Texas: A Lone Star History

While Texas history is sometimes deemed mythical, even epic, it is a unique story, full of rich details. Distinguished not only by its size, Texas is also known for its natural resources, varied landscapes, and the many faces of its people. First inhabited by Indian tribes, Texas played host to Spanish explorers, who built a network of missions and presidios in the 16th century. Yet Texas attracted few settlers until the westward expansion of the United States, which brought many Americans and Europeans to the area in search of land. These settlers, who lived briefly under Spanish, then Mexican rule, fought and won their independence from Mexico in 1836. The distinct period of the independent Republic of Texas lasted nearly a decade before Texas was admitted as the 28th state in 1845. Today Texans work in mining, manufacturing, trade, banking, aeronautics, agriculture, ranching, fishing, chemical and oil refining, and computer and electronics research and manufacturing. This portfolio traces Texas history through facsimiles of old maps, posters, photographs, diary pages, treaties, letters and other primary sources, many reproduced in their original sizes. Through these historical documents, essays, and the detailed timeline, your reader can become an eyewitness to the rich diversity and culture that makes Texas a great state. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 6 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Native Americans, Explorers, and the Land * Spain and Mexico: 1718-1835 * The Republic, the Union, and the Confederacy: 1836-1865 * Reconstruction and Settlement: 1865-1880 * New Industries, Changing Populations, and Governmental Reforms: 1876-1900 * Texas in the Twentieth Century 15 Primary Source Documents: * De Pineda map of Gulf of Mexico, 1519 * Map of Gulf of Mexico, 1705 * Burr map of Texas, 1834 * Poster, "Benefit for the Relief of the Texians," 1836 * Travis's appeal to the "People of Texas and all Americans" * Letter from Santa Anna to Sam Houston, 1836 * Seguin's I.O.U to Navarro, 1837 * The Diary of Mary Austin Holley * Handbill, "Texan Universal Pills," 1838 * Treaty of Tehuacana Creek, 1844 * Letter from Santa Anna to H. A. McArdle, 1874 * Testimony of Susanna Dickenson Hannig, 1876 * Poster, "The Discovery of Oil" * Letter from Quanah Parker to Governor Thomas Campbell, 1909 * Poster, Miriam Ferguson's 1926 campaign for governor, and handbill from opponent Jane McCallum