1. Independence for Texas
Chapter 12, Lesson 2

2. A Clash of Cultures
Davy Crockett from Tennessee won notice for his frontier skills, sense of humor, and shrewd common sense he often displayed in politics.
After losing his seat in Congress, he does not return to Tennessee, instead choosing to head into Texas for a new start.
While there, he wanted to assist the Texans in attaining their independence from Mexico.
This would won more fame for him than his adventures in the wild frontier.
Conflict in Texas began in 1803, with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France.
Americans believed the land where present-day Texas was belonged to them.
Adams–Onís Treaty – The U.S. agreed to drop any further claim to the region.

3. Land Grants Few people lived in Texas.
About 3,000 were Tejanos (Mexicans who claimed Texas as their home)
Native Americans in the area included Comanches, Apaches, and Kiowas.
The Spanish wanted to promote the growth of Texas by offering vast tracts of land to anyone who agreed to bring their families to settle on the land.
Empresarios – people who obtained these grants from the government and recruited the settlers.
Moses Austin – Business man who had developed a mining operation in Missouri, applied for and received the first land grant in 1821.
Before he could establish his colony, he dies of pneumonia.

4. Land Grants
Stephen F. Austin – son of Austin, confirmed the land grant with Mexico’s government and began to organize the colony.
Recruited 300 American families to settle the fertile land along the Brazos River and the Colorado River of Texas.
The first 300 people became known as the Old Three Hundred.
Many received 960 acres, with additional acres for each child.
Others received larger ranches,
His success made him a leader among American settlers in Texas.
From 1823 to 1825, Mexico passed three colonization laws offering settlers large tracts of land at extremely low prices and reduced or no taxes for several years.
In exchange, colonists needed to learn Spanish, become Mexican citizens, obey Mexican Law, and become Catholic.
Mexican leaders hopes to attract people from all over, including parts of Mexico, but most came from the U.S.

5. Growing Tension
By 1830, Americans heavily outnumbered Mexicans in Texas.
They did not adopt Mexican ways.
The U.S. has twice offered to buy Texas from Mexico.
The Mexican government saw the growing American influence with alarm.
They issued a decree (official order) that stopped all immigrants coming in from the United States while encouraging European and Mexican immigration with generous land grants.
Trade was between the U.S. and Texas was discouraged through taxes on imported goods from the U.S.
This angered many Mexicans who relied on trade with the U.S. and others wanted friends to move into Texas.
Some colonists were also uneasy about Mexico’s plan to end slavery.

6. Attempt at Reconciliation
Some Americans wanted independence while others wanted to stay with Mexico but on better terms.
In 1833 General Antonio López de Santa Anna becomes President.
Stephen F. Austin meets with him to discuss the demands of the Texans, wishing to remove the ban on American settlers and to make Texas an independent state.
Santa Anna agrees to the first request but not the second.
Austin sends word to Texas via letter suggesting plans for independence but, it is intercepted and Austin is arrested.
While Austin is in jail Santa Anna declares himself dictator and throws out the Mexican Constitution of 1824.
Without a constitution, Texans felt betrayed.
Santa Anna reorganized the government, placing greater central control over Texas, dismaying many people.

7. The Struggle for Independence
During 1835 unrest grew among Texans and occasionally resulted in open conflict.
Santa Anna sent troops to punish Texans for criticizing him.
In October some Mexican troops attempted to take a cannon held by Texans in the town of Gonzales.
The cannon was decorated with a white flag that read, “Come and Take It.”
After a brief struggle they drove back the Mexicans.
Texans consider this to be the first fight of the Texan Revolution.
Texans called on volunteers to help fight by offering land to them.
Assistance included Davy Crockett, a number of African Americans, and Tejanos.

8. The Struggle for Independence
A decisive victory was had when the Texans liberated San Antonio in 1835.
The Texas Army at San Antonio included more than 100 Tejanos who had previously served in a scouting company commanded by Captain Juan Seguín, who was an outspoken champion of the Texan’s demand for independence.
The Texans encountered problems despite some victories.
Some Texans left San Antonio after the Mexican withdrawal thinking the war was won.
Various groups argued about what should be done.
In 1836, they should have been preparing to face Santa Anna, but they did nothing.

9. The Battle of the Alamo
Santa Anna was not to pleased with the loss of San Antonio and marches north towards it arriving in February 1836, whre he finds a small Texan force barricaded inside a nearby mission called the Alamo.
They had cannons but lacked gun powder.
They had 185 soldiers to Santa Anna’s several thousands.
The Texans had brave leaders like Crockett, who came with a band of sharpshooters from Tennessee, and a tough Texan named Jim Bowie.
Their commander was William B. Travis, a 26 year old determined to hold the position.
He was occassionally able to send messages outward to the people of Texas and the United States., asking them for assistance. He warned that,
“the power of Santa Anna is to be met here, or in the colonies; we had better meet them here than to suffer a war of devastation to rage in our settlements.”

10. The Battle of the Alamo
Travis concludes with a statement that he and his troops were determined to hold the Alamo.
For 12 days, the defenders at the Alamo kept Santa Anna’s army at bay with rifle fire.
The Mexicans launched two assaults but had to disband them.
During the siege 32 volunteers from Gonzales slipped through the Mexican lines to join the Alamo’s defenders.
On March 6, 1836, Mexican cannon fire smashed the Alamo’s walls, and the Mexicans launched an all-out attack
Many Mexican soldiers were killed crossing the open land in an attempt to climb the Alamo’s walls.
The Alamo was finally overwhelmed, and the Mexicans killed Davy Crockett, William Travis, and Jim Bowie as well as the other defenders with only a few women, children, and some servants surviving.
Though they were unable to win, they bought enough time for the Texans.

11. Texas Declares Its Independence
On March 2, 1836 (four days before the fall of the Alamo) American settlers and Tejanos declared their independence from Mexico and established the Republic of Texas.
Meeting was held at Washington-on-the-Brazos, to draw up a new constitution.
The Texas Declaration of Independence was similar to the one written for the U.S. just 60 years prior.
Government of Santa Anna had violated the liberties guaranteed under the Mexican Constitution, such as right to bear arms, trial by jury, petitioning the government, and religious freedom.
They noted that their protest was met with force and that the Mexican government sent a large army to drive them from their homes.
They were unable to hold a regular election for the constitution due to the Mexican army being in Texas, so they set up a temporary government in the meantime.

12. Texas Declares Its Independence
David G. Burnet was chosen as president and the vice president was Lorenzo de Zavala.
De Zavala was working on a democratic government in Mexico, but moved to Texas when he saw Santa Anna would not make reforms.
Sam Houston was selected to be commander in chief of the Texas forces.
Raised by the Cherokee people, he became a soldier, and fought alongside Andrew Jackson against the Creek people.
He had also been governor of Tennessee and served in the Congress.
He wanted to prevent other forts from being overrun by Mexicans.
He ordered troops to abandon their position in Goliad, only to run into Mexican troops led by General Urrea during their retreat and after some fierce fighting, were forced to surrender.
Under Santa Anna’s orders, those Texans were executed a few days later, known as the “Goliad Massacre”.

13. The Battle of San Jacinto
Houston moves his army eastward about 100 miles, while watching Santa Anna’s movements and waiting for the right time to strike.
6 weeks later he had his opportunity.
After adding some troops, he gathered 900 at San Jacinto near the site of present-day Houston.
Santa Anna was camped nearby with an army of more than 1,300.
On April 21, The Texans launched a surprise attack yelling “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!” killing 600 soldiers and capturing about 700 more (Including Santa Anna… jerk.)
On May , Santa Anna signed a treaty that recognized the independence of Texas.

14. The Lone Star Republic
Texans elected Sam Houston as their president in September 1836.
Mirabeau Lamar, who built a fort at Velasco and fought bravely at San Jacinto, become vice president.
Houston sent delection to Washington D.C. requesting the U.S. annex (take control of) Texas but Andrew Jackson refused as it would cause an upset in the balance of slave states and free states in Congress.
It gets to remain an independent country for now.

15. The Question of Annexation
Despite rapid growth, Texas faced political and financial difficulties.
Mexico refused to acknowledge Santa Anna’s recognition of independence resulting in continued fighting.
They also amassed a huge debt with no way to repay it.
Many Texans still hoped to join the U.S.
Southerners loved the idea, but the Northerners objected to adding another slave state.
President Martin Van Buren shared Jackson’s view, and also did not want to inflame the slavery issue or enter war with Mexico.
John Tyler as president in 1841 supported adding Texas to the Union and persuades Texas to reapply for annexation.
The Senate was divided over slavery and failed to ratify the annexation treaty.

16. Texas Becomes a State
The situation changes with the residential campaign of 1844 and the growing feeling of Manifest Destiny.
The South favored Texas and the North demanded the U.S. to gain control of the Oregon Country from Britain.
James K. Polk (Democrat) supported both actions.
Henry Clay (Whig) did not like the idea of adding Texas to the Union, when he finally came out for annexation, it lost him votes in the North, and the election.
After Polk’s victory, the issue was pressed in Congress by his supporters.
It was proposed and passed a resolution to annex Texas.
On December 29, 1845, Texas officially became a state of the United States.