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Convention of 1836 declares the Republic of Texas

When
1836
Where
Washington-on-the-Brazos
Episodes
3

The Convention of 1836 convened in Washington-on-the-Brazos to formalize Texas independence. Delegates, predominantly War Party members, adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836, citing grievances against centralist Mexico. The convention subsequently adopted a constitution modeled on the U.S. framework, establishing the legal foundation for the Republic of Texas.

Episodes

  1. March 1, 1836 · Washington-on-the-BrazosConvention Convening

    Delegates gathered in Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1, 1836, following a December 1835 resolution. Forty-one delegates arrived by February 28, 1836.

  2. March 2, 1836 · Washington-on-the-BrazosDeclaration Adoption

    The Texas Declaration of Independence was adopted on March 2, 1836, by a committee led by George Childress. It declared Texas a free sovereign republic.

  3. March 16–17, 1836 (disputed) · Washington-on-the-BrazosConstitution Adoption

    The convention adopted the Constitution of the Republic of Texas in mid-March 1836, modeled after the U.S. Constitution. Sources conflict on whether adoption occurred March 16 or March 17, 1836.

Background and detail

Background. The Texas Revolution began in October 1835, driven by resistance to Santa Anna's centralist reforms and the Law of April 6, 1830. Previous councils had wavered between independence and federalism, but the 1836 convention differed significantly. Delegates were younger, recent arrivals, and adamant on independence. The convention was called for March 1, 1836, following the December 1835 resolution by the Council, marking a shift from the Peace Party dominance of the 1835 Consultation.

Delegates. Delegates gathered in Washington-on-the-Brazos, with forty-one arriving by February 28, 1836. Many were recent arrivals from the United States who had settled after the 1830 immigration restrictions. Fewer than 20% had participated in the 1835 Committees of Safety, but 40% had served in the army in late 1835. The majority belonged to the War Party, which favored immediate independence over the federalist stance of previous councils.

Legal Framework. The convention adopted a constitution modeled after the United States Constitution. This document served as the supreme law of Texas from 1836 to 1845. The constitution was adopted on March 16, 1836, and the convention adjourned the following day, establishing the legal structure for the new republic.

People involved

Sources

  1. Convention of 1836 Wikipedia
  2. Texas Declaration of Independence Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-31
  3. Constitution of the Republic of Texas Wikipedia, revision of 2026-03-31

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.