The national Great Depression had a large effect on Texans. The Relief, Recovery, and Refom programs of the New Deal made changes to the Texas economy and social conditions. The Dust Bowl in the Texas Panhandle aggravated conditions there.

Texas played a big role in WWII, from defense industries to fighting on the front lines. The war effort involved almost every Texan in some ways, and the accomodations led to major economic, social, and political shifts.

The increase of urbanization helped spark the Civil Rights movements in Texas. African Americans, Mexican Americans, women, and other groups all fought for equal rights with varying success. As more groups moved toward equality, political parties found other issues to advance.

Texas changed from a one-party Democratic state to a one-party Republican state with the 1980 presidential election of Ronald Reagan. Conservative Democrats felt the national Democratic party had become too liberal and out-of-touch with issues facing many Texans and so became conservative Republicans. As the GOP took control of both houses of the legislature and the governor's office most of the time, laws and policies became increasingly conservative.

As Texas modernized, it became more and more like the rest of the United States, with large metropolises and metroplex, technological and medical industries, and more. Few Texans remained in rural areas, fewer still had jobs directly related to agriculture. National issues like immigration had a profound effect on Texas politically, socially, and economically. 

The people living in Texas before European contact had to survive in different conditions, from beaches to mountains, forests to deserts. A wide diversity of life existed. From the complex society of the Caddoes of East Texas, to the trading culture of the Antelope Creek society in the Panhandle, to the warlike, barely surviving society of the coastal Karakawas, Native Americans adapted to their surroundings.

The Spanish came to Texas first by accident, then by exploring to find gold or silver. Later, they came to form a buffer between French Louisiana and their rich mines in Mexico and New Mexico. The Spanish had few settlements based on the mission/presido system. These were decimated in hthe war for Mexican independence. Nevertheless, the Spanish had a lasting influence on Texas, with many place names, land laws, and women's rights.

People living in Texas were affected by the Mexican War for independence and the early struggles for a stable government in Mexico. Mexicans invited people from the Unites States to colonize using empresario grants. The purpose for the Mexican government was to have the Anglos (not Mexicans) deal with hostile Indians. Austin Moses, and when he died his son Stephen, got the first and most succesful of these grants and Anglo colonization began. People from the southern US came to Texas to raise cotton and many brought their slaves to do all the work. Over time, former US citizens grew frustrated with the Mexican government and began to want to make Texas part of the US.

The Texas Revolution was based on the desires of colonists from the US to retain the forms of government they were used to and the need to use slaves to make cotton-raising profitable. The revolution was over quickly with only a few battles. Texans expected to be annexed immediately into the US and when that did not happen, the scramble to set up the Republic of Texas began. The Republic lasted nine years and was never very successful. In 1845, Texas was finally annexed into the US as a state.

Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy in 1861. Many Texans fought for the Confederacy while others fought for the United States. Leaders in the war became leaders after the war and their names are still prominent today. Some battles were fought in Texas though they did not afect the outcome of the war. The home front generally supported the Confederacy as it was dangerous, even fatal, to support the United States.

The late 19th century saw the rise and fall of the cattle kingdom and much growth in other commercial sectors. Life changed for many Texans as urbanization increased.