Question: who did texas belong to before the us

title: History of Texas
text: Although not recognized as such by Mexico , Texas declared itself an independent nation , the Republic of Texas . Attracted by the rich lands for cotton plantations and ranching , tens of thousands of immigrants arrived from the U.S. and from Germany as well . In 1845 , Texas joined the United States , becoming the 28th state , when the United States annexed it . Only after the conclusion of the Mexican - American War , with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 , did Mexico recognize Texan independence . Texas declared its secession from the United States in 1861 to join the Confederate States of America . Only a few battles of the American Civil War were fought in Texas ; most Texas regiments served in the east . When the war ended , the enslaved African Americans were freed . Texas was subject to Reconstruction , a process that left a residue of bitterness among whites . They regained political dominance and passed laws in the late 19th century creating second - class status for blacks in a Jim Crow system of segregation and disenfranchising them in 1901 through passage of a poll tax . Blacks were excluded from the formal political system until after passage of federal civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s . 

Answer: answer: Before Texas joined the United States in 1845, although not recognized as such by Mexico , Texas declared itself an independent nation , the Republic of Texas .