Editing Republic of Texas (section)

==Government==
[[File:Alamo 1936 Issue-3c.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.05|[[Sam Houston]] and [[Stephen F. Austin]] depicted on a 1936 US [[postage stamp]] commemorating 100th anniversary of the Texas Republic]]
In September 1836 Texas elected a [[Congress of the Republic of Texas|Congress]] of 14 senators and 29 representatives. The [[Constitution of the Republic of Texas|Constitution]] allowed the first [[President of the Republic of Texas|president]] to serve for two years and subsequent presidents for three years. To hold an office or vote, a man had to be a citizen of the Republic.<ref>{{cite book|last=Davis|first=William C.|author-link=William C. Davis (historian)|title=Lone Star Rising|date=2006|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|location=College Station, TX|isbn=978-1-58544-532-5|page=295}} originally published 2004 by New York: Free Press</ref>

The first Congress of the Republic of Texas convened in October 1836 at [[West Columbia, Texas|Columbia]] (now West Columbia). [[Stephen F. Austin]], often referred to as the "Father of Texas", died on December 27, 1836, after serving just two months as the republic's secretary of state. Due mainly to the ongoing war for independence, five sites served as temporary capitals of Texas in 1836: ([[Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas|Washington-on-the-Brazos]], [[Harrisburg, Texas|Harrisburg]], [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Velasco, Texas|Velasco]] and Columbia). The capital was moved to the new city of [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] in 1837.

In 1839, a small pioneer settlement situated on the [[Colorado River (Texas)|Colorado River]] in central Texas was chosen as the republic's seventh and final capital. Incorporated under the name Waterloo, the town was renamed [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] shortly thereafter in honor of Stephen F. Austin.

The Republic of Texas established a robust legal system, including a Supreme Court to interpret and uphold the Constitution. The Constitution itself could be amended through a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, followed by ratification by the people. Major constitutional changes during this period often related to issues of land grants, taxation, and the powers of the executive and legislative branches.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bryan |first=Jimmy L. |date=2018 |title=Single Star of the West: The Republic of Texas, 1836–1845 eds. by Kenneth W. Howell and Charles Swanlund |url=https://doi.org/10.1353/swh.2018.0011 |journal=Southwestern Historical Quarterly |volume=121 |issue=3 |pages=340–342 |doi=10.1353/swh.2018.0011 |issn=1558-9560}}</ref> The court system inaugurated by Congress included a [[Supreme Court of the Republic of Texas|Supreme Court]] consisting of a chief justice appointed by the president and four associate justices, elected by a joint ballot of both houses of Congress for four-year terms and eligible for re-election. The associates also presided over four judicial districts. Houston nominated [[James Collinsworth]] to be the first chief justice. The county-court system consisted of a chief justice and two associates, chosen by a majority of the justices of the peace in the county. Each county was also to have a sheriff, a coroner, justices of the peace, and constables to serve two-year terms. Congress formed 23 counties, whose boundaries generally coincided with the existing municipalities. In 1839, Texas became the first nation in the world to enact a [[homestead exemption]], under which creditors cannot seize a person's primary residence.

The Republic's political landscape was marked by factionalism with two primary groups emerging, the War Party and the Peace Party. The War Party, led by figures like Mirabeau B. Lamar, advocated for a more aggressive stance against Native American tribes and Mexico which favoring expansion and military action. The Peace Party, associated with Sam Houston prioritized diplomacy, compromise, and a more cautious approach to foreign policy. These factions often clashed over key issues shaping the Republic's domestic and foreign policies/affairs.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bryan |first=Jimmy L. |date=2018 |title=Single Star of the West: The Republic of Texas, 1836–1845 eds. by Kenneth W. Howell and Charles Swanlund |url=https://doi.org/10.1353/swh.2018.0011 |journal=Southwestern Historical Quarterly |volume=121 |issue=3 |pages=340–342 |doi=10.1353/swh.2018.0011 |issn=1558-9560}}</ref> "Prior to this time, factions were the order of the day. Before the Revolution, there was the "Peace Party" and the "War Party". Once the path to Revolution was clear, the "Peace" faction was subsumed by the "War" faction, and for a brief time, Texians seemed to agree with each other, at least in terms of politics" (65).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bryan |first=Jimmy L. |date=2018 |title=Single Star of the West: The Republic of Texas, 1836–1845 eds. by Kenneth W. Howell and Charles Swanlund |url=https://doi.org/10.1353/swh.2018.0011 |journal=Southwestern Historical Quarterly |volume=121 |issue=3 |pages=340–342 |doi=10.1353/swh.2018.0011 |issn=1558-9560}}</ref>