Jefferson (proposed Southern state) facts for kids
The proposed State of Jefferson was a plan to create a new state by dividing Texas. There were two main ideas for how this new state would be formed.
Why Divide Texas?
When the Republic of Texas joined the United States in 1845, the agreement allowed for up to four new states to be created from its large territory. This was because Texas was the biggest state in the U.S. at the time. People thought that if the population grew, it would be shared among these new states.
After the American Civil War, during a time called Reconstruction, some people wanted to divide Texas. They hoped that creating new states would also create more government jobs. Because of this, five different plans to divide Texas were suggested at a special meeting in 1870. However, none of these plans were chosen.
Plans in 1870
Since Texas didn't choose a plan, the U.S. Congress tried to create a new state called Lincoln from Texas. This idea didn't go very far.
Instead, a new proposal called the Howard Bill suggested creating two new territories that would later become states: Jefferson and Matagorda. The plan said that the part of Texas east of the San Antonio River would become Jefferson. The rest of Texas would then be readmitted to the U.S. under the Reconstruction rules. These new territories would become states when they were ready.
Texas itself had a different idea in 1871. It proposed dividing the state into four parts: north, east, south, and west. But neither the U.S. Congress nor the Texas government approved any of these plans. The idea of dividing Texas continued to be discussed for many years.
Plans in 1915
The U.S. government counts its population every ten years. After the count in 1910, Texas didn't get more representatives in Congress, even though its western part had grown a lot. This made people in western Texas feel ignored, especially since most state buildings and services were in the eastern part of the state.
In 1914, the idea of dividing Texas came up again. A bill was introduced in the Texas Senate to create a State of Jefferson. This new state would be made from several western Texas senate districts. However, only six senators supported the bill, so it failed.
Support for the State of Jefferson grew in 1921. This happened after the governor stopped a plan to build a new agricultural college in West Texas. Even though no new bill was proposed, people in west Texas held a big meeting to discuss the issue. But soon after, the idea lost its support.
See also
In Spanish: Jefferson (estado sureño propuesto) para niños
