From October through
December, 1836, forty-four men (30 representatives and fourteen senators)
convened in a drafty clapboard house in Columbia (now West Columbia.)
Their task was to craft a body of law that would bind together the fiercely
independent citizens of this land into a cohesive, sovereign nation. This was
the first session of the first congress of the Republic of Texas and this
volume contains the fruit of their democratic labors.
- Allow the sale of land scrip by the president
- Define the duties of heads of state
- Adopt the Republic's official seal
- Organize the militia
- Organize & govern the army, courts martial etc.
- Organize the Supreme Court
- Organize and regulate the navy
- Regulated roads & ferries
- Establish fees assessed by government
- Form the President's cabinet
Also contained in this volume are the Texas Declaration of
Independence, adopted at the Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2,
1836, as well as the Constitution of the Republic of Texas.