In April 1836, the Texas Revolution ended with a sudden victory at the Battle of San Jacinto. General Santa Anna was captured, and a few weeks later, he signed the Treaties of Velasco. The public treaty called for Mexican troops to leave Texas and for the fighting to stop. A second, secret treaty stated that Mexico would later recognize Texas independence. The Rio Grande would serve as the border. Texas moved forward, even though Mexico rejected those promises. Its status was still uncertain.

Texans created a new government in the fall of 1836. Voters approved a constitution and chose Sam Houston as the first president. The Texas Constitution set up three branches of government and included a bill of rights. It also legalized slavery. This drew many settlers from the southern United States to move west into Texas. The first capital was placed at Columbia, then moved to the new town of Houston, and later to Austin on the Colorado River.

Land shaped the future of the republic. Texas offered generous land grants to heads of households and to single men. The promise of land drew settlers from the United States and from Europe. German immigrants built towns in the Hill Country. Traders and farmers used the Gulf Coast and the Port of Galveston to reach markets. Towns grew on the Brazos, Colorado, and Trinity Rivers, where soils were rich and travel was easier. Ranchers ranged cattle across the prairies and along the Nueces and San Antonio Rivers. People gathered near water, grass, and timber. These resources supported farms, herds, and towns.

Daily life brought challenges. Money was scarce, the public debt grew, and the army was costly to maintain. On the frontier, Comanche, Kiowa, and other Native groups defended their homelands, and raids and counterattacks scarred communities. Ranger companies and local militias tried to protect settlements and roads from the Red River to the Rio Grande. Presidents Sam Houston and Mirabeau B. Lamar followed different paths. Houston favored peace talks and smaller forces. Lamar pushed for new forts and larger campaigns. Both approaches aimed to keep people safe enough to farm, ranch, and trade.

Leaders also tried to fix boundaries and build a stable capital. In 1839, Austin became the seat of government on the edge of the western settlements. Maps from that time showed key places and regions. These included San Jacinto, Washington-on-the-Brazos, the Gulf Coast, and the plains to the west.

Many Texans wanted annexation to the United States. Americans were moving west during a time of expansion across the continent. Cheap land, new routes, and more trade drew people to Texas and beyond. In 1845, Texas agreed to statehood and joined the United States. The Republic of Texas lasted nearly ten years. Its story is part of a larger movement that transformed North America in the 1800s.