As part of our activities commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence, our current featured book display and companion reading list offer a selection of titles related to this legacy and its connection to Texas history. For example, The American Solution: Origins of the U.S. Constitution, by Robert Allen Rutland, examines how the country was founded. Though Texas was not one of the original 13 colonies, the historical record of Texas shares similarities with and echoes the sentiments of the documents written there.

Another title on display, The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, by L.W. Kemp provides backgrounds for each of the 59 members of the convention who met in the spring of 1836 to issue a Declaration of Independence from Mexico on March 2. The revolutionaries then hastily proceeded to craft a constitution for the new Republic of Texas, borrowing heavily from the U.S. Constitution. Learn more about the 59 signers and the document they created in the publication, Constitution of the Republic of Texas. To Which is Prefixed the Declaration of Independence, Made in Convention, March 2, 1836.

Between 1836 and 1876, Texas would see a series of constitutions adopted to reflect the changing status of the government. The first new constitution was drafted once Texas was accepted for annexation to the United States in 1845, followed by another constitution in 1861 when Texas seceded from the Union to join the Confederacy. Two more versions (1866,1869) would follow during the period of Reconstruction when states were required to ratify three new amendments to the U.S. Constitution in order to rejoin the country.

Texas was readmitted to the U.S. in 1870 with the 1869 constitution in place, but with a new convention on the horizon. Read Debates in the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875 to learn what was discussed to draft the next version that was ratified in 1876. Though this document is 150 years old, it still serves as the current constitution for the state.

Lawmakers have attempted to create a new state constitution for the modern age. Almost a century and hundreds of amendments later, delegates met in 1974 to write a new constitution. Delegates struggled to agree and instead of a new constitution, they submitted eight constitutional amendments to Texans for a vote. None of these amendments passed. The Texas Constitutional Revision Experience in the 70’s, by Janice C. May describes the details of this episode in Texas constitutional history. In addition, audiovisual materials from the convention, including the film productions The Making of the Texas Constitution and A New Constitution for Texas, have been digitized and are available online in the Texas Digital Archive (TDA). Documents from other constitutional conventions are also available in the TDA: https://tsl.access.preservica.com/tda/texas-state-government/texas-conventions/.

The 1876 Constitution, with digital images of the pages and transcribed text, is available online at TSLAC. There are also published versions in our collections and you may even take a closer look at the original signed document on view in TSLAC’s Reference Reading Room through July.

The list below offers more options to explore the founding of Texas and the nation. Search the TSLAC catalog for additional publications on these topics. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.

By Robyn Moore, Reference Librarian

Have you ever wondered what was happening in Texas while the original thirteen colonies of the Union were fighting the British Army in the 1770s?  As the nation celebrates 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, TSLAC invites you to explore the published resources that offer insight into events occurring in Texas during this pivotal time. A good place to start is The Texas Connection with the American Revolution, by Robert H. Thornhoff. This book highlights Texan contributions to the newly-formed United States.

It turns out, Texas played a part in the American victory over England. The British faced war on two fronts once Spain allied with the colonies on the east coast, as they also had to fight on the border with New Spain in the west. New Spain was the territory controlled by Spain at the time, which included Texas. Cattle drives, naval battles, and many other contributions are recorded in the archival documents of the Spanish empire. You can access reproductions of these documents in Documentos Relativos a la Independencia de Norteamérica Existentes en Archivos Españoles.

You don’t need to travel east to see landmarks related to the American Revolution, either. Galveston is named for a Revolutionary War hero, Bernardo de Gálvez. Learn more about how Gálvez cleared the British Navy from the Gulf and helped draft the Treaty of Paris, the document that officially ended the war, in Forgotten Chapters of the American Revolution: Spain, Gálvez, and Isleños, by Rueben M. Perez. Investigate other landmarks with the Markers Placed by the Texas Daughters of the American Revolution, by the Texas Society Daughters of the American Revolution. If you miss the featured book display, don’t worry, we have these titles available all year long!

Search the TSLAC catalog for more publications about Texas and the American Revolution. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-436-5455.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is now accepting applications for its 2026 Research Fellowship in Texas History. The fellowship includes a $2,000 stipend and is awarded for the best research proposal utilizing the collections of the State Archives in Austin or the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in Liberty, Texas.

The TSLAC Research Fellowship in Texas History is made possible by the generous support of the Texas Library and Archives Foundation.

The application must include the purpose of the proposed research, collections of interest, a discussion of how this research will contribute to a greater understanding of Texas history, plans for dissemination and a curriculum vitae. The recipient of the fellowship will be asked to present the results of their research at a TSLAC event. Judges may withhold the award at their discretion.

Visit www.tsl.texas.gov/arc/researchfellowship to apply by January 15, 2026.