Five-Cornered Statecraft: Mexico, the United States, and Native Americans in Texian Diplomacy, 1836–1845

Abstract:

As historians of the Republic of Texas have noted, the country faced two major problems in the 1830s and 1840s: negotiating relations with foreign powers and with Native tribes within its own borders. But historians have neglected the obvious question: How did the two relationships impact each other? This thesis argues that Texan fears of Native collusion with Mexico drove both reactive diplomacy with Native tribes and proactive diplomacy with the United States. In doing so, it writes Native actors into a diplomatic history that does not treat them as significant historical actors.