* First European explorers (1519-1685)
* Establishment of missions and settlements
* Spanish control Texas
2. Mexican era (1821-1836)
* Mexico gained independence from Spain
* Texas became part of Mexico
* Mexican colonization of Texas
* The Texas Revolution (1835-1836)
* Texas independence (1836)
3. Republic of Texas era (1836-1845)
* Texas was an independent nation
* Sam Houston was the first president
* Texas struggled to survive economic and political challenges
4. Annexation era (1845-1861)
* Texas annexed to the United States
* The Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
* Texas became a state of the US (1845)
5. Civil War era (1861-1865)
* Texas joined the Confederate States of America
* The Civil War (1861-1865)
* Union victory and the end of slavery in Texas
6. Reconstruction era (1865-1877)
* Texas was under military rule
* The Freedmen's Bureau was created
* Texas was readmitted to the Union (1870)
7. Post-Reconstruction era (1877-1900)
* The rise of the cotton industry
* The cattle drives
* The growth of cities
8. Modern Texas era (1900-Present)
* Texas became a major economic power
* The oil boom
* The growth of Houston and Dallas
* The rise of technology