A lot of times, demographers will look at ethnic distribution by country. Well, Texas tends to think of itself as its own country, so I guess this is appropriate. The 28th state admitted to the Union, Texas is one of the only states to never have been an American territory first. That's because Texas was, in fact, it's own country prior to joining the United States, and they won't let you forget it. Texas is also the USA's second largest state by landmass as well as the second-most populous, and has been an economic and political center of the nation for over a century. As a result of all of this, Texas also boasts one of the proudest state identities in the country. While all people of Texas are Texans, we can look at this state's identity and history through some other demographic factors as well. Let's look at ethnicity in Texas, and see what this tells us about the Lone Star State.
19th-centruy advertisement for Texas
Texas
White Ethnicity in Texas
So, who are the Texans? The largest ethnic population in the state of Texas identify as ethnically white. In total, about 80% of Texans identify as white. However, if we take out the group categorized by the US Census as Hispanic/Latino, then we see that only about 43.5% of Texans identify as non-Hispanic white, as of 2014. That's just under half, and there are reasons for this numerical majority over any other population. Starting in the 1820s, the Spanish and then Mexican governments granted permission for white American settlers to move to the northern territory of Mexico, then called Coahuila y Tejas. The Austin family was the first to move in, bringing about 300 American families with them.
The white Americans in Tejas started to call themselves Texans or Texians, and along with the Mexican population decided to declare independence, forming the Republic of Texas. More white Americans moved in, and in 1848 Texas was formally incorporated into the United States. This opened up Texas to a surge of migration, as Americans flocked to this massive new state. However, that's not the only reason for Texas' substantial white population. Around the same time, the government negotiated a deal with Germany to house a few major German settlements in Texas, largely filled with political refugees fleeing a failed revolution. Five major German communities were established in Texas, called the Latin Settlements because these refugees tended to be highly educated, and a German education was based around the use of Latin. To this day, there are pockets of Texas with very strong German traditions, customs, and culture.
An 1840s symbol of German settlers in Texas
German logo
Hispanic/Latino Ethnicity in Texas
Considering what we know about Texan history, it's probably not surprising that the second largest ethnic group in Texas is Hispanic/Latino. This broad term refers to any person from a Spanish-speaking Latin nation, equaling around 39% of the total population. But any guess where the vast majority of this population is from originally? That's right... Texas! Remember how Texas was once part of Mexico? Well, the Mexicans who lived in Coahuila y Tejas were pretty isolated from Central Mexico, and over time stopped thinking of themselves are purely Mexican. They adopted the identity of Tejanos, meaning Texans of Mexican or Spanish descent. Tejanos were a major part of Texas' independence movement, and have been a major portion of the population to this day. The term Tejano today is used more in some parts of Texas than others, but generally refers to people of Mexican descent who were born in Texas, and whose families were born in Texas. Many Tejano families have been in what is now Texas for several generations. According to statistical data released in 2014, the vast majority of Hispanic/Latino people in Texas were born there to parents also born in Texas.
Explanation:
welcome
