Chapter 12: A New Nation
Section 2: Houston’s First Term
Bellwork
What are the qualities of a good leader?
Houston’s Administration
•Oct 1835: Sam Houston elected president of the Republic of Texas Sam Houston
Houston’s Administration
•Houston’s Goals:
–Peace with American Indians
–Keep guarded against Mexico
–Annexation by the U.S.
Houston’s Administration
Secretary of State:
Stephen F. Austin
Secretary of the Treasury:Henry Smith
Houston’s Administration
Secretary of the Navy
Samuel Rhodes Fisher
Secretary of War
Thomas J. Rusk
Houston’s Administration
• Supreme Court:– Chief Justice James
Collinsworth– 4 Associate
Justices
• 4 District Courts
• 23 County Courts
Chief Justice James Collinsworth
Houston’s Administration
• Texas claimed Rio Grande as boundary
• Mexico claimed Nueces River as boundary
Houston’s Administration
• Ad interim government moved government to Columbia
• Late 1836: Houston named temporary capital
Houston & Army Unrest
• Felix Huston: Texas army commander who desired to invade Mexico
• Replaced by Houston
• Duel between Huston & Albert Sydney Johnson
Felix Huston
Houston & Army Unrest
• Johnston unable to take command
• Unrest grows
• Commander urges a march on the capital
Albert Sidney Johnston
Houston & Army Unrest•President Houston reduced the
size of the army in 1836 because unrest in the army threatened the new government.
•Houston relied on the Texas Rangers and militia for frontier defense
Economic Policies
•Expenditures—government expenses
•Revenues—government income
•National debt = $1.25 million
U.S. National Debt
•Each citizen’s share = $30,224.49
•Grows on average of $1.43 billion per day
As of Jan 21, 2008
Economic Policies
• Efforts to solve problems:
– Collected taxes and duties
– Tried to get loans from the U.S.
– Sale of public lands
Economic Policies
•Panic of 1837: Financial crisis during Houston’s administration
•Began in U.S.
•Texas heavily traded with the U.S.
Economic Policies
•Limited supply
•Not backed
•Value dropped after more paper money was printed
Republic of Texas Currency
Land Policy Under Houston
•1836: Texas claimed over 200 million acres in public lands
•Constitution of 1836 provided for sale of lands
•Empresario system
Land Policy Under Houston
•Heads of households: 4,604 acres
•Single men: 1,476 acres
•Distributed 37 million acres
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Conflict spreads as settlement spreads
•American Indians want to keep land, Texans want to remove Indians
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Houston lived with the Cherokee Indians
•Desired a peaceful solutionSam Houston
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Houston negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee
•Cherokee guaranteed title to land
•Senate refused to ratify
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Ratify—approve or accept formally
•Cherokee become angry
•Mexican agents convince Cherokee to attack
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Chief Bowles—Cherokee leader and friend of Sam Houston
•Encourages Cherokee to remain patient Chief Bowles
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Gave Cherokee land to keep peace
•Cherokee viewed as Mexican allies
•Enlisted Chief Bowles to help keep peace with Plains Indians
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Establishes line of forts along frontier
•Used Texas Ranger to patrol frontier
•Texans viewed Indians as a roadblock
Houston’s American Indian Policy
•Negotiated treaties with Indians
•Houston believed the best American Indian policy was to make peace with each American Indian group.
Problem Solution/Action
Unruly Army
Debt
Lack of clear land policy
Conflict with Indians