Sam Houston: Inaugural Address as President of the Republic of Texas

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

Many Americans “Remember the Alamo”—a battle cry in memory of the soldiers who fought there—but the events that led to the annexation of Texas as part of the United States, in which the defense of the Alamo in San Antonio played a central part, are less widely known. Prior to 1836, Texas was under the rule of Mexico. In 1832 Houston traveled from Tennessee to Texas partly to engage in land speculation, partly to help local authorities negotiate with Native Americans. Some historians believe that there was also a third motivation: They argue that President Andrew Jackson dispatched him to foment insurrection against Mexico. Whether that claim is true or not, Houston was quickly caught up in the events that led to Texan independence. Tensions between settlers and Mexico led to hostilities, and Houston was appointed provisional head of the Texas army. Then, on March 2, 1836, Texas declared itself independent from Mexico. Hostilities continued; when the Alamo fell on March 6 after a twelve-day siege, Houston and his small army, accompanied by panicked civilians, began a retreat that ended with the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, which resulted in the destruction of the Mexican army and the capture of the Mexican president Antonio López de Santa Anna.

The election of Houston as the first president of the Republic of Texas happened quickly, with Houston commanding 79 percent of the 6,449 votes. He had only a few hours' notice before being sworn in as president of the Republic of Texas, and while his inaugural speech was extemporaneous, it was nonetheless eloquent. He begins the speech with a modest tone, expressing his awe and sense of responsibility at being elected president. He then turns his attention to the region's Native Americans. With Texas bordered by Indian lands, Houston promoted the desire for peace as “the most rational grounds” for seeking the Indians' friendship. Unlike his mentor and friend Andrew Jackson, Houston was sympathetic to Native Americans, having lived with them from time to time over the course of years. He urged his fellow Texans to avoid aggression and establish fair commerce with neighboring tribes. For the remaining bulk of the speech, Houston praises the volunteers who came to the aid of Texas and reminds everyone that Mexico still posed a real danger to the people of Texas.

At the end of the speech, Houston drew his sword, which he had worn at San Jacinto, and stated that it was a symbol of his past office but that he would bear it again in the defense of Texas. From this point on, he would be a man of peace, fighting only to defend Texas. Houston went on to serve nonconsecutive terms as president of the new Republic of Texas, the first spanning 1836–1838 and the second 1841–1844. Throughout those years the issue of American statehood was central in Texas politics. In 1837 the United States actually rejected the annexation of Texas as a state, and Houston as governor carried on negotiations with both France and England about aligning Texas with one or the other. Not until 1845 and the administration of John Tyler was Texas annexed as a state.