Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

Spanish Texas

- the Spanish land called Tejas bordered the United States territory called Louisiana

- the land was rich with natural resources: forests in the east, soil for growing corn & cotton, grassy plains for grazing animals, and rivers leading to the Gulf of Mexico

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- by 1821, only about 4,000 Tejanos lived in Texas

- Tejanos were people of Spanish heritage who considered Texas their home

- the Comanche, Apache, & other tribes fought fiercely against Spanish settlement of Texas

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- Spanish officials wanted more settlers to move to Texas to help defend against the Native Americans

- the Spanish government offered huge tracts of land, including lands to American Moses Austin

- those living on Spanish land grants had to agree to follow Spanish laws!!

Moses Austin

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

Mexican Independence Changes Texas

- shortly after Stephen Austin, Moses’ son, arrived in Texas in 1821, Mexico successfully gained its independence from Spain

- unfortunately for Austin, the Spanish land grant given to his father was now worthless

- from 1821 to 1827, Austin was successful in attracting 297 families to his new colony in Texas

Stephen Austin- because of the success of Austin’s colony, over 30,000 Americans moved to Texas!

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

Rising Tensions in Texas

- tensions began to rise between the Tejanos & the Americans as they began to resent one another

- Americans hated Mexican laws, the Mexican government for outlawing slavery in 1829, and the language of Spanish

- Tejanos thought the Americans believed they were superior & deserved special privileges, especially since they refused to adapt

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- the Mexican government sent an official to Texas to investigate and their concerns turned out to be accurate

- therefore, the Mexican government closed the state to further American immigration, required Texans to pay taxes for the 1st time, & sent more Mexican troops to Texas to enforce laws

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

Texans Revolt Against Mexico

- many Texans protested these actions, but they listed to Stephen Austin who remained loyal to Mexico

- Austin eventually went to Mexico City to meet the Mexican president, General Antonio López de Santa Anna to discuss peace, but was jailed for a year when Santa Anna found out about Austin’s support for rebellion if his needs were not met López de Santa Anna

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- by September of 1835, Santa Anna sent more troops to Texas to quell any rebellions

- the Mexican troops failed to maintain a stronghold on an old mission in San Antonio, called the Alamo, which was overtaken by the Texans

- in response to these actions, Santa Anna sent 6,000 troops into Texas from Mexico!

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

The Fight for the Alamo

- the Texans decided to start an army and named Sam Houston as the leading commander

- the Texas army had about 600 men with 183 of them stationed at the Alamo

- the Alamo was led by William Travis with Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

William Travis Davy Crockett Jim Bowie

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- Juan Seguín also helped Travis with 25 Tejanos to support the revolt against the Mexicans

- on February 24, 1836 Santa Anna’s troops surrounded the Alamo

- after 13 days of fighting the Mexican army, the Texans finally ran out of ammunition and all were dead except five in what came to be known as the Battle of the Alamo

Juan Seguín

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

The Battle of the Alamo – 1836

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- the five survivors were executed by Santa Anna and word began to spread about the fight for freedom

Victory at San Jacinto

- many more Texans began to flee east and Houston told his men to retreat from their position in the city of Goliad

- Mexican forces captured them and executed all 300 men, further enraging Texans against the Mexicans

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

- after Goliad, Houston was able to assemble an army of 800 angry & vengeful men

- they took revenge against the Mexican army on April 21, 1836 at the Battle of San Jacinto

- in less than 30 minutes, the Texans had killed more than half of the Mexican army

- Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty giving Texas its freedom…Texas was now an independent country!

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

Ch.13, Sec.2 – The Texas Revolution

Lone Star Republic

- in September of 1836, Texas became an independent nation called the Lone Star Republic

- Sam Houston was elected as the country’s 1st president

- Texas asked to be annexed into the United States in 1836, but Congress voted against their statehood because of slavery & the possibility of war with Mexico