The history of Texas is complex, rife with twists and turns that shaped the state’s current identity. Similar to several other states, it belonged to Mexico in its various iterations, but, unlike those, Texas had a period of struggles against Mexican rule. Then Texas became a part of the United States, consequently, joined the Confederate States, participated in the Civil War, and suffered its consequences. This essay will address the key moments of Texan history and how they possibly impacted the Texas of today.
Texas started as a part of Mexico, and the attempts of Texan people to gain independence defined its early history. The wish to live by one’s own rules without being governed by a bigger body is, perhaps, not unlike the driving force behind the secession of the Confederate States. Although both the Texas Revolution and the Civil War dealt with some limitations in rights, the dynamics were different. There was a nationalistic tinge in the limitations implemented against the citizens of Texas by the Mexican Republic, as they consisted of Anglos, but the Civil War had an evident racial agenda. While Texan people might have felt that their rights were being compromised again, what they believed to be their rights also affected black people’s human rights. The revolution had an auspicious outcome, and it might be justified, while the Civil War ended in a defeat for Texas.
The defeat of the Confederate States triggered the period of Reconstruction in Texas. The goals of Reconstruction were to reestablish order in the state and to abolish slavery. While Reconstruction succeeded in achieving the goals, it affected the Texan identity and made people question what it meant to be a Texas citizen and how it aligned with one’s partisan membership. For approximately a century following Reconstruction, Texas was a Democratic state, which contrasts its current allegiance to the Republican Party. The issue of Texas’s adherence to both parties is complicated, but what is relevant here is that Texas managed to retain its self-sufficiency and individuality. They sometimes manifest in separatist notions, which may or may not echo the shame of undergoing the Reconstruction period.
Modern Texas is defined by several trends that underline its uniqueness even in the current times. First, Texas has a constantly growing migrant population, which originates either from other countries, for example, Mexico, or from other states. It leads to the diverse overall population and cases when the white population is in the minority in certain constituents of the state. Thus, an increased number of racial minority politicians is necessary for the government of the state to represent those people. The growing immigrant population also caused the Texan economy to bloom, and as of now, its Gross Domestic Product is the second of all states, even overtaking countries. Those trends also highlight the state’s self-sufficiency, and, perhaps, contradictions, as Texas formerly separated from Mexico and supported slavery, and currently, Hispanics and Black Americans are the state’s vital demographic groups.
Texas has always been a state of conflict, and it is what defines the state. The 19th century was rather eventful for Texas, as it survived a revolution and a war, and became a proper state. Politically, the state might have changed its identity, but, in general, Texas has sustained its uniqueness, and it is evident from the current trends, which are inherently Texan. The contradictions born from the past will remain, but so will the Texan way to address them.