Do you think Texas is huge? Well, you would be correct in thinking so, Texas is one of America’s largest states, second only to Alaska in land size. But what about when Texas was 30% larger than it is today? That’s right, Texas was even bigger!
Texas used to be a part of Mexico, but wasn’t happy about it, so Texas stood up to Mexico and fought for independence, which Texas won. After winning the War of Texas Independence, Texas formed itself into the Republic of Texas, an entirely independent republic. Mexico never recognized the Texas Republic’s independence for the entire ten years that it existed, considering it “rebellious.”
The Republic of Texas included all of the land that is now the state of Texas as well as portions of modern-day New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and even Wyoming!
The Texas Republic wanted to join the United States and even applied for annexation the year it declared independence, but Texas was rejected by the Secretary of State. It took nearly a decade for the US to annex Texas as the 28th state, and twelve years for Mexico to finally repeal its claims to Texas.
By this point, Texas was still bigger than it is today, you may ask how it lost its land. The answer to that question is the Compromise of 1850.
Texas had acquired a huge amount of debt that heavily weighed the state down. Part of the decision of the Compromise of 1850 was that Texas would exchange almost a third of its land for the US government to take on its debt. The new shape of Texas would become quite iconic.
What are your thoughts on shape of Texas?
Onward American 