CONVENTION OF 1836

Looking to American government The U.S. declaration of independence starts with a clause justifying the Patriots’ actions. In the justification they had listed complaints with the British king. The Texan one is very similar. In it says that Santa Anna violated the liberties that were guarantied under the Mexican Constitution. The convention of 1836 said Texans were being deprived of several rights. They included: freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial by jury, the right to bear arms, and the right to petition the government. A petition is a formal request that is written to the government to take action or change a policy. Also, because Mexico sent a large army, the declaration also included that the Texans’ petition against the policies met with the military force.

Looking to American government There were also many similarities between the U.S. Declaration of independence and the Texas constitution. Both created three branches of government: the, executive, legislative, and the judicial. Like the U.S., the constitution of Texas included the Bill of Rights.

Looking to American government The Bill of Rights: Freedom of speech Freedom of the press Freedom of religion Trial by jury Other basic rights that allowed civil, political, and religious freedom.

Spanish and Mexican Models Some of the Texas constitution was based on the common practices in law courts of Mexico and Spain. Both husbands and wives are allowed to own community property A handful of early colonies allowed widows some property rights, but most banned women from rights like that To this day, only nine states have community property: most were one controlled by Spain There were protections for people in debt in the constitution. For example, if you were in debt, your land could not be taken away as that debt. This opportunity drew several immigrants to Texas. Texas also had several unique provisions. For example, there was a strict rule that ministers and priests could not be in office.

Limits on Rights Unfortunately, the Convention of 1836 didn’t treat everyone in Texas equally. One reason was because slavery was still permitted; it was made legal. On top of that, people who moved into Texas were allowed to bring slaves with them. Those who were slaves weren’t given any rights. They weren’t allowed to be freed. If you were a free African American, you weren’t permitted to live in the republic of Texas. I you did, you had to get permission form the legislature, and your rights were restricted. The African Americans played a role in gaining independence for Texas, but they were not allowed to live freely. Not only were African Americans limited on rights, so were the Native Americans. Sam Houston was an adopted member of the Cherokee and in 1835, he started the idea of creating a treaty for the Cherokee. The treaty Sam Houston spoke of was finalized in February, This treaty gave members of the Cherokee rights to their land. However, because the convention did not approve it, it never went into effect.

Limits on Rights Not only were African Americans limited on rights, so were the Native Americans. Sam Houston was an adopted member of the Cherokee and in 1835, he started the idea of creating a treaty for the Cherokee. The treaty Sam Houston spoke of was finalized in February, This treaty gave members of the Cherokee rights to their land. However, because the convention did not approve it, it never went into effect.

An Add Interim Government Because there wasn’t any time to hold elections for approving the constitution and electing a new leader for the new government, it was essential to create a temporary government. The last act of the convention was selecting officers for the add interim government. The officers they chose were to serve until a regular election would be held. The president was David G. Burnet. By a unanimous vote Sam Houston was selected as commander-in-chief. He was put in charge of the volunteers and the regular army.

On the move Often, the convention received reports from the Alamo. There were several delegates that wanted to leave the meeting in order to go fight. However, speaking convincingly of the importance of their work, Sam Houston convinced them to stay. To take command of the army at Gonzalez, he left the convention on March 6.

On the move Word reached the convention on March 15 that the Alamo had fallen. On March 17, the delegates heard that the army of Santa Anna was marching towards Washington-on-the- Brazos. When the heard this, the convention ended and the members scattered. The president and his cabinet headed to the southeast and established Harrisburg, which is still a small town in Houston today. A few weeks later Santa Anna went there and the Texas government had to flee once again. Now there was war headed for the Republic of Texas.