. . When the Supreme Court ruled in 1923 that white primaries established by political parties were unconstitutional in 1927 the Texas state legislature passed a bill that authorized political parties to establish their internal practices the Democratic Party reinstated the white primary That law survived until 1944 before another Supreme Court case ruled that it was unconstitutional After 1944 the NAACP and other organizations worked to register black voters and participation increased But the major disenfranchisement continued until passage in the mid-1960s of civil rights legislation including the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to provide for federal oversight in areas in which historically minorities did not vote in expected numbers based on population. . The original city council line-up of 14 members (nine district-based and five at-large positions) was based on a U.S Justice Department mandate which took effect in 1979. At-large council members represent the entire city. Under the city charter once the population in the city limits exceeded 2.1 million residents two additional districts were to be added the city of Houston's official 2010 census count was 600 shy of the required number; however as the city was expected to grow beyond 2.1 million shortly thereafter the two additional districts were added for and the positions filled during the August 2011 elections, Also in the Museum District is the non-denominational Rothko Chapel founded by John and Dominique de Menil designed by Mark Rothko and Philip Johnson and completed in 1971 the interior serves not only as a chapel but also as a major work of modern art on its walls are 14 black but color-hued paintings by Mark Rothko who greatly influenced the shape and design of the chapel Rothko was given creative control and he clashed with Philip Johnson over the plans Rothko continued to work first with Howard Barnstone and then with Eugene Aubry but he did not live to see the chapel's completion in September 2000 the Rothko Chapel was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Alamo Mission painted 10 years after the battle. Many of the Texas settlers believed the war to be over and left the army after the initial string of victories the remaining troops were largely recently-arrived adventurers from the United States; according to historian Alwyn Barr the numerous American volunteers "contributed to the Mexican view that Texan opposition stemmed from outside influences." the Mexican congress responded to this perceived threat by authorizing the execution of any foreigner found fighting in Texas; they did not want prisoners of war. La Salle's colonization expedition left France on July 24 1684 and soon lost one of its supply ships to Spanish privateers a combination of inaccurate maps La Salle's previous miscalculation of the latitude of the mouth of the Mississippi River and overcorrecting for the Gulf currents led the ships to be unable to find the Mississippi. Instead they landed at Matagorda Bay in early 1685 400 miles (644 km) west of the Mississippi in February the colonists constructed Fort Saint Louis.

One of the primary motivations for annexation was the Texas government's huge debts the United States agreed to assume many of these upon annexation However the former Republic never fully paid off its debt until the Compromise of 1850 in return for $10 million a large portion of Texas-claimed territory now parts of Colorado Kansas Oklahoma New Mexico and Wyoming was ceded to the Federal government, The Houston Office of Protocol and International Affairs is the city's liaison to Houston's sister cities and to the national governing organization Sister Cities International Through their official city-to-city relationships these volunteer associations promote people-to-people diplomacy and encourage citizens to develop mutual trust and understanding through commercial cultural educational and humanitarian exchanges. ! . Disenfranchisement Locations in Houston are generally classified as either being inside or outside Interstate 610 known as the "610 Loop" or simply "The Loop" Inside the loop generally encompasses the central business district and has come to define an urban lifestyle and state of mind Elizabeth Long the author of the 2003 book Book Clubs: Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life wrote that most of the upper middle classes in the 610 Loop live in the southwestern part of the inner city in the areas near Hermann Park the Houston Museum District Rice University and the Texas Medical Center while some portions of northern Houston and Eastern Houston have been gentrified and also have upper middle classes, The Texas Veterans Association composed solely of revolutionary veterans living in Texas was active from 1873 through 1901 and played a key role in convincing the legislature to create a monument to honor the San Jacinto veterans in the late 19th century the Texas Legislature purchased the San Jacinto battlesite which is now home to the San Jacinto Monument the tallest stone column monument in the world in the early 20th century the Texas Legislature purchased the Alamo Mission now an official state shrine in front of the church in the center of Alamo Plaza stands a cenotaph designed by Pompeo Coppini which commemorates the defenders who died during the battle. More than 2.5 million people visit the Alamo every year. . . 10.5.1 Rates of infant mortality, First Baptist Church at 117 Cora Street in Center is located next to the downtown section, Greater Houston possesses a hub-and-spoke limited-access highway system in which a number of freeways radiate outward from Downtown with ring roads providing connections between these radial highways at intermediate distances from the city center the city is crossed by three Interstate highways Interstate 10 Interstate 45 and Interstate 69 (commonly known as U.S Route 59) as well as a number of other United States routes and state highways Major freeways in Greater Houston are often referred to by either the cardinal direction or geographic location they travel towards Highways that follow the cardinal convention include U.S Route 290 (Northwest Freeway) Interstate 45 north of Downtown (North Freeway) Interstate 10 east of Downtown (East Freeway) Texas State Highway 288 (South Freeway) and Interstate 69 south of Downtown (Southwest Freeway) Highways that follow the location convention include Interstate 10 west of Downtown (Katy Freeway) Interstate 69 north of Downtown (Eastex Freeway) Interstate 45 south of Downtown (Gulf Freeway) and Texas State Highway 225 (La Porte or Pasadena Freeway). 6.1 Energy Gregg County (121,730) Houston has excessive ozone levels and is routinely ranked among the most ozone-polluted cities in the United States. Ground-level ozone or smog is Houston's predominant air pollution problem with the American Lung Association rating the metropolitan area's ozone level twelfth on the "Most Polluted Cities by Ozone" in 2017 after major cities such as Los Angeles Phoenix New York City and Denver the industries located along the ship channel are a major cause of the city's air pollution the rankings are in terms of peak-based standards focusing strictly on the worst days of the year; the average ozone levels in Houston are lower than what is seen in most other areas of the country as dominant winds ensure clean marine air from the Gulf, Houston Texas Business Directory George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) located 23 miles (37 km) north of Downtown Houston between Interstates 45 and 69 is the eighth busiest commercial airport in the United States (by total passengers and aircraft movements) and forty-third busiest globally the five-terminal five-runway 11,000-acre (4,500-hectare) airport served 40 million passengers in 2016 including 10 million international travelers in 2006 the United States Department of Transportation named IAH the fastest-growing of the top ten airports in the United States the Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center is located at Bush Intercontinental.