Republic of Texas

Once upon a time, Texas wasn't part of the United States. It was its own country called the Republic of Texas! It was a sovereign nation, meaning it made its own rules and had its own leaders.

This exciting time lasted for about 10 years, from 1836 to 1846. Think of it like a special club that Texas was in, with its own flag and everything, before it decided to join the bigger United States family.

Texas used to be part of Mexico. But the people living in Texas, called Texians, wanted to make their own decisions. So, they had a big fight, called the Texas Revolution, to become independent. On March 2, 1836, they declared their independence, just like declaring you want to play a different game. The fighting ended, and Texas was officially a new country!

The people living in the Republic of Texas were called Texians. Many of them came from the United States. There were also Tejanos, who were Texans of Mexican background. They all lived together in this new country. It was a place with different kinds of people, all part of the Republic of Texas story.

After being its own country for a while, Texas decided it wanted to become part of the United States. So, in 1845, it was annexed, which means it joined the USA. The next year, in 1846, it officially became the 28th state. It was like Texas graduating from being its own country to becoming a big, important state in the United States.