Texas voters approve statehood constitution and Texas is admitted as the 28th U.S. state
- When
- 1845–1846
- Where
- Republic of Texas; United States; Texas
- Episodes
- 3
Texas voters approved a statehood constitution on October 13, 1845, endorsing slavery and accepting the U.S. annexation offer. Following a joint resolution signed by President Tyler in March, President Polk signed the admission bill on December 29, 1845, making Texas the 28th state. Formal transfer of power occurred in February 1846.
Episodes
- Voters Approve Constitution
Texas voters approved the annexation ordinance and a constitution endorsing slavery on October 13, 1845, following the Texas Congress's acceptance of the U.S. joint resolution.
- Polk Signs Admission Bill
President Polk signed the joint resolution admitting Texas as the 28th state on December 29, 1845, bypassing a territorial phase.
- Formal Transfer of Power
Texas relinquished sovereignty to the United States at the inauguration of Governor James Henderson on February 19, 1846.
Background and detail
Voter Approval. On October 13, 1845, a large majority of Texas voters approved both the American annexation offer and the proposed statehood constitution. This constitution specifically endorsed slavery and allowed emigrants to bring slaves to Texas. This approval followed the Texas Congress's acceptance of the U.S. joint resolution in June 1845, which bypassed a territorial phase for admission.
Statehood Admission. President Polk signed the legislation making Texas a state on December 29, 1845, accepting it as the 28th state of the Union. This admission occurred on the same day the annexation took effect, bypassing a territorial phase. The formal transfer of power from the Republic to the new state government took place in February 1846.
People involved
- James K. Polk · President of the United States
- James Henderson · Governor of Texas at the February 19, 1846 transfer of power
Sources
- Republic of Texas Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-24
- Texas annexation Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-31
- James K. Polk Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-04
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.