Our Catl,olic Heritage i11 T e:xas
document, largely the work of Childress, followed closely the one written years before by Thomas Jefferson. After reciting the grievances against Mexico, it concluded that "the people of Texas do now constitute a free, sovereign, and independent republic, and -are fully invested with all the rights and attributes which properly belong to independent nations. " 21 After unanimously approving the Declaration of Independence, the Convention that same day appointed a committee to frame a constitution for the new Republic. This committee, composed of one member from each municipality represented, worked night and day in order to make its report on March 9. The Convention as a whole spent most of the ensuing week discussing constitutional matters. The Constitution was adopted by the Convention shortly after midnight on March 16. They then hurriedly organized an interim government before adjourning at four o'clock on the morning of March 17. The members dispersed the moment their work was done, barely escaping Santa Anna and his vanguard. They had taken the Alamo and were dashing madly in a frantic effort to catch the leaders of the Revolution. The Mexicans, fortunately, arrived in Washington-on-the-Brazos just a few hours too late. The Constitution adopted is a composite instrument made up of excerpts from the constitutions of the United States and of several states. More distrustful of a powerful executive than the American Constituent Assembly of 1787, the Convention shortened the presidential term to three years and deprived the president of the right to succeed himself. The powers of the executive were further curtailed by forbidding him to command armies in the field in person without the express consent of Congress. Another unusual provision was that of barring ministers of the Gospel from office. Although slavery as an institution was legalized, the African slave trade was prohibited. 29 While waiting for the report of the Committee on the Constitution, and even while discussing its various measures, the Convention tried to settle some of the more urgent problems with which the revolting colonists were confronted. The Convention, however, refused to mediate the differences between the Governor and his Council; they chose, rather, 21 For a critical study of the work of the Committee, see J. K. Greer, "The Committee on the Texan Declaration of Independence," The Qum-terl,y, XXX, 239-251; XXXI, 33-49, 130-149. % 9 For a full discussion of the framing of the Constitution, see R. N. Richardson, "Framing the Constitution of the Republic of Texas," Tl,e Q11arterl,y, XXXI, 191-220.
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