"The Texas Legation Papers, 1836-1844" is a volume of lost
letters and documents from the early turbulent years of the
Republic of Texas. Editors Ken Stevens and Gregg Cantrell have
compiled these papers to reveal the untold stories surrounding the
birth of the state of Texas.
For nine years, between its war for independence from Mexico
until its annexation to the United States, Texas existed as an
independent republic. During those years, Texas's diplomatic
representatives communicated with the officials of the United
States; their job was to inform Texas leaders about the United
States' views on critical issues concerning recognition of Texas
and eventual annexation, relations with Mexico, boundary issues,
and troubles with Native Americans. As part of their duty as
communicators with the United States, Texas diplomats were also
tasked with raising funds for the financially strapped republic and
overseeing the purchase and construction of vessels for the navy,
as well as fielding questions from many quarters inquiring about
everything from opportunities in the lone star republic to asking
about long-lost relatives. The Texas diplomats were their
government's eyes, ears, and mouth in Washington; they were
responsible for administering the successful transition of the
Republic of Texas into the twenty-eighth member of the United
States.
The Texas Legation papers contain the detailed accounts of this
time period. When Texas became a state in 1845, the Texas Legation
in Washington was shut down and its papers were put away. When Sam
Houston, one of the new state's first senators, returned to Texas
after completing two terms in the Senate, the papers came back with
him. Most papers were delivered to the state archives, but somehow
the letters and documents published in this collection were
delivered to Houston's home, where they remained out of sight for
the next 160 years.
In 2004, the papers in this volume returned to the possession of
the Texas State Library and Archives, thanks to the efforts of The
Center for Texas Studies at TCU and the generous support of Mary
Ralph Lowe (TCU '65), the Lowe Foundation, and J.P. Bryan, of
Houston, a Texana collector and past president of the Texas State
Historical Association. Many letters in this volume are being
published for the first time. As they round out the diplomatic
story of the Texas republic, they offer a unique and fascinating
perspective on the history of Texas.
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