Texas State Government Essential Question:

Identify the different points of view of political parties on annexation.

A New Constitution Provided for the basic

governing of the state Resembled the Louisiana

constitution Called for an elected

governor every 2 years Provided for:

A two-house legislature House of Representatives—

elected 2 year term Senate—elected 4 year

term Protected system of

slavery

48th Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Texas Legislators At Work J. Pinckney

Henderson elected first governor, served 1 termHis wife Francis Cox

Henderson was first woman to practice law in Texas

Landscape architect Frederick Olmsted was impressed with the way the legislature worked1st Texas Governor

J. Pinckney Henderson

Democratic Political Party By 1850s, political parties

had become organized. The Democratic Party,

strong in the South, represented farmers and laborers (small business owners).Very popularThe party of Southern

favorite, former U.S. president Andrew Jackson

Later split into 2 groups: Northern and Southern Democrats

Whig & Republican Political Parties

The Whig Party represented banking and large business (or commercial) interests, and few Texans supported it because it opposed expanding slavery to new territories and annexation of Texas.

The Republican Party was anti-slavery and therefore had no support in Texas nor the South.

American “Know Nothing” Political Party

Some Texans joined the American Party, or Know-Nothings, whose members tried to keep new immigrants and Catholics from voting or holding public office.Supported slaverySecretive politically…”I

Know Nothing!”Nativism—favoring

interests of native-born American citizens

No Voice in Politics Women had no rights to

vote or participate in politics

Slaves and Native Americans had no rights

Free African Americans were denied the right to vote and join political partiesFiled petitions to remain

freeWent to court to protect

their freedoms

Federal Aid for Reservations To stop the conflicts b/w

settlers and Native Americans, the U.S. government placed many Natives on reservations—unsuccessful, Natives… Not given enough land to

survive Refused to move onto

reservations Many settlers opposed

reservation system b/c many raids were made by Natives living on reservations