I remember reading somewhere that when the US accepted Texas into the US, that part of the treaty was that the Fed gov. could split Texas into 5 other states. Doing some online research has left me a little confused, as most articles are concerned with Texas succeeding.
So does the Fed gov have that power, or does Texas have the right to split off into smaller states?
I'm not concerned with the practicality of my question, should the Feds do that, would the state of Texas do it, etc. I would just like a more straightforward answer than what I've been coming across thus far. Is it even possible in 2016 or has another bill, treaty, ect. come along making it impossible, illegal?
No. Courts have repeatedly held that the Constitution supersedes any treaties that the government may enter into, including the Texas annexation treaty. (Reid v. Covert, October 1956, 354 U.S. 1)
Article IV, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution says that "no new states shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state [...] without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress."
Therefore, the Federal government can't force Texas to split, but it could certainly propose it.