1. The Texas Revolution
ES: Explicitly assess information and draw conclusions
(Don’t copy what’s in RED)

2. 1519 – 1685/1690 –
Spain France Mexico
US ;
Texas as a Republic Confederacy Present

3. Why did Spain want people to settle in Texas?
Tejanos - People of Spanish heritage who consider Texas their home
Spain encourages American settlement to protect against Native American attacks
Award Stephen Austin a land grant
1821: Mexico gains independence
Austin has to agree to:
Become Mexican citizens
join the Roman Catholic Church
speak Spanish

4. American settlement in Texas
Stephen Austin has 297 families move to Texas
WHY?
Looking for a new life
Escaping the law
Looking for economic gain
By 1830, the population was 30,000

5. Brief Timeline of Events
Mexico outlaws slavery
Mexican government closes Texas to American immigration – Americans won’t obey laws
Texans have to pay taxes
Mexican troops are sent to enforce the laws
1833 – Austin goes to Mexico City to petition General Santa Ana about these changes.
Austin is jailed for writing a letter advocating a Texan rebellion

6. “Remember the Alamo” 1835 – Santa Ana sends in more troops in Texas
1835 – Mexican soldiers marched to the town of Gonzales to seize a cannon used by the Texans.
The Texans take over an old fort called the Alamo and it starts a 13 day siege of the fort. The Texans kill about 800 of the Mexican forces, but they eventually run out of food and supplies.
Mexican forces stormed the fortress, killing nearly all of the Texan defenders – about men and women die.
Jim Bowie and Davey Crockett died in the Alamo

7. The Battle of San Jacinto
Mexico sends an additional 6,000 troops to Texas.
On April 21, 1836, the Texans led by Sam Houston advanced on General Santa Ana’s army in San Jacinto.
In 18 minutes the Texans killed more than half of the Mexican army.
General Santa Ana surrenders and signs a treaty give Texas its freedom.

8. Why did Texans declare independence from Mexico in 1836?
Read Texas independence Documents A-D. Use the graphic organizer to read the documents and answer the inquiry question.
Analysis Questions:
Why did Texans declare independence? Were Texans justified in doing so?
Were these honorable men fighting for freedom or greedy slaveholders?
What evidence from the documents supports your position?
Which of these pieces of evidence do you find more/less trustworthy?
Why do historians still debate this question?

9. Why was the U.S. reluctant to annex Texas?
1836 – Texas is declared the Lone Star Republic
The U.S. feared a war with Mexico
Texas wanted to enter the Union as a slave state, upsetting the even split of slave and free states.
Texas is annexed into the union in 1845, almost 10 years after it applies for statehood.
Mexico, who really never accepts the loss, sees the annexation as an act of war. This leads to the US-Mexican War from