Sam Houston: List 1: A Texas Hero – Serving His Country

by Joanne Mattern
This biography tells the story of Sam Houston, who played an important role in the fight for Texas independence. Houston was the only person to be president of a republic, a U.S. senator, and the governor of two states.

Here are links to our lists for this book:
List 1: A Texas Hero – Serving His Country
List 2: An Unfair Treaty – Final Days
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. republic
    a form of government whose head of state is not a monarch
    Houston was the president of the republic of Texas.
  2. senator
    a member of a legislative assembly
    senator
    He was a United States senator and the governor of two states.
  3. bear
    be pregnant with
    bear
    Today, the largest city in Texas bears his name.
  4. militia
    civilians trained as soldiers, not part of the regular army
    militia
    He also served in the local militia (mi-LISH-uh).
  5. roam
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    roam
    He also loved roaming the woods and fields around the farm.
  6. endure
    undergo or be subjected to
    endure
    Houston and his family endured a long journey in a horse-drawn wagon.
  7. adopt
    take into one's family
    adopt
    They liked Houston so much that their chief, Oolooteka (oo-loo-TAY-kuh), adopted Houston as his son.
  8. debt
    the state of owing something, especially money
    debt
    Finally, in 1812, Houston returned home because he owed people money and needed to pay off his debts.
  9. holy
    belonging to or associated with a divine power
    holy
    The raven was a sacred, or holy, bird to the Cherokee.
  10. enlist
    join the military
    enlist
    Houston could have enlisted as an officer, too, but he wanted to earn his rank.
  11. private
    confined to particular persons or groups
    private
    So he joined the army as a private.
  12. promotion
    the act of raising in rank or position
    promotion
    Jackson was so impressed with Houston's bravery that he gave Houston a promotion.
Created on Thu Mar 19 15:03:10 EDT 2026 (updated Thu Apr 02 18:46:42 EDT 2026)

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