===Early to mid-20th century===
[[File:Lucas_gusher.jpg|thumb|upright|Spindletop, the first major oil gusher]]
In 1900, Texas suffered the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history during the [[1900 Galveston hurricane|Galveston hurricane]].<ref name="deadhurr" /> On January 10, 1901, the first major [[oil well]] in Texas, [[Spindletop]], was found south of [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]]. Other fields were later discovered nearby in [[East Texas Oil Field|East Texas]], [[West Texas]], and under the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The resulting "[[Texas oil boom|oil boom]]" transformed Texas.<ref name="Spindletop">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=dos03|title=Spindletop Oilfield|first1=Robert |last1=Wooster |first2=Christine Moor |last2=Sanders |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=April 2, 2019 }}</ref> Oil production averaged three million barrels per day at its peak in 1972.<ref name="Oil_Gas">{{cite Handbook of Texas|id=doogz|title=Oil and Gas Industry|first=Roger M. |last=Olien |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=August 19, 2016}}</ref>

In 1901, the Democratic-dominated state legislature passed a bill requiring payment of a [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] for voting, which effectively [[Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era|disenfranchised]] most Black and many poor White and [[Latinos|Latino]] people. In addition, the legislature established [[white primaries]], ensuring minorities were excluded from the formal political process. The number of voters dropped dramatically, and the Democrats crushed competition from the Republican and Populist parties.<ref name="yale">{{cite journal |jstor=791091 |title=Nixon v. Condon. Disfranchisement of the Negro in Texas |journal=The Yale Law Journal |volume=41 |issue=8 |pages=1212–1221 |date=June 1932 |doi=10.2307/791091}}</ref><ref name="texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu">{{cite web |url=https://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/6_5_3.html |title=Texas Politics: Historical Barriers to Voting |publisher=University of Texas at Austin |date=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080402060131/http://texaspolitics.laits.utexas.edu/html/vce/0503.html |archive-date=April 2, 2008}}</ref> The [[Socialist Party of Texas|Socialist Party]] became the second-largest party in Texas after 1912,<ref>{{cite Handbook of Texas |id=was01|title=Socialist Party|first=Barr|last=Alwyn|date=June 15, 2010}}</ref> coinciding with a large socialist upsurge in the United States during fierce battles in the labor movement and the popularity of national heroes like [[Eugene V. Debs]]. The socialists' popularity soon waned after their vilification by the federal government for their opposition to U.S. involvement in [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=World War I and the Suppression of Dissent {{!}} Wendy McElroy|url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=1207|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=The Independent Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='War against war': Americans for peace in World War I – National Constitution Center|url=https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/war-against-war-americans-for-peace-in-world-war-i|access-date=December 28, 2020|website=National Constitution Center – constitutioncenter.org |quote=Morris Hillquit sought to keep alive the ties of his Socialist Party to its comrades abroad. Senator Robert La Follette filled many a speech with praise for progressives in other countries who shared his hatred for militarism. Henry Ford chartered an ocean liner to transport himself and dozens of other activists across the Atlantic, where they lobbied neutral governments to embrace a peace plan they would press on the warring powers. These Americans, like most critics of the war elsewhere in the world, wanted to create a new global order based on cooperative relationships between nation states and their gradual disarmament. Militarism, they argued, isolated peoples behind walls of mutual fear and loathing. Until April 1917, this formidable coalition of idealists—or realists—did much to keep the nation at peace. They may even have had a majority of Americans on their side until just weeks before Congress, at Wilson's behest, voted to declare war. To prevent that from happening, peace activists pressed for a national referendum on the question, confident that "the people" would recoil from fighting and paying the bills in order to help one group of European powers conquer another.}}</ref>

The [[Great Depression]] and the [[Dust Bowl]] dealt a double blow to the state's economy, which had significantly improved since the Civil War. Migrants abandoned the worst-hit sections of Texas during the Dust Bowl years. Especially from this period on, Black people left Texas in the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] to get work in the Northern United States or California and to escape segregation.<ref name=HOT/> In 1940, Texas was 74% [[Non-Hispanic Whites|White]], 14.4% Black, and 11.5% Hispanic.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jillson|first=Cal|title=Texas Politics: Governing the Lone Star State|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fQFZCrbc9mIC&pg=PA11|year=2011|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-82941-7|page=11}}</ref>

[[World War II]] had a dramatic impact on Texas, as federal money poured in to build military bases, munitions factories, detention camps and Army hospitals; 750,000 Texans left for service; the cities exploded with new industry; and hundreds of thousands of poor farmers left the fields for much better-paying war jobs, never to return to agriculture.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=James Ward|last2=Barnes|first2=Carolyn N.|last3=Bowman|first3=Kent Adam|title=1941: Texas Goes to War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwBnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PP1|year=1991|publisher=University of North Texas Press|isbn=978-0-929398-29-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Fairchild|first=Louis|title=They Called It the War Effort: Oral Histories from World War II Orange, Texas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=syZDE5pBzjoC&pg=PP1|edition=second|year=2012|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|isbn=978-0-87611-259-5}}</ref> Texas manufactured 3.1 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World War II, ranking eleventh among the 48 states.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Peck|first1=Merton J.|author-link1=Whiz Kids (Department of Defense)|last2=Scherer|first2=Frederic M.|author-link2=Frederic M. Scherer|title=The weapons acquisition process: an economic analysis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wfNHAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA111|year=1962|publisher=Division of Research, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University|page=111}}</ref>

Texas modernized and expanded its [[Education in Texas#Public colleges and universities|system of higher education]] through the 1960s. The state created a comprehensive plan for higher education, funded in large part by oil revenues, and a central state apparatus designed to manage state institutions more efficiently. These changes helped Texas universities receive federal research funds.<ref name="Blanton">{{cite journal |last=Blanton |first=Carlos Kevin |title=The Campus and the Capitol: John B. Connally and the Struggle over Texas Higher Education Policy, 1950–1970 |journal=Southwestern Historical Quarterly |volume=108 |issue=4 |pages=468–497 |year=2005 |issn=0038-478X}}</ref>

===Mid-20th to early 21st century===
Beginning around the mid-20th century, Texas began to transform from a rural and agricultural state to one urban and industrialized.<ref name="HoT npt02">{{cite Handbook of Texas |last=Calvert |first=Robert A. |title=Texas Since World War II |id=npt02 |orig-year=June 15, 2010 |date=January 30, 2017}}</ref> The state's population grew quickly during this period, with large levels of migration from outside the state.<ref name="HoT npt02"/> As a part of the [[Sun Belt]], Texas experienced strong economic growth, particularly during the 1970s and early 1980s.<ref name="HoT npt02"/> Texas's economy diversified, lessening its reliance on the [[petroleum industry]].<ref name="HoT npt02"/> By 1990, [[Latin Americans|Hispanics and Latino Americans]] overtook Blacks to become the largest minority group.<ref name="HoT npt02"/> Texas has the largest Black population with over 3.9 million.<ref name="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/03/25/the-growing-diversity-of-black-america">{{cite web |last1=Tamir |first1=Christine |title=The Growing Diversity of Black America |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2021/03/25/the-growing-diversity-of-black-america/ |website=Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project |date=March 25, 2021}}</ref>

During the late 20th century, the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] replaced the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] as the dominant party in the state.<ref name="HoT npt02"/> Beginning in the early 21st century, metropolitan areas including [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Dallas–Fort Worth]] and [[Greater Austin]] became centers for the [[Texas Democratic Party]] in statewide and national elections as liberal policies became more accepted in urban areas.<ref name=":6">{{cite web|date=September 12, 2016|title=Red State, Blue Cities|url=https://www.city-journal.org/html/red-state-blue-cities-14731.html |access-date=October 9, 2020|website=City Journal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Chart of the Week: The most liberal and conservative big cities|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/08/08/chart-of-the-week-the-most-liberal-and-conservative-big-cities/ |access-date=October 9, 2020|website=Pew Research Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=February 22, 2018|title=Meet the Next Texans, a population boom that will change our politics|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/02/22/meet-the-next-texans-a-population-boom-that-will-change-our-politics/|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=Dallas News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Tan|first=Anjelica|date=January 26, 2020|title=Why Republicans may lose Texas|url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/479998-why-republicans-may-lose-texas|access-date=October 20, 2020|website=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]}}</ref>

From the mid-2000s to 2019, Texas gained an influx of business relocations and regional headquarters from companies in [[California]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Fechter|first=Joshua|date=December 28, 2018|title=Texas leads in job imports but figures show a mixed bag|url=https://www.expressnews.com/business/local/article/Texas-leads-in-job-imports-but-figures-show-a-13495988.php|access-date=December 29, 2020|website=ExpressNews.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Here are the California companies that relocated to Dallas-Fort Worth in 2020 |date=Dec 10, 2020 |first1=Bill |last1=Hethcock |url-access=subscription |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2020/12/10/california-relocations-dallas.html|access-date=December 29, 2020|website=Dallas Business Journal }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=North Texas among the regions benefitting from 'Bay Area exodus'|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2018/10/11/north-texas-among-the-regions-benefitting-from-bay.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 29, 2020|website=Dallas Business Journal |date=Oct 11, 2018 |first1=Mark |last1=Calvey }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=December 13, 2020|title=Tesla's Musk and Oracle Corp. follows 687,000 other Californians who've moved to Texas in last decade|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/relocation-by-teslas-musk-and-oracle-corp-follows-687000-other-californians-whove-moved-to-texas-in-last-decade/ |agency=The Dallas Morning News|access-date=December 29, 2020|website=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref> Texas became a major destination for migration during the early 21st century and was named the most popular state to move for three consecutive years.<ref>{{cite web |last=Collman |first=Ashley |title=These are the top 10 states that people are moving to |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/us-states-people-are-moving-to-2019-5 |date=May 28, 2019 |access-date=October 9, 2020|website=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref> Another study in 2019 determined Texas's growth rate at 1,000 people per day.<ref>{{cite web |last=Méndez |first=María|date=May 8, 2019|title=Where is Texas' growing population coming from?|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2019/05/08/texas-keeps-growing-where-are-newest-transplants-coming/|access-date=October 13, 2020 |website=The Texas Tribune}}</ref>

During the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Texas]], the first confirmed case of the virus in Texas was announced on March 4, 2020.<ref>{{cite web|title=DSHS Announces First Case of COVID-19 in Texas|url=https://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/releases/2020/20200304.aspx|accessdate=October 9, 2020|website=dshs.texas.gov}}</ref> On April 27, 2020, Governor [[Greg Abbott]] announced phase one of re-opening the economy.<ref>{{cite web|title=Governor Abbott Announces Phase One To Open Texas, Establishes Statewide Minimum Standard Health Protocols|url=https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-phase-one-to-open-texas-establishes-statewide-minimum-standard-health-protocols|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=gov.texas.gov}}</ref> Amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in autumn 2020, Abbott refused to enact further lockdowns.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosenzweig-Ziff|first=Patrick Svitek and Dan |date=November 18, 2020|title=Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again. But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/11/18/texas-coronavirus-lockdown/|access-date=November 20, 2020|website=The Texas Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Texas, Florida and South Dakota governors refuse lockdowns as coronavirus resurges|date=November 18, 2020 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-florida-south-dakota-governors-refuse-lockdowns-coronavirus-resurges-n1248042|access-date=November 20, 2020|publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> In November 2020, Texas was selected as one of four states to test Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine distribution.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fischer |first1=Courtney|last2=Abrahams|first2=Tom|date=November 17, 2020|title=Texas among states chosen to test Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine distribution|url=https://abc13.com/8036302/|access-date=February 16, 2021|website=ABC13 Houston}}</ref> As of February 2, 2021, there had been over 2.4 million confirmed cases in Texas, with at least 37,417 deaths.<ref>{{cite news|title=Texas Coronavirus Map and Case Count|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/texas-coronavirus-cases.html|access-date=December 29, 2020|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=April 2020}}</ref>

During February 13–17, 2021, the state faced a major weather emergency as [[Winter Storm Uri]] hit the state, as well as most of the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.<ref>{{cite web|date=February 19, 2021|title=Explained: How a winter storm caused widespread blackouts in energy-rich Texas|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/texas-winter-storm-blackout-7192677/|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=The Indian Express}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Miserable winter weather is still hitting Texas and now it's spreading to the East Coast|date=February 18, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/weather/winter-storm-weather-thursday/index.html|access-date=February 20, 2021|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Historically high power usage across the state caused the state's power grid to become overworked and [[ERCOT]] (the main operator of the [[Texas Interconnection]] grid) declared an emergency and began to implement rolling blackouts across Texas, causing a [[2021 Texas power crisis|power crisis]].<ref>{{cite web|title=ERCOT calls for rotating outages as extreme winter weather forces generating units offline|url=http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/225210|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=ercot.com|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302070732/http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/225210|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Douglas|first=Erin|date=February 18, 2021|title=Texas was "seconds and minutes" away from catastrophic monthslong blackouts, officials say|url=https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/18/texas-power-outages-ercot/|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=The Texas Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Texas Republicans criticized for misleading claims that renewable energy sources caused massive outages|date=February 18, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/18/politics/texas-power-outages-political-fallout/index.html|access-date=February 20, 2021|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Over 3 million Texans were without power and over 4 million were under boil-water notices.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hanson|first=Blake|date=February 18, 2021|title=With half of Texas under a boil water notice, state efforts shift to emerging water crisis|url=https://www.fox4news.com/news/with-half-of-texas-under-a-boil-water-notice-state-efforts-now-shifting-to-emerging-water-crisis|access-date=February 20, 2021|website=FOX 4|language=en-US}}</ref>