by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States
.
The name, based on the Caddo
word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo
themselves and to the region of their settlement in East Texas
. Located in the South Central United States
, Texas is bordered by Mexico
to the south, New Mexico
to the west, Oklahoma
to the north, Arkansas
to the northeast, and Louisiana
to the east.
1528 Shipwrecked Spanish conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca becomes the first known European to set foot in Texas.
1685 Fort St. Louis is established by a Frenchman at Matagorda Bay thus forming the basis for France's claim to Texas.
1823 Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.
1836 A convention of delegates from 57 Texas communities convenes in Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas, to deliberate independence from Mexico.
1836 The Treaties of Velasco are signed in Velasco, Texas.
1845 A majority of voters in the Republic of Texas approve a proposed constitution, that if accepted by the U.S. Congress, will make Texas a U.S. state.
1845 According with International Boundary delimitation, U.S.A annexes the Mexican state of Texas, following the Manifest Destiny doctrine. For others, the Republic of Texas is admitted as the 28th U.S. state.
1846 Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican-American War.
1850 The Compromise of 1850 transfers a third of Texas's claimed territory (now parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming) to federal control in return for the U.S. federal government assuming $10 million of Texas's pre-annexation debt.
1850 The Compromise of 1850 transfers a third of Texas's claimed territory (now parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming) to federal control in return for the U.S. federal government assuming $10 million of Texas's pre-annexation debt.