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This is one in a series of articles about the Republic of Texas. Alden Nellis is a small businessman in Cleburne who has been active in the Republic of Texas since word of it reached this area a year ago.
Some of the topics covered in this series will be: history of the Republic, business opportunity, individual freedom, common law court system, liens, monetary system and banking, profile of Provisional government, the transition plan, defense forces and law enforcement, the borders of Texas, taxes, election of permanent government, and ratification of a new constitution.
The Republic of Texas - Again?

Texans are a strongly nationalistic people. We are proud of Texas with just cause. After all, standing alone, Texas is the eleventh largest economy in the world, ahead of Russia and our neighbor to the South, Mexico.
From the beginning, Texans have been enamored with the idea of independence. We fought for and won our independence from Mexico in 1836. (Remember the Alamo!)
With considerable debate in both the US Congress and in Texas, we were "annexed" into the United States in 1845. Neither the US Constitution nor the Texas Constitution made any provisions for one nation to be merged, or annexed, by another. In today's world, this would be like the US annexing Canada. John Quince Adams was an eloquent spokesman pointing out the unconstitutionality of annexing Texas.
The US Congress circumvented the constitution. They simply passed a joint resolution to annex Texas. A joint resolution only requires a majority vote of those present. As a comparison, a treaty requires ratification by two-thirds of the members.
Soon after the "annexation", fiercely independent Texans began to feel they had made a mistake. In 1861 Texans voted by a 4 to 1 majority to secede from the union, and once again became an independent Republic. Shortly thereafter, Texas joined the loose-knit confederacy of Southern states and fought with them in the Civil War. In 1865, Texas and the confederacy were defeated and captured by the United States as a prize of war. Texans never voted to join the US after our capture and "reconstruction."
Further, Texas never ceded its land, the soil of Texas, to the US government as did other states that joined the United States. In the Compromise of 1850, Texas did exchange some land in return for payment of the $10 million war debt incurred during Texas' fight for independence from Mexico. (More on this later when we discuss the boundaries of Texas.)
The current movement, reportedly the eighth move to re-establish Texas as an independent Republic, is the strongest and most successful since the landslide vote of 1861 to secede from the US. The movement is about replacing the top-heavy US government and Texas State government with the Republic of Texas government, which is a minimal government allowing more individual freedom and responsibility, unhindered technology and scientific development, and maximum business growth. This is all made possible by greatly reduced taxation (more on this later) and elimination of burdensome government regulation and red tape.
Watch closely and you will see fiercely independent Texans popping up all over the Republic to assert that the people "...have at all times the inalienable right to alter, reform or abolish their government in such manner as they may think expedient." (Texas Constitution, Section 2.)