Life in the Republic of Texas


Texas Studies Revolution and Republic of Texas Life in the Republic of Texas
Students brainstorm the names of the different capital cities of the Republic of Texas. Then they read about life in general in the Republic of Texas and take notes in a graphic organizer. Then they study a graph comparing the numbers of slaves and free African Americans in the Republic. Finally they read an article and write a letter in the name of a teen living in Texas during this period.

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Overview

In this experience, students brainstorm the names of the different capital cities of the Republic of Texas. Then they read about life in general in the Republic of Texas and take notes in a graphic organizer. Then they study a graph comparing the numbers of slaves and free African Americans in the Republic. Finally they read an article and write a letter in the name of a teen living in Texas during this period.

If you have access to leveled readers about life in the Republic of Texas, assign them to the students in parallel to this experience.

Estimated duration: 40-50 minutes

Vocabulary words:

  • opportunity
  • plantation
  • livestock
  • motivation
  • worship
  • data

Objectives

  • Compare life for Texans living on farms, on ranches, and in towns.
  • Explain how the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought religious freedom to Texas.
  • Explain the status of free African Americans after the Texan Revolution.


Engage


You have learned a lot about the political leaders of the Republic of Texas. What was life like for the settlers themselves? You will learn about their lives in this lesson.

Objectives

  • Compare life for Texans living on farms, on ranches, and in towns.
  • Explain how the establishment of the Republic of Texas brought religious freedom to Texas.
  • Explain the status of free African Americans after the Texan Revolution.


a small building made of logs

Replica of one of the Texas capitol buildings in 1836


You may have noticed as you learned about the Texas Revolution that the Republic’s capital moved several times. According to the Texas Almanac, the capital city was located in eight towns throughout the decade of the Republic of Texas’s existence. Some of the Texas Republic towns changed names. For example, the town of Waterloo was renamed Austin, and it remains the capital of Texas today.


Try to name as many of the towns as you can. Don’t worry, most adults in Texas can’t name many of them! Separate the names with commas. You can post either the original name (for example, Waterloo) or the current name (for example, Austin).

Post your answer

Students can be expected to remember that Washington-on-the-Brazos was the first location for a very short period. They may name other towns that they know existed at this time period, such as San Antonio, Gonzales, or Nacogdoches.

According to the Texas Almanac, the following towns served as the capital of the Republic of Texas:

  • San Felipe de Austin
  • Washington-on-the-Brazos: Location of the convention that declared independence from Mexico
  • Harrisburg: Ad interim President Burnet made Harrisburg the temporary capital
  • Galveston Island: Temporary capital during the Runaway Scrape
  • Velasco: Ad interim government moved here
  • Columbia (today West Columbia): First capital of an elected government
  • Houston: Sam Houston moved the capitol to his namesake town
  • Austin (formerly Waterloo): Chosen in 1839 by a government body tasked with building a permanent capital

 

Fourth grade students are not expected to learn about the Archive War of 1842, the result of President Houston’s attempt to move the capital from Austin back to Houston.


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