Texas Rangers In American History

The Texas Rangers have been part of American history for an incredibly long time, and are a crucial part of the development of the west. The Texas Rangers were the police and military in their time, defending the people from issues within and out of their societies. They are the oldest state-of-law organization of the entire United States, and significantly influenced the West in a variety of ways, ranging from simple things, such as robberies, to much more complex and intricate issues, such as the civil war.

Stephen F. Austin unofficially formed the Texas Rangers in the year 1823. He created the Rangers because of the massive amount of people that were moving to the Texas region, and felt that they needed a system in order to protect them. The Rangers were comprised of ordinary people willing to help. The job was to roam across the state of Texas, …show more content…
It changed once Mirabeau B. Lamar became president. Lamar had been in battles against the Cherokee in Georgia, and he did not forget about the support the Cherokee offered to the Mexicans. He got the approval of the Chief Justice at the time. He saw the rangers as the perfect tool for the issue. He got permission from the Legislature of Texas to get an “army” of 56 rangers, not including volunteers. After this, he weakened the control that the Cherokee and Comanche had over the region, and set the Rangers into their new path.

Houston saw the Rangers as the “Cost-effective” version of the police and army. He had several more members join, and made more companies to assist with the upcoming Mexican war. They played a multitude of parts, from detectives to spies. The rangers were a force to be reckoned with, and it showed during and even after the war. This would continue to be an important factor in later issues and conflicts, especially including the civil