<P> The Republic of Texas ( Spanish : República de Tejas ) was an independent sovereign country in North America that existed from March 2 , 1836 , to February 19 , 1846 . It was bordered by Mexico to the west and southwest , the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast , the two U.S. states of Louisiana and Arkansas to the east and northeast , and United States territories encompassing parts of the current U.S. states of Oklahoma , Kansas , Colorado , Wyoming , and New Mexico to the north and west . The citizens of the republic were known as Texians . </P>
when did texas gain independence and become a republic
March 2 , 1836