All about Texas and secession

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Texan Flags and Other Symbols
Six Flags of Texas
History of the Stars and Stripes

INQ staff

Interesting bit of trivia regarding the Republic of Texas and the Republic of California: both of those states were at one time independent countries. California, called the "Bear Flag Republic" was very short-lived and always intended to join the US eventually. Texas, on the other hand, was independent for several years, more than 15 if memory serves, and a vestige of their military still exists, the Texas Rangers (not the baseball team, but a law enforcement agency).

More esoterica, every other state in the Union, aside from the original 13 colonies, joined the US by law of Congress (2/3 vote of the Senate and the House of Representatives, respectively), with the exception of Texas. many senators were opposed to allowing Texas to join the US and upset the delicate balance of slave vs. free states, so by joint resolution (members of the House and Senate siting en banc and needing only a simple 1/2 majority) it was admitted. It might not have been legit, but maybe we can use it for grounds of removing that Texan from the White House =)

Areio Soltani
Email address supplied

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Mike,

Next time you guys have a Texas question perhaps you should ask the only hardware guy on the face of the planet with a Government degree that also builds the computers the Governor of Texas uses. J It also helps that I took a History of Texas Government course at the University of Texas from a great professor.

Here.

Most things are answered by the states own web sites.

There were several plans to split Texas into multiple states, but none gained momentum, and they definitely would not today.

Texas became the only state to become a recognized nation, and California definitely was not recognized as a nation by anyone but California. (Don't let Californian's tell history as they have a tendency to rewrite it.) We achieved this by beating up on Santa Anta at the Battle of San Jacinto where my great great grandfather Captain Files Tom fought before he became a Texas Ranger and legislator.

Here.

In 1845 almost 10 years after the Republic of Texas was created we wanted to join the US largely because of the huge amount of debt we owed. Texas was incredibly poor from the war with Mexico, and couldn't pay back the debt. Becoming part of the United States alleviated the debt, but Texas remained a poor semi southern state for many decades.

Any state can try and cede from the Union, but that would be unlikely in this day and age. There is a group in far west Texas that sprung up wanting to create a new Republic of Texas where they did not have to abide by federal laws or taxes. That happened a few years back. www.infowars.com had some good non mainstream media coverage of that.

There was a case where California wanted to extradite a woman who had come to Texas with her child that she had taken from her abusive husband. I believe the woman was from Texas, and if I remember correctly the Governor Perry denied the request of California. My friend Jonathan would know for sure, but he is at boot camp in Georgia at the moment. It may have been during Bush's term while he was campaigning for President and Perry had the powers of Governor vested to him while Bush was out of state.

The Texas Capital is in fact several feet higher than the US Capital, and ordinances are in place to see that line of site from several vantage points in Austin is maintained..

Chris Tom
AMD Zone

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I don't know about Texas being able to leave the Union at will, but as part of the Republic of Texas's agreement to join the United States, it is allowed to split itself into five separate states. And who says the U.S. doesn't allow cloning?;-)

Lawrence Andraschko
Email address supplied

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Dear Mike,

I'm assuming when you say the "Republic of Texas", you mean a Texas that seceded from the United States. That may be a bad assumption, because historically the Republic of Texas aka is the state of Texas? That's a real shade of grey. I know that the territories where the Native Americans have control over the land, they have more direct say in their governance, but ultimately they do answer to the US government. Territories of islands out in the South Pacific and Puerto Rico? I'm not so sure we have very much say in those places. If Texas did leave the United States, that would be a big mess in of itself, so unless there were funny conditions, the answer would probably be "no."

I assume that any state could leave the United States if it technically wanted to ? I have to say though, I used to be knowledgeable about that topic, but it has been so long since I have studied that I don't recollect. I know there is a lot of historical precedence Constitutional/Articles of Confederation for the states to be able to leave from the United States in its early days, but many of those arguments were squashed during the US Civil War. I wouldn't be surprised though if Texas could leave and California could not, there are many quirks like that.

Just to make sure I'm interpretating your question correctly, If you want to know whether the Supreme Court has Jurisdiction over the Republic/State of Texas as we know it? Well to put it in the words of Harry Truman, "The Buck Stops Here." Yes, the Supreme Court has ultimate jurisdiction in the United States. It is the last of the line of appeals in the court system. Anyways, if you are already knowledgable about US Supreme Court jurisdiction I'm by no means trying to talk down to you. Just trying to make sure and cover all the bases.

Matt Strobel

Email address supplied

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Sir,

Interesting story, only a few facts wrong, but you are in Great Britan and can not really be expected to verify and resarch and article. I understand your inability and will cut you some slack for it.

Item 1, the Republic of TEXAS ceased to exist in 1845 when it joined the United States of America as a State. With the right to divide itself into five States if it desired.

Item 2, The Judge called O'Conner ie., Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O'Conner did not rule on anything. She can only rule as part of the Supreme Court as a whole.

Item 3, Texas can cede from the union, maybe. That question was, more or less, settled when TEXAS ceded to join the Confederate States of America. As you may know the civil war was lost and the question of secession was settled. The only question left is the status of TEXAS, all other CSA states were simply re absorbed after the civil war.

TEXAS however was readmitted to the union with a peace treaty, showing that the Federal Government felt Texas was, again, a foreign state. There is no provision in the treaty for TEXAS to be split into multiple states.

Item 3, Again Sandra Day O'Conner cannot rule on anything, she can only issue a stay, so that the full court may review the case for ceritorie.

so long for now, from TEXAS

robert harmon
Email address supplied

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In Hollywood Stopped Extraditing a Texan, I think you have rather overstated the reason, as there is no Republic of Texas, it died a long time ago.

Though the reference is amusing. I give you this as I don't know to whom you have been listening.

I would like to give you just a quote, and not bore you with the long winded ex-president but it seems to be an image I can't simply quote from. The URL is here.

I hope that [URL] isn't too long, I only sent you page 2 in this URL, as the prose is well beyond what one can read in one setting.

Texas lost in the Civil War with all the other southern states. It was ruled that it was a rebellion of the people, and that the states had no right to secession.. As a great-great grandson of two who fought with the 7th Tenn. Calvary (CSA), I still think my ancestors were wrong. I have to admit they were tough, and I wouldn't be here without them. And the south paid dearly for it. To sum it up, anyone that brings up the Republic of Texas as having special rules in the modern world is simply uninformed.

Please withhold my name and email address, though I would welcome replies.

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As a daily reader of your site I would like to inform you of a little Texas history. Texas can't under any circumstances "cede" from the union without a fight from the union, ala civil war. What it can do is fly its flag as high as the US one, its capital can stand just as high as the US one, and if it wants it can break into small states. But if it wants to be on its own again it will have to fight for it. Those are the major points of the agreement that brought Texas into the union of states.

Thanks and keep up the good work,

Jeff Ford
Email address supplied

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You asked at the tail of this article:

"One other thing, though. Does the US Supreme Court have jurisdiction over the Republic of Texas?"

Any Texan will tell you. "Not so's you'd notice."

Chess Grogan
Email address supplied

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As a Texan,

You are mistaken in the difference between Texas and the "left" coast. It's the Republic of Texas, and the PEOPLE'S Republic of California, big, big, difference.

Last time I checked the Supreme's can still tell us what to do.

But seriously, did you know Texas is the only state in the Union that could subdivide itself into as many as 5 states? This is a legacy of Texas being a Republic when it joined the Union. So if the left coast and the eastern liberal establishment get too uppity, then we could have North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Central Texas. That's eight more senators for the US Senate, plus four more governors, all of whom would almost certainly be Republican. Something to think about.

Death to the RIAA!! Death to the DMCA!! All hail DeCSS!!!

Name, email address supplied