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TOPIC 6 – THE AGE OF JACKSON AND WESTWARD EXPANSION (1824-1860)

Lesson 6.6 – Independence for Texas

(Vocabulary & Notes)

Key Terms (Vocabulary):

1. dictator - a ruler with absolute power and authority

over a country, usually through the use of violence

2. Tejanos - a person of Mexican descent born in Texas

3. Alamo - an old Spanish mission building in Texas

where Mexican forces under Santa Ana besieged Texans in 1836

4. siege - a military blockade or encirclement of an

enemy town or position with the purpose of forcing it to surrender

5. Battle of San Jacinto - an 1836 battle between Texans and

Mexicans during the Texas war for independence from Mexico

6. annex - to add on or take over

7. Stephen Austin - (1793-1836) often referred to as the

“Father of Texas” founded the first colony of US settlers in Mexican Texas. Born in Virginia, he spend most of his life on the frontier, living in the Missouri and Arkansas territories before moving to Texas. His is credited with bringing at least 8,000 settlers to the region. Active as a colonial leader, he was also a member of the Coahuila-Texas legislature. After being imprisoned for petitioning that Texas become a separate Mexican state, Austin promoted Texan independence from Mexico. Although he saw his dream come rue, he died a mere two months after independence was achieved.

8. General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna-(1794-1876) the dictatorial

president of Mexico during the 1830s and 1840s. He was a career soldier and politician. As a young soldier, he fought on the side of Spain against Mexican independence. He later changed sides and fought for Mexico, eventually reaching the rank of general. In 1833, he was elected president of Mexico and soon had to contend with the rebellion of US settlers. Santa Anna was unable to suppress the rebellion and eventually was forced to grant Texas independence. He also led the Mexican military against the US during the US-Mexican War, which resulted in the loss of a large part of Mexico’s territory. Later, exiled from Mexico, he was permitted to return just prior to his death.

9. Sam Houston - (1793-1863) a soldier, lawyer, and

politician, was instrumental in Texan independence and its subsequent annexation by the US. He was born and grew up on a farm in Tennessee. In his teens, he ran away and lived with the Cherokee for three years. Ironically, he was involved in coordinating their removal from Tennessee in 1817. He was elected Tennessee’s governor in 1827, but only served a partial term. In 1833, he moved to Texas and became an active leader among its settlers. During the Texan war for independence, he was made commander in chief of the Texan army. After independence, he was elected president of the Republic of Texas and later served as a US senator

Lesson 6.6 - Independence for Texas

Obj: to summarize the cooperation and conflict between American settlers in Texas and the Mexican government; to explain how Texas gained independence; to describe how the events at the Alamo affected Texans; to identify the challenges faced by the Lone Star Republic

In the early 1800s, Texas was part of a Spanish province in the colony of New Spain, or Mexico.

Texas had very few Mexican settlers.

As a result, Spain had difficulty keeping order in the province, where settlers faced frequent raids by Comanche Indians.

In 1820, Spain gave Moses Austin a land grant and permission to colonize Texas with 300 Catholic families.

Although Austin died before he could set up a colony, his son Stephen, took over the grant.

AMERICANS COLONIZE MEXICAN TEXAS

1821 –

• Mexico won independence from Spain

• Moses Austin had been given a land grant by Spain giving him permission to colonize Texas

• Mexico’s independence had happened before Moses’ son Stephen could fulfill the agreement his father made with Spain.

• Stephen Austin went to Mexico City to make sure the new Mexican government still supported the land grant.

o The new leaders agreed

o Mexico was eager for settlers to develop the land and help control the Indian attacks.

▪ At this time, only about 4,000 Mexicans lived in Texas

By the 1820s –

• Most of the good land in the US was already occupied and could be expensive

o There was a scarcity of fertile land

• In Texas:

o There was a large supply of fertile land and it could be bought very cheaply

o This pulled many Americans to settle beyond the frontier

o The very fertile soil of Texas’s east and physical features of the land increased settlement to Texas

▪ Agriculture remains important to this region to this day

• Austin gathered the 300 families who would settle his colony in Texas

o Starting in 1821:

▪ They began settling the colony

▪ Many came from the cotton country of the Southeast

▪ Some built large cotton plantations and brought in slaves

• Austin’s land grant was located:

o Between the Colorado and Brazos river.

o He made sure to divide the grant so each colonist purchased a parcel of land that bordered a river to allow access to water.

▪ Access to water was vital for settlers, their farms, and their livestock.

• As his colony grew and succeeded, Mexico gave him several more land grants.

o Grants were given to other entrepreneurs to attract settlers to Texas

▪ Some were from Mexico

▪ The largest number came from the US

• By 1830, about 20,000 Americans had moved to Texas

CONFLICT WITH THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT

In return for land:

• Austin and the original settlers agreed to:

o Become Mexican citizens

o Worship in the Roman Catholic Church

• Later American settlers, however:

o Felt no loyalty to Mexico

▪ They spoke little Spanish

▪ Most were Protestant

• These and other differences led to conflicts between the settlers and the Mexican government

Mexico Tightens Its Grip on Texas

1830 –

Mexico barred any more Americans from settling in Texas.

• Feared they would try to make Texas part of the US

• The US had already tried to buy Texas from Mexico twice

To assert authority, Mexico began enforcing laws that were long ignored

• Required Texans to promise to worship in the Catholic Church

• Banned slavery

These laws were resented by American settlers and caused serious problems.

• Most Americans were Protestant

• Slaves were needed to work the cotton plantations

More tension and anger when Mexico sent troops to enforce its will.

1833 –

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna –

• Gained power in Mexico

1835 –

• He threw out the Mexican Constitution and began governing as a dictator

• Rumors spread that he intended to drive the Americans out of Texas

Texans Rebel

Santa Anna in power.

Americans in Texas felt the time had come for action

They had the support of the Tejanos

• The Tejanos did not necessarily want independence, but they did want to be rid of the dictator, Santa Anna.

October 1835 –

• In the town of Gonzales –

o Texan settlers and Mexican troops clashed

▪ The settlers forced the troops to withdraw

• Inspired, Stephen Austin vowed to “see Texas forever free from exican domination”

December 1835 –

• In the town of San Antonio –

o Texan settlers surrounded and then occupied the town

Determined to stamp out the rebellion, Santa Anna marched north with a large army.

INDEPENDENCE FOR TEXAS

Santa Anna is on the move.

March 2, 1836 –

A group of Texans declared independence for the Republic of Texas

• Sam Houston:

o Given command of its army

o There were volunteers from the US and other nations, as well as African Americans and Tejanos

▪ The fight was for Texan independence from Mexico

Siege at the Alamo

By the time Santa Anna reached San Antonio:

• Texans had taken up positions in an old Spanish mission

o The Alamo

• There they waited for the Mexican attack

• They were poorly equipped

• They were low on supplies:

o Ammunition

o Food

o Water medicine

• About 150 Texans faced a force of 6,000 Mexican troops

• Inside the mission were:

o William B. Travis

▪ A young lieutenant colonel

▪ Who was in command

o Jim Bowie

o Davy Crockett

o Several Tejano families

o Two Texan women

o Two enslaved young African American men

February 23, 1836 –

• Mexican troops began the siege of the Alamo

• The Texan defenders barely held out as cannons pounded the walls

• Travis knew that without help they were doomed

• He sent a messenger through the Mexican lines with a letter

o Addressed to “the people of Texas and all the Americans in the World”

• He also sent scouts to find more volunteers and food

o About 40 men managed to slip through enemy lines and joined the Texas inside the Alamo

• Still, no large force arrived to help them

• For 12 days, the Mexicans bombarded them

March 6, 1836 –

• Mexican cannons shattered the mission walls

• Santa Anna then launched an all-out-attack

• Thousands of Mexican soldiers poured over the broken walls

• Attackers and defenders battled in hand-to-hand combat

• In the end:

o About 180 Texans and almost 1,500 Mexicans lay dead

o Most of the few Texans who survived were executed

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The Battle of San Jacinto

The fall of the Alamo sparked Texan cries for revenge.

Texan fury grew even more when a few week later:

• Mexican troops killed several hundred soldiers at Goliad after they had surrendered

• News of these events inspired new volunteers to join the Texan forces

o Many came from the United States

• Houston worked to turn the volunteers into an effective army

o Many Texans were eager but Houston held them back until the time was right

o He would soon find the change to attack Santa Anna

• Scouts reported that Santa Anna and his army were camped new the San Jacinto River.

o April 21, 1836:

▪ Afternoon

▪ Texans caught their enemies by surprise

▪ With cries of “Remember the Alamo!” and “Remember Goliad!” the Texans charged into battle

The Battle of San Jacinto lasted only 18 minutes.

• Texas were outnumbered

• But the element of surprise was their greatest ally

o 630 Mexicans killed

o 700 more captured

o Santa Anna captured the next day

▪ He was forced to sign a treaty granting Texas independence

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THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS IS BORN

In battle, Texans carried a flag with a single star.

After winning independence, they nicknamed their new nation the Lone Star Republic.

• A constitution was written

• Using the US Constitution as a model

• September 1836 –

o Voters elected Sam Houston president of the Republic of Texas

The new country faced several serious problems.

• First –

o The government of Mexico refused to accept the treaty signed by Santa Anna

▪ Mexicans insisted that Texas was still part of Mexico

• Second –

o Texas was nearly bankrupt

• Third –

o Comanche and other Indian groups threatened to attack small Texan communities

Most Texans thought that the best way to solve these problems was to become part of the United States.

In the US, people were divided about whether, or not, to annex Texas.

The arguments reflected sectional divisions in the country:

• White southerners –

o Generally favored the idea

• Many northerners –

o Opposed it

The main issue – slavery

By the 1830s –

• Antislavery feeling was growing in the North

• Because many Texans owned slaves, northerners feared it would join the Union as a slave-owning state.

o Strengthening support for slavery I the US government

• President Andrew Jackson worried that annexing Texas would lead to war with Mexico

• Result:

o Congress refused to annex the Republic of Texas

• For the next nine years:

o Leaders of the Republic of Texas worked to attract new settlers.

o The new Texas government encouraged immigration

▪ Offered free land

o During the Panic of 1837

▪ Thousands of Americans moved to Texas

• Land was less expensive than in the US

o Settlers also arrived from Germany and Switzerland

▪ They helped the new nation grow and prosper

By the 1840s –

• about 140,000 people lived in Texas, including:

o many enslaved African Americans

o some Mexicans

The Republic of Texas remained an independent country until the US annexed it in 1845.

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