Texas History Test Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Sam Houston's approach to Native American relations relied heavily on which strategy that distinguished him from most Texas politicians?
- Military conquest and forced removal
- Personal relationships, treaties, and negotiation (Correct answer)
- Missionary conversion programs
- Economic embargo and trade restrictions
Correct answer: Personal relationships, treaties, and negotiation
Houston, who had lived among the Cherokee as a young man, consistently pursued treaty-based diplomacy with tribes rather than military confrontation.
Question 2: The Cordova Rebellion of 1838 was partly fueled by Mexican agents communicating with which Texas stakeholder group to undermine the Republic?
- Anglo-American planters
- Tejano settlers and some Cherokee bands (Correct answer)
- European merchants in Galveston
- Catholic clergy in San Antonio
Correct answer: Tejano settlers and some Cherokee bands
Mexican officials encouraged Vicente Cordova and allied Cherokee factions to rise against the Republic, exploiting grievances of Tejanos and Native groups.
Question 3: Which document, sent by Texas delegates to Washington in 1836, formally communicated Texas's desire to join the United States?
- The Velasco Treaties
- The Annexation Resolution
- The Texas Declaration of Independence
- The Memorial to Congress (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The Memorial to Congress
Texas envoys submitted a formal memorial to the U.S. Congress requesting annexation, but political opposition over slavery delayed action for nearly a decade.
Question 4: Lorenzo de Zavala's role as the first Vice President of the Republic of Texas was significant for stakeholder relations because he was what?
- A former U.S. senator who bridged American ties
- A Mexican-born liberal who represented Tejano interests (Correct answer)
- A Cherokee chief who ensured Native support
- A French diplomat who secured European recognition
Correct answer: A Mexican-born liberal who represented Tejano interests
De Zavala, a Mexican statesman and empresario, symbolized Tejano participation in the new republic and helped legitimize the revolution beyond Anglo leadership.
Question 5: The Texas Rangers, founded in 1835, served a communication function beyond combat by acting as what between frontier settlers and the government?
- Tax collectors and census takers
- Scouts who relayed intelligence and warnings across vast distances (Correct answer)
- Postal carriers for the Republic
- Diplomatic envoys to Native tribes
Correct answer: Scouts who relayed intelligence and warnings across vast distances
Rangers gathered and transmitted intelligence about threats on the frontier, serving as the government's eyes and ears across Texas's expansive borders.
Question 6: France's 1839 recognition of the Republic of Texas was strategically important because it pressured which other major power to also engage diplomatically with Texas?
- Russia
- Great Britain (Correct answer)
- Spain
- Austria
Correct answer: Great Britain
French recognition alarmed Britain, which feared French influence in Texas and spurred British diplomatic and commercial engagement with the republic.
Question 7: When Stephen F. Austin was imprisoned by Mexican President Santa Anna in 1834, his absence created what major problem for Texas colonists?
- They lost their primary diplomatic liaison to the Mexican government (Correct answer)
- Their land grants were immediately revoked
- Trade with Mexico was suspended
- The Catholic Church withdrew support from the colonies
Correct answer: They lost their primary diplomatic liaison to the Mexican government
Austin had been the colonists' essential translator and negotiator; without him, communication between the settler community and Mexico City broke down severely.
Sam Houston's approach to Native American relations relied heavily on which strategy that distinguished him from most Texas politicians?