
6 minute read
Texas History Minute

the territory, and whether the federal government had the authority to even purchase the land Seeing the overwhelming opportunity, the United States Senate, including Adams, voted to approve the treaty by a vote of 266
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Dr. Ken Bridges
Before the Texas Revolution and the annexation debates of the 1830s and 1840s, portions of Texas were briefly considered part of the United States, all stemming from the Louisiana Purchase With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the United States doubled in size overnight America had pushed far to the West into the wide expanses of the High Plains and to the frontiers of Texas The French government was very evasive in what they considered to be the extent of the Louisiana Territory
The question of whether the United States owned any portion of Texas was ultimately put in the hands of one of America’s top diplomats,

John Quincy Adams
The French connection to Texas dated back into the 1600s In 1682, French explorer Robert Cavalier, Seuer de la Salle, claimed the entire Mississippi River Valley and all of its tributaries for France This, by default, included the Red River, stretching to include the entire modern Texas panhandle and the watershed in the counties all along the modern North Texas border with Oklahoma It also came to include the French claim on the Sabine River and the lands of what is now most of East Texas and the failed colony in Matagorda Bay
John Quincy Adams, born in 1767, was the son of John Adams, the nation’s second president and part of the committee that wrote the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson Like his father, he was a skilled attorney and learned the art of diplomacy while his father served as the American ambassador to The Netherlands and later to Great Britain In 1794, President George Washington appointed Adams as ambassador to The Netherlands, at only the age of 27 Two years later, Washington also named him to double as ambassador to Portugal He would serve as ambassador to Prussia from 1797 until 1801 before returning to the United States He became the U S Senator from Massachusetts in 1803
Not long after Adams arrived in Washington, DC, Congress learned about the treaty with France purchasing Louisiana France had turned the entire area over to Spain after the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 Forty years later, with Spain under control of French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, Spain was forced to give the land back to France Uncertain what to do with the territory and needing money to finance his wars, Napoleon had his ministers sell the territory to an eager United States for $15 million (or about $335 million in 2019 dollars) There was brief debate over what territory was included with Louisiana, whether France was the rightful owner of
Adams had become Secretary of State under President James Monroe in 1817 By 1818, the United States faced a Spain that had regained its independence but was a rapidly weakening power Spain faced rebellion in its colonies from Argentina to Mexico Spain was unable to control Florida, and raids by the Seminoles into the United States had become a contentious issue Spanish control in the area included the entire modern state of Florida, but the areas of the Alabama and Mississippi panhandles and the far eastern reaches of Louisiana east of the Mississippi River and north of Lake Pontchartrain had been seized by American settlers in 1810 even though Spain still had legal ownership Adams entered into negotiations with Spanish Ambassador Luis de Onis to purchase Florida Spain had rejected earlier offers, but with Spain facing a collapsing position in the Americas and the threat of American military power, Onis reluctantly gave in Onis, however, was not willing to give up everything in exchange for nothing As negotiations continued, Onis pressed for clear border between the U S and Spain, a request that Adams was willing to support As American claims on East Texas were shaky at best, Adams gave ground on claims into the Sabine and Red River Valleys The Adams-Onis Treaty would acquire East Florida and also set a western border at the Sabine River to the ThirtySecond Parallel and North to the Red River The border would then run along the Red River to the One-Hundredth Meridian to the Arkansas River and then to the Rocky Mountains and to the Pacific Ocean The treaty was signed on February 22, 1819
The treaty was approved by the Senate though there were many expansionists upset by what they saw as the “giveaway” of Texas When the subject of annexing the independent Texas arose in the 1830s and 1840s, many supporters loudly called for the “re-annexation” of Texas The treaty nevertheless gained Florida for the Union and gave East and North Texas its modern boundary It also gave America a solid claim on the Pacific Ocean as a boundary Texas would later be admitted, becoming the 28th state admitted into the Union on December 28, 1845
Dr Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
The dream within us
in In fact, for a while, there was a dark cloud of disappointment and frustration hanging over my head as I felt that I was not following my spiritual blueprint and being hindered from utilizing my potential mandate and he is the highest authority and nothing is impossible with him! If your calling only encourages one person, in God’s perspective you are truly a tremendous success!
It’s not about what we can do, it’s about being determined to obey what he is telling us to do.
Read more at billyhollandministries com
y Holland
Our destiny is the core of our purpose and constantly urges and drives our responsibility to make sure we are doing everything we can to accomplish our mission This divine calling fuels our thoughts and imaginations as we ask God to help keep us going forward and to never give up Once we discover our vision our goal will not be easy Dreams and faith go hand in hand May we also consider that working a temporary job might be necessary in order to support our family while we are developing our skills and waiting for our dream to manifest Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail ” In the study of God, we see that he is articulate and his attributes are infused with a Heavenly order It has been said that a goal without a plan is just a wish and I’m sure we can agree that success does not happen without a strategy and large amounts of determination and perseverance Warren Buffett is quoted as saying, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago ”
I remember as a young boy, I loved insects and animals and wanted to become a biologist
From morning until evening I would catch all types of creatures and then I would read about them However, as a teenager, I abandoned my dream and unfortunately became more interested in the social scene than years of academic discipline
About the same time, I was given an opportunity to learn how to play the guitar and discovered that I loved to sing and write Christian music After I was married, I still enjoyed writing and performing my own songs, but now I had a family and was responsible for making money to support them I was blessed to have a good paying job, but it was a profession that I absolutely had no interest
So, after seeking the answers to my questions through many prayers and tears, the Lord lovingly helped me find my mission along with the peace and contentment I had been searching for I accepted my job as a way to take care of our financial obligations while also working diligently in what I was passionate about at the same time I would rise early to go to work and when I came home, I would spend as many hours as possible studying the Bible, writing, teaching, and recording music I eventually graduated from Seminary and became an ordained minister, certified chaplain, and a Christian author Has it been a hard road? Absolutely! Especially when very few are interested in what you are doing So, was becoming a biologist a part of my spiritual blueprint and I made the choice to walk away or was it only something that was fun and the Lord graciously steered me into the correct destiny he planned for me? Now that I look back on my life, the ministry has been challenging, but by His grace, I’m confident for the most part that I am following his plan
When seeking direction, one of the most important considerations is to not allow anything to quench the excitement and zeal that God has placed within us. You and I have a definite and specific purpose and it’s critical to protect and defend our mission from the dream killers We’ve been given angels, the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, and of course, Jesus himself who is ready and willing to help us and empower us to do our Father’s will Yes, there may be times when you might need to walk around the block and encourage yourself with scriptures, positive confessions, and quotes from those who can motivate and inspire you And when we choose to obey God’s voice, we might as well be prepared to face adversity as there will be times of severe spiritual attacks, weeping, heart-aches, and intense soul-searching Nonetheless, just remember you are following God’s