Early History
The Houston area was first occupied by native tribes. The first meeting of European travelers were not pleasant since the Atakapan and Karankawa tribes were known for being cannibals. The Europeans chose to move on past the area but became eventually largely unsettled by the Spanish. In the 1820’s, more settlers from the United States started moving into the Houston area that was currently owned by Mexico. More troubles arose for Mexico as more and more American settlers occupied the area. Americans, who called themselves Texicans, were getting angry with the Mexican government and wanted to form their own government. Disputes grew and a full blown war broke out in 1836.
Texas War of Independence
On April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston’s Texas Army won independence from Mexico. Two brothers named John and August Allen founded Houston on August 30, 1836. General Sam Houston signed an act authorizing Houston to incorporate. Houston became the capital of the Republic from 1837 to 1840. In 1846 Texas became the 28th state. In 1861, Houston voted to secede from the Union. In 1870, Texas was readmitted back into the Union. In 1870, Congress designates Houston a port and soon after makes their first appropriation of $10,000 dollars for ship channel improvements. In 1877, Houston’s first free public schools were established. The first automobile appears in Houston around 1897 but only as an advertising gimmick.
A destructive hurricane and tidal wave struck the Houston area in 1900 causing 8,000 deaths. From 1901 to 1906, oil was discovered at Spindletop, Humble, and Goose Creek making Houston the center of new oil and oilfield equipment development. In 1926, natural gas was first piped into Houston. By the time of the depression, 40 oil companies were operating in the Houston area. Metro area population area reached 1 million in 1955. NASA’s manned Spacecraft Center moves to Houston in 1962. In 1973, the Arab Oil Embargo caused trouble to many automobile drivers at the pump causing huge lines and gas prices to sky rocket. The Arab 
Oil Embargo was a gift to Houston since stock prices doubled and tripled putting massive amounts of capital into Houston. Skyscrapers began to line Houston's skyline and became monuments for Houston's investment in "black gold". In 1980’s, oil prices and real estate prices collapsed and Houston struggled to regroup and redirect its economy. In the 1990's, Houston gained recognition as not only as the capital of the international energy industry but also as the home of the world's largest medical center.
Present
In 2001, Hurricane Allison caused 43 fatalities and billions of dollars in damages to Houston. In October 2001, Enron, a Houston based energy company, had gotten caught in accounting scandals that caused the collapse of Enron and the arrest and imprisonment of many of the executives. When Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of New Orleans, 
Houston was one of the first cities to offer assistance to the victims. Currently, four of the six major oil companies maintain their bases in Houston. Houston is the leading center for oilfield equipment in the nation. In 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Houston third in the nation for "Best places for Businesses and Careers" and in 2008 ranked Houston fourth for the highest increase in the local technological innovations for the past 15 years. The most important components of Houston's economy today are energy, biotechnology, healthcare, manufacturing and aerospace industries.
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Minority Politics
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