Texas has been American since its inception.
Texas ( [ ˈtɛksəs ] , [ localˈtɛksᵻz ] Texas or Tejas [ ˈtexas ] ) is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population . France held a short-lived colony . A slave state before the American Civil War , Texas declared its secession from the U.S. in early 1861 , and officially joined the Confederate States of America on March 2 of the same year .