Module 3
Power, Authority and Change
Conflicts and
Mexican
Independence
What were the causes of Mexico’s war
for Independence?

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Wide economic and social divisions
between the rich and poor in New Spain
Political Corruption in Spain
Examples of other revolutions (America
and Latin America)
Mexico Independence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT60gGlnLs&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_
mode=1&safe=active

(5 min)

Spain claimed Texas for 300 years but
there had been little growth

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Only 3 main settlements (San Antonio, Goliad,
and Nacogdoches)
Spain had trouble attracting Spanish
settlers

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No gold, silver, too many natives, too remote
Ignored Texas
Mexico wins Independence

September 16, 1810 -1821

1821 Mexican army defeats Spain
 Independence is celebrated on September 16th

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwMKQto74t8&safety
_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active

3 min
What was the effect on Texas?

“The (armies have) drained the resources
of the country, and laid their hand on
everything that could sustains [support]
human life. [Texas] has advanced at an
amazing rate toward ruin and destruction.”
 Antonio Maria Martinez
Effect on Texas
 Many
Tejanos fled or killed
 Texas Native relations worsened
 Texas economy ruined
MEXICAN RULE
The Constitution of 1824
Formed state of Cohuila y Texas

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Effect:
The capital was far from Texas
Hard for Texans to participate in state
government
Some Texans
were angered!
Gave states strong local control

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
Effect:
Local government could adjust to meet
local needs (US settlers)
Local government became a mixture of US
and Mexican practices
Roman Catholicism – the official
religion
Effect:
 Texans publically
claimed to be Catholic
but privately worshiped
as they pleased

Mexican policies in Texas


Mexico’s new government had to decide
which Spanish policies to continue in Texas
Began to secularize the Texas missions
(move from religious control to civil control)


1831- all missions buildings and lands were
placed under local control, given away or sold
Tejanos acquired most of the mission land
New settlement system
Mexico had to find a new system to
replace the mission system
 Wanted to populate Texas


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Worried the Tejano population too small to
protect Texas
Should they open Texas to US settlers?
Decided on the Empresario system
Venn Diagram - Compare the U.S.
and Mexican Constitutions

As a class
The Road to Revolution
The Fredonian Rebellion



Haden Edwards (from Kentucky),
empresario, had permission to bring 800
families near Nacogodoches.
Edwards found settlers living on the land.
He ordered them to show their land title or
buy a new one from him. If not they would
be thrown off land.
The settlers
were MAD and
complained to
government.
 Mexican
government
agreed with
settlers and
canceled
Edwards’ land
grant.

Result
Edwards tried to lead a revolution.
 Benjamin Edwards (brother) claimed East
Texas as Independent Republic of Fredonia.
 1826 rode into Nacogdoches and adopted
the Fredonian Declaration of Independence.

Old Stone Fort
Results
 Most
Texans (Tejanos and US
settlers) opposed the Fredonian
Rebellion.
 Stephen F. Austin called out militia
 The rebels fled.
 Small event but attracted a lot of
attention!
Why the name Fredonian?
 Fredonia
was a named used in early
America describing America as a
place of freedom.
The U.S. meddles



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US newspapers called it a revolt and blew it
out of proportion.
US wanted to buy Texas and made several
offers.
Mexico was offended! Suspected the US
encouraged the Fredonian Rebellion.
Mexico was worried about US interference
and sent troops to East Texas.
Mier y Teran Report


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Mexico sent General Manuel de Mier y
Teran to tour Texas and investigate
conditions there.
Mier y Teran began his tour in Laredo in
1828. Travled to San Antonio, San Felipe
de Austin and Nacogdoches.
Met with Stephen F. Austin and discussed
the issues important to US settlers.
SFA expressed his loyalty to Mexico.
Mier y Teran
Mier y Teran Reports to Mexico


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Anglo settlers influence in East Texas too
strong.
Anglo settlers out number Mexican settlers
10-1.
Mexican government MUST act or lose
Texas.
Mier y Teran Recommends



Increase trade with Texas and Mexico so
the Texans won’t trade with US
More soldiers sent to Texas
Encourage more European and Mexican
settlers to come to Texas
Law of April 6, 1830
 Banned
slavery
in Mexico
(Texas was
exempt…for
now)

Banned US immigration to Texas and
made it illegal to bring more slaves to
Texas
Taxed
all US imports
coming to Texas
Mexico hoped the Law of April 6 would
strengthen Mexican control of Texas
 Tejanos and Anglo Settlers were
FURIOUS!

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Afraid the new laws would hurt the economy
US settlers mad that their families could not
come to Texas
SFA’s response
 SFA
did not like the new law BUT
tried to work with Mexican officials
and encouraged settlers to obey
 Austin realized that Texas-Mexico
relations were BAD
 This is the turning point!
Activity about Law of April 6, 1830
 Write
a letter to the governor of
Cohuila Y Tejas protesting the new
laws. It must include specific
references to 3 of the articles from
the Law of April 6, 1830.
Conflict at Anahuac


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More troops and more taxes!
Col. Bradburn arrested Patrick Jack and
William B. Travis.
A small skirmish broke out.
Texas colonists needed more firepower
and sent John Austin to Brazoria to bring
back a cannon
 While
the
colonists waited
for John Austin
and the cannon
they adopted a
number of
statements
known as the
Turtle Bayou
Resolutions.
Turtle Bayou Resolutions


Colonists declared their loyalty to Mexico.
Supported Santa Anna and his revolt in
Mexico City against President Bustamante


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Bustamante ignored the Mexican Federal
Constitution of 1824 and this angered many
Santa Anna promised to support the Texanfavored constitution
Wanted the Mexican Constitution of 1824
Turtle Bayou
Resolutions
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna




1794-1876
Fought with Spain against
Mexican independence
but switched sides in
1821
1832 led revolt and in
1833 was elected
president
Promised to restore the
Constitution of 1824 but
did not!


Santa Anna becomes president in 1833
Texans are pleased!
Convention of 1832 and 1833
 Met
to discuss changes needed in
Texas
 58 delegated met in San Felipe
 Stephen F. Austin was elected
President of Convention
Convention of 1832 and 1833
Texas be made a separate Mexican state
 US immigration be allowed
 Exempt from import taxes
 Public schools
 Better protection from Native Americans
 Land titles for settlers in East Texas

 Never
sent so they
met again in 1833
Wrote a state constitution
 Adopted the same
resolutions
 Stephen F. Austin was
chosen to take the
resolutions to Mexico City.

SFA in Mexico City
Stephen F. Austin set out for Mexico City
in 1833.
 Mexico City was in turmoil. Santa Anna
was not there and the cholera epidemic
was sweeping the city.
 SFA was hoping for a quick answer but
had to wait for MONTHS

Cholera causes
watery diarrhea,
which leads to
dehydration and death


Austin was
frustrated and in
October wrote a
letter to the local
government in
San Antonio.
He advised them
to organize a
local
government for
Texas.

Santa Anna finally met with SFA. He
agreed to allow US immigration and to
lower taxes on US imports BUT he refused
to allow Texas to become a separate state.
YES to most resolutions
NO to state government

WHY???


 Austin
left Mexico City on
December 10, 1833. In
January he was arrested in
Saltillo.

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Mexican officials read his letter and thought
Austin challenged the Mexican
government.
SFA was taken back to Mexico City and
imprisoned for over a year without a trail.
What US amendment protects us from
this?
He was released in 1835.
What is a revolution?

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A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turn
around") is a fundamental change in power or
organizational structures that takes place in a
relatively short period of time. Aristotle
described two types of political revolution:
Complete change from one constitution to
another
Modification of an existing constitution

“War is our only recourse. There is not
another remedy. We must defend our
rights, ourselves, and our country by force
of arms.”

Stephen F. Austin
The call to war!
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Things did not improve in Texas.
Texans met to discuss their options in August
15, 1835
2 parties: Peace party and war party.
SFA agreed with war party- he was convince
Santa Anna was a dictator.
What is a dictator?
OUTPUT
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You are at the convention with the Texans.
Would you join the peace party or the war
party? Why?
Create a flyer to convince others to see
your side. Include a picture representing
the war or peace party. Include a title or
slogan. Give 2 reasons for someone to join
your party.
Texas Revolution
1835-1836
Gonzales
 October
2, 1835
 Commanders:
 Mexican: Colonel Ugartechea
 Texan: Colonel John H. Moore.

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Ugartechea ordered the people of
Gonzales to surrender the small brass
cannon.
The Texans refused, buried the cannon in
a peach orchard and waited for
reinforcements.
The Texan forces dug up the canon and
mounted it on the wagon.
They flew a white flag with the words
“Come and Take It”
The Mexican forces arrived and faced 160
Texans
 Fighting
ensued and one Mexican
soldier killed.
 The Mexicans retreated.
 The war has begun!
Ben Milam and San Antonio
 Ben
Milam led 300 men to attack
General Cos in San Antonio.
 Texans won and forced all Mexican
troops out of Texas.
 Texans
believed with this win the war
was over. They thought they could
form their own separate state within
Mexico and under the Constitution of
1824.
 BUT Santa Anna has other plans!!
The Battle of the Alamo
 Date:
February 23, 1836 –March 6,
1836
 Commanders:
 Mexican: Santa Anna
 Texan: Jim Bowie and William B.
Travis
The Mexican Army moves
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February 1836 Santa Anna led 6000
Mexican troops across the Rio Grande
Wanting revenge against the rebellious
Texans, Santa Anna marched to San
Antonio
General Jose Urrea led Mexican soilders
across Matamoros towards Goliad
The Texas army was NOT prepared for
the Mexican army.
 Colonel James Neil had 100 troops in San
Antonio.
 Colonel James Fannin had 400 troops in
Goliad.
 General Sam Houston was VERY
concerned! Texas army was
UNPREPARED and DISORGANIZED!

Sam Houston
“The Raven”

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Born in Virginia
Veteran of the War of
1812
Elected to US Congress
and Governor of
Tennessee
Moved to Texas in 1832
Took control of Texan
forces
 Sam
Houston recommended that the
Alamo be destroyed and the artillery
be removed.
 James “Jim” Bowie disagreed. He
thought the Alamo was too important.

Jim Bowie
He was in command of a
volunteer force in San
Antonio when William Travis
arrived with regular army
troops. The two men shared
authority during much of the
Siege of the Alamo, which
caused some personal
friction. But pneumonia
disabled Bowie, and he was
confined to his cot at the time
of his death on March 6, 1836
at the Battle of the Alamo.

“The salvation of Texas depends in great
measure on keeping Bexar [San Antonio]
out of the hands of the enemy….Colonel
Neil and myself have come to the solemn
[serious] resolution that we will rather die in
ditches than give them up to the enemy.”
 James Bowie
Alamo Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uu4iwC
vVrE&feature=related&safety_mode=true&
persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active
And so it begins….

On February 23, 1836, the arrival of
General Antonio López de Santa Anna's
army outside San Antonio nearly caught
them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texans
and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo
together. The defenders held out for 13
days against Santa Anna's army.

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Texas troops built up their defenses as the
Mexican forces approached Texas.
As the Mexican troops marched into the
city, the defenders, gathered food,
ammunition, and other supplies from local
citizens.
Santa Anna arrived and
demanded surrender!
The Texans replied with
a cannon shot!

Santa Anna ordered a large blood-red flag
be raised so the defenders within the
Alamo could see it. This “no quarter flag”
meant that Santa Anna would leave no
survivors.
Slit throat- song of No Quarter, No
Mercy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKD5Tg
HWyxM
 William
B. Travis, the commander of
the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying
pleas for help to communities in
Texas. On the eighth day of the
siege, a band of 32 volunteers from
Gonzales arrived, bringing the
number of defenders to nearly two
hundred.
William B. Travis

Born in S.C. and moved with
his family to Alabama. He
became an attorney and
published a newspaper. In
1830 Travis left his family and
headed for Texas. He got a
land grant from SFA and set up
a law practice. Travis became
the commander at the Alamo.
He was only 26 at the time of
his death.
William B Travis

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
Commandancy of the Alamo
Bexar, Feby 24th, 1836 To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World-Fellow Citizens and Compatriots
I am besieged with a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have
sustained a continual Bombardment and cannonade for 24 hours and have not lost a
man. The enemy has demanded surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison is to be
put to the sword, if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot,
and our flag still waves proudly over the wall. I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I
call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, of everything dear to the American
character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving reinforcements
daily and will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call
is neglected I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier
who never forgets what is due his honor and that of his country.
VICTORY OR DEATH
William Barret Travis
Lt. Col. Comd't
P.S. The Lord is on our side -- when the enemy appeared in sight we had not three
bushels of corn -- We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into
the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves.
Flag flying at Alamo- what does it
mean?
Legend holds that with the possibility of
additional help fading, Colonel Travis
drew a line on the ground and asked
any man willing to stay and fight to step
over — all except one did.

As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the
key to the defense of Texas, and they were
ready to give their lives rather than
surrender their position to General Santa
Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were
Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and
David Crockett, famed frontiersman and
former congressman from Tennessee.

The final assault came before daybreak on
the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns
of Mexican soldiers emerged from the
predawn darkness and headed for the
Alamo's walls. Cannon and small arms fire
from inside the Alamo beat back several
attacks.

Regrouping, the Mexicans scaled the
walls and rushed into the compound.
Once inside, they turned a captured
cannon on the Long Barrack and church,
blasting open the barricaded doors. The
desperate struggle continued until the
defenders were overwhelmed.

By sunrise, the battle had ended and Santa
Anna entered the Alamo compound to
survey the scene of his victory.
?????????????



Some sources say there were no survivors.
Some say 7 men including Davy Crockett
survived and were executed by Santa
Anna.
Either way on March 7 there were no
Texans alive at the Alamo.


Susanna
Dickinson with
the other women
and children were
allowed to leave
the Alamo.
Santa Anna also
spared a slave
named Joe.
After the fall….




Santa Anna had all Alamo defenders’
bodies (182) burned in pyres.
600 Mexican casualties were buried
Santa Anna believed the fall of the Alamo
would convince Texans to surrender.
He was wrong.
 Remember
the Alamo became a
battle cry and symbol to Texans that
they must fight on at any cost!
Susana
Dickinson




Sole adult Anglo
survivor of the Alamo.
Left with note from
Santa Anna to Sam
Houston.
Asked for and was
denied $500 from new
Texas government.
Was married 4 more
times.
Juan Seguin




Supported Texan’s rights to
influence local law.
Volunteered for military service
during the Revolution.
Served as a courier at the Alamo
and led a Tejano unit at San
Jacinto.
Rumored to have buried the
ashes of the Alamo defenders.
http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/adp/history/1836/the_compound/ash
es.html

Two pyres were
located in this area,
one on either side of
the "Alameda." Today
the site is marked by a
marble plaque, placed
there by the De Zavala
Chapter Texas
Landmark Association.

Declaration activity
Texas Declares Independence




The Convention of 1836 was held at
Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1.
59 delegates including Sam Houston and
Lorenzo de Zavala
They quickly declared independence on
March 2, 1836 in an unanimous vote!
Some Tejanos disagreed with the call for
independence.
Declaration of Independence



George Childress wrote most of the
declaration of independence.
Used the US Declaration of Independence
as a guide
Listed the complaints the settlers had
against Santa Anna’s government

Mexico denied them many rights guaranteed
under the Constitution of 1824
George Childress
Born and raised in
Tennessee. In 1835 he
volunteered for the
Texas army. He called
the convention of 1836
to order and wrote the
Texas Declaration of
Independence.
Lorenzo de Zavala
Served as a Mexican
congressman and governor.
In 1829 he received a land
grant and settled 500
families in east Texas. He
became involved in the
Texas Independence
movement in 1835. He
played a key part in drafting
the Constitution, was
elected interim vice
president and drafted the
design for the first flag of
Texas.
The Runaway Scrape


Houston was given full command of the
army. He was short on troops, guns,
ammunition, supplies and money!
Houston moved the army to Gonzales still
not knowing of the Alamo. Upon hearing of
the outcome and news that Santa Anna
and 700 troops were on their way, Houston
ordered a retreat.





Civilians packed their belongings as well
and left.
Houston ordered the town of Gonzales
burned so not to be used by the Mexican
troops.
As word spread of the fate of the Alamo,
many panicked and fled east.
They left their farms, homes and towns to
avoid the Mexican army.
Heavy rains and flooding made the
conditions worse.
Goliad




Date: March 27
Commanders
Mexican: General Urrea
Texan: James Fannin
Goliad



Colonel Fannin and his 400 troops were
surrounded by General Urrea outside
Goliad.
Fannin surrendered. He was outnumbered.
The Texans were held at Goliad for a week.
Urrea was ordered by Santa Anna to
execute the 400 Texans on March 27.
The Massacre



The Texans were not told of their fate. They
were marched unarmed into a field and
then fired upon.
Some of the Texans escaped.
The Angel of Goliad- Francita Alvarez
helped many escape.
James Fannin
San Jacinto




Date: April 21, 1836
Commander
Mexican: Santa Anna
Texan: Sam Houston
San Jacinto



Houston began to prepare his army now
almost 1200.
He began retreating east toward the Brazos
River. MANY criticized him but he ignored
them.
Houston trained and drilled his soldiers.
They increased their weapons (many from
the US)
The Battle





The Mexican Army was exhausted from
marching and fighting.
Houston led about 900 troops including Juan
Seguin’s Tejano unit.
Yelling “Remember the Alamo!” “Remember
Goliad!” they attacked.
The battle last 18 minutes.
9 Texans died but 630 Mexicans were dead.




Santa Anna disappeared but was later
found hiding in the marsh dressed as a
regular solider.
Houston would not allow Santa Anna to be
killed.
WHY???
We needed him to recognize Texas
independence so the war and all future
wars would be over!
The Battle Flag captured from Santa Anna
Primary
Source
Adventures:
The Battle
of
San Jacinto
Battle Flag said to have been captured from Santa Anna at San Jacinto.
52.07cm x 120.65cm Star of the Republic Museum.
http://texashistory.unt.edu/permalink/meta-pth-31734
University of North Texas Libraries

April 21, 1836 Texans won their
independence from Mexico in one of the
most decisive victories in History!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXgTB0
MeVig
“Santa Anna …
announced his formal
surrender in Spanish...
Primary
Source
Adventures:
The Battle
of
San Jacinto
Major Bryan, then a
youth of 19 and a
soldier in the Texas
Army, acted as
interpreter.”
Kittrell, Norman G. (Norman Goree), 1849-1927.
The Battle-Field of San Jacinto : An Historical Sketch.
Houston, Texas. The Portal to Texas History.
http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth46833
University of North Texas Libraries