This historically significant map is a short-lived snapshot of a transitional period in American history.

The U.S. was in the throes of its "manifest destiny" era (to become the most powerful nation on the North America continent spanning sea to sea).

In 1836 the United States recognized the breakaway Mexican state of Tejas as the independent Republic of Texas, which it would annex as state in 1846. The act of annexing Texas would precipitate the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. Mexico also relinquished all claims to Texas, and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary with the United States.

(Though dated 1839 the map shows the Republic of Texas as it was in 1835. This map seems to be based on one of the earliest Texas maps of the Republic era by J. H. Young,  A NEW MAP OF TEXAS WITH THE CONTIGUOUS AMERICAN & MEXICAN STATES. Philadelphia: S. Augustus Mitchell, 1836 and ©1835.)

The southern boundary of Texas is delineated as the Rio Nueces, whereas later editions showed the boundary as the Rio de Norte (Rio Grande). The border dispute between these rivers became one of the major contentions that led to the Mexican-American War after Texas was annexed by the United States. A prominent feature shows Houston is shown as the capital of the Republic. Later maps show Austin the capital of the Republic having been established as the capital city in 1839.

 Several key settlements are labeled, including (San Antonio de) Bexar, the largest town in Texas, founded in 1718, and the site of the Battle of the Alamo, fought in February-March, 1836, where Texan Independence fighters made a heroic stand against the Mexican army. Others include Brazoria, Houston (selected as a temporary capital when President Sam Houston ordered the government to move there on December 15, 1836) and Nacogdoches, site of the first Spanish settlement in Texas (1716). Washington (on-the-Brazos) appears for the first time, often called the "Birthplace of Texas", where delegates declared the independence of the republic on March 2, 1836.

Expanses of territory, clearly beyond the practical control of Texan authorities, are shown to be dominated by the Comanches. Other areas are labeled as "Extensive Prairies" and "Herds of Buffaloes and Wild Horses". The future state of Oklahoma, north of the Red River, is shown to be 'Indian Territory', where the U.S. Government had recently exiled Native American Nations form the Southeast during the "Trail of Tears". On the northern bank of the Red River is Fort Towson, an important U.S. army outpost guarding the so called "Permanent Indian Frontier".

The southern border of Texas, as shown on the map, runs along the Nueces River, to the north of the Rio Grande. This line was historically considered to be the southern frontier of Texas, however, during the War of Independence, the Texans expanded their claims southwards to the Rio Grande to embrace the so called "Nueces Strip" or Wild Horse Strip" labeled on the map as Mustang Desert. While the Treaties of Velasco (May 14, 1836), which ended the war, recognized the Strip as belonging to Texas, the Mexican government subsequently disputed the concession. The controversy over the ownership of the Nueces Strip was used as a pretext by U.S. President James Polk to instigate the Mexican American War in 1845.

The Republic of Texas