ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the people, culture, geography, and economy of Texas. Juan Seguin, perhaps the most famous Tejano participant in the Texas revolution, was a tragic case in point. Texas is a big, complex, multifaceted, and utterly fascinating state. In both myth and reality, Texas is larger-than-life. In fiction, Texas was beyond the reach of the law, but in “real life” most immigrants to early Texas were hardworking men and women searching for a fresh start. Settled agriculture began among some native tribes, especially in east and northeast Texas, around 400 AD. Americans began drifting into Texas in small numbers beginning about 1800. Spain and Mexico outlawed slavery by the 1820s, so Anglos were reluctant to bring slaves into Texas before the 1830s. South Texas was home to many Native American tribes and to the first European settlers in Texas. Texans had to fight for independence against a dangerous and arbitrary Mexican government.
