Editing Republic of Texas (section)

====Politics====
[[File:Lizars Mexico & Guatimala 1836 UTA (detail of Texas).jpg|thumb|Detail of a map showing the Republic of Texas by [[William Home Lizars]], 1836]]
[[File:Bradford Texas 1838 (Boston) UTA.jpg|thumb|Map of the Republic of Texas by [[Thomas Gamaliel Bradford]], 1838]]
[[File:Map of the Republic of Texas and the Adjacent Territories, 1841.jpg|thumb|Map of the Republic of Texas and the Adjacent Territories by [[Charles Cheffins|C.F. Cheffins]], 1841]]
Sam Houston was [[1836 Republic of Texas presidential election|elected]] as the new President of the Republic of Texas on September 5, 1836.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TSHA {{!}} Republic of Texas|url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/republic-of-texas|access-date=September 2, 2020|website=www.tshaonline.org}}</ref> The second [[Congress of the Republic of Texas]] convened a month later, in October 1836, at [[Columbia, Texas|Columbia (now West Columbia)]]. [[Stephen F. Austin]], known as the ''Father of Texas'', died December 27, 1836, after serving two months as [[Secretary of State of Texas|Secretary of State]] for the new Republic.

In 1836, five sites served as temporary capitals of Texas ([[Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas|Washington-on-the-Brazos]], [[Harrisburg, Houston|Harrisburg]], [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Velasco, Texas|Velasco]] and [[Columbia, Texas|Columbia]]), before [[President of the Republic of Texas|President]] [[Sam Houston]] moved the capital to [[Houston]] in 1837. The next president, [[Mirabeau B. Lamar]], moved the capital to the new town of [[Austin, Texas|Austin]] in 1839.

The first flag of the republic was the "[[Burnet Flag]]" (a single gold star on an azure field), followed in 1839 by official adoption of the Lone Star Flag.

Internal politics of the Republic were focused on two factions. The nationalist faction, led by Lamar, advocated the continued independence of Texas, the expulsion of the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], and the expansion of Texas to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Their opponents, led by Houston, advocated the annexation of Texas to the United States and peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans where possible. The [[Congress of the Republic of Texas]] even passed a resolution over Houston's [[veto]], claiming [[The Californias]] for Texas.<ref>
[[#Fehrenbach]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=z4x4xEZZ_xsC&pg=PA263 p. 263]
</ref> The [[1844 Republic of Texas presidential election]] split the electorate dramatically, with the newer western regions of the Republic preferring the nationalist candidate [[Edward Burleson]], while the cotton country, particularly east of the [[Trinity River (Texas)|Trinity River]], went for [[Anson Jones]].<ref>[[#Fehrenbach]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=z4x4xEZZ_xsC&pg=PA265 p. 265]</ref>