"Author Edward L. Miller has delved into previously unused or overlooked papers housed in New Orleans to reconstruct a chain of events that set the Crescent City, in many ways, at the center of the Texian fight for independence. Not only did Now Orleans business interests send money and men to Texas in exchange for promises of land, but they also provided newspaper coverage that set the scene for later American annexation of the young republic."--BOOK JACKET.

Does Texas’s experience as a republic make it unique among the other states? In many ways, Texas was an “accidental republic” for nearly ten years, until Texans voted overwhelmingly in favor of annexation to the United States after winning independence from Mexico. Single Star of the West chronicles Texas’s efforts to maneuver through the pitfalls and hardships of creating and maintaining the “accidental republic.” The volume begins with the Texas Revolution and examines whether or not a true Texas identity emerged during the Republic era. Next, several contributors discuss how the Republic was defended by its army, navy, and the Texas Rangers. Individual chapters focus on the early founders of Texas—Sam Houston, Mirabeau B. Lamar, and Anson Jones—who were all exceptional men, but like all men, suffered from their own share of fears and faults. Texas’s efforts at diplomacy, and persistence and transformation in its economy, also receive careful analysis. Finally, social and cultural aspects of the Texas Republic receive coverage, with discussions of women, American Indians, African Americans, Tejanos, and religion. The contributors also focus on the extent that conditions in the republic attracted political and economic opportunists, some of whom achieved a remarkable degree of success. Single Star of the West also highlights how the Texas Republic was established on American political ideology. With the majority of the white settlers coming from the United States, this will not surprise many scholars of the era. In some cases, the Texans successfully adopted American political and economic ideology to their needs, while other times they failed miserably.

Vol. 3: A supplement, edited by Eldon Stephen Branda. Includes bibliographical references.

David B. Edward moved to Texas in 1830 and recorded detailed observations and descriptions of Texas in one of the classic early histories of the state.

The New Republic of Texas is ripped from the headlines realistic, full of suspense, intrigue and adventure! Hank Pennington was happy being a rancher, watching over a few thousand acres of prime Central Texas land. He did his bit for God and country, paid his taxes, and left Texas politics well enough alone. But one day an odd, secretive man named Paul Anderson showed up and turned Hank’s life upside down. Soon he would find himself not merely thrust into the heart of Texas gubernatorial politics but entangled in a life and death struggle with forces only talked about on late night radio shows. When Paul Anderson first shook hands with Hank, he was a man with a mission. He’d single-handedly chosen Hank Pennington to be the man to wrestle Texas away from a United States of America he could no longer support or defend, an America controlled and manipulated by a cabal of wealthy men who lived in the shadows, pulling strings and controlling every aspect of government. There was only one chance, one option, and one man who could pull it off: Hank Pennington. Get ready for a rumble… Texas style!

Originally published: New York: Free Press, 2004.

History has until now hidden how close the ambitions of these two men came to carving out a Mormon Kingdom of God in the Republic of Texas.".

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower—and a Texas native—takes us on a journey through the most controversial state in America. • “Beautifully written…. Essential reading [for] anyone who wants to understand how one state changed the trajectory of the country.” —NPR Texas is a red state, but the cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king, but Texas now leads California in technology exports. Low taxes and minimal regulation have produced extraordinary growth, but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. Bringing together the historical and the contemporary, the political and the personal, Texas native Lawrence Wright gives us a colorful, wide-ranging portrait of a state that not only reflects our country as it is, but as it may become—and shows how the battle for Texas’s soul encompasses us all.