Legal History of Texas

Constitutions of Texas Legal History The Courthouse Era (1875-1900)

The Constitutional Convention of 1875

The convention dismantled the Reconstruction political order and enshrined principles of localism and limited government that lasted for generations.

Texapedia StaffAugust 27, 2025

Biography Early Leaders of Texas Legal History The Republic of Texas

John Hemphill and the Foundations of Texas Jurisprudence

In the raw frontier courts of early Texas, John Hemphill carved out a lasting legal legacy—melding Spanish civil law with Anglo precedent to bring structure to a turbulent republic.

Texapedia StaffAugust 4, 2025

Legal History Mexican Texas (1821–1836)The Texas Revolution

The Collapse of Mexican Federalism and the Road to Texas Independence

The Texas Revolution had its roots not only in cultural differences, but also in a broader constitutional crisis that reshaped the Mexican republic.

Texapedia StaffJune 14, 2025

Constitutions of Texas Legal History Texas History The Republic of Texas

Constitution of the Republic of Texas (1836)

Text and historical context of the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas, adopted during the Texas Revolution.

Texapedia StaffJune 13, 2025

Legal History Texas History The Republic of Texas

Judiciary of the Republic of Texas (1836–1845)

History of the structure and traditions of the judiciary during the years that Texas was an independent nation.

Texapedia StaffJune 10, 2025

Annexation and Statehood (1845-1860)Constitutions of Texas Legal History

Constitution of 1845: Foundations of Statehood

The 1845 Constitution gave Texas its first stable framework of government as a U.S. state—melding republican principles, fiscal restraint, and frontier legal pragmatism into a durable institutional design.

Texapedia StaffMay 22, 2025

Featured Legal History Structure & Constitution

The Constitution of Texas

Summary of key provisions of the state constitution of Texas, which defines the structures of government, key offices, and limits on taxes and spending.

Texapedia StaffApril 18, 2025

Featured Legal History The Civil War

Can Texas Secede from the United States?

Legal precedent clashes with popular imagination in the only state that was once a sovereign nation.

Texapedia StaffMay 15, 2025

Constitutions of Texas Legal History The Civil War

The Confederate Constitution of Texas (1861)

Drafted in a wartime climate, the 1861 constitution enshrined slavery as permanent and untouchable law.

Texapedia StaffMay 22, 2025

Constitutions of Texas Legal History The Reconstruction Era (1865–1874)

The 1869 Texas Constitution and Reconstruction Rule

This article explores the origins of the 1869 constitution, its key provisions, and the administration of Governor Edmund J. Davis under its authority.

Texapedia StaffMay 4, 2025