Chapter 9 Workbook
committee of correspondence A local group sharing political
and military information with other groups
siege A military blockade of a city or fortress
provisional government A temporary government
municipality A locally governed area
regular army An army of full-time, paid soldiers
A Mexican Army Arrives in Texas
Mexican officials were concerned about whether they
could keep Texas under their control. More Mexican
soldiers were needed in Texas. When more soldiers were
sent to San Antonio, the colonists became concerned for
their safety. To make certain they were safe from the
soldiers, the colonists formed committees of safety.
These committees watched the roads. They warned the
colonists when Mexican soldiers were coming. The
settlers heard many rumors. One rumor was that the
Mexicans planned to arrest all the Texan leaders. Local
groups were formed to share political and military
information among the settlers. These groups were
called committees of correspondence.
6. What was the purpose of the committees of safety?
The purpose of the committees of safety was
to watch for Mexican soldiers and warn the
colonists when they were coming.
Gonzales—The Lexington of Texas
The first fighting between the colonists and the Mexican
troops was in Gonzales in October 1835. The first battle of the
American Revolution took place in Lexington, Massachusetts.
In both Gonzales and Lexington, the government tried to take
away the colonists’ weapons. Because these two battles were
similar, Gonzales is called the “Lexington of Texas.” Colonel
Ugartechea ordered the people to surrender their cannon. They
buried it and waited for more reinforcements. The Texan
forces dug it up and mounted it on a wagon. They decorated
the cannon with a white flag that said “Come and Take It.”
When the fighting began at Gonzales, it lasted only a few
minutes. The Mexican leaders told their soldiers to return to
San Antonio. Only one person, a Mexican soldier, was killed
in the battle. News of the fight spread quickly through Texas.
Many colonists were excited that Texas had won this battle.
Mexico saw the Battle of Gonzales as the beginning of a war.
7. Why was Gonzales called the “Lexington of Texas”?
Gonzales was called the Lexington of Texas
because it was the first battle of the Texas
Revolution.
On to San Antonio
One week after the fighting in Gonzales, a group of Texans
attacked the garrison at Goliad. The Mexicans quickly
surrendered. There was only one large group of Mexican
soldiers left in Texas. That group was at San Antonio. Texans
began gathering for the march against Cós. The cry was “On
to San Antonio!” Stephen F. Austin was chosen to lead a
group of several hundred Texan soldiers to San Antonio. As
they marched along, more soldiers joined the group. The
soldiers did not believe they could defeat the Mexican soldiers
in a battle. So, they decided to camp and lay siege set up a
military blockade around San Antonio. The Texans hoped
the Mexicans would run out of supplies and be forced to
surrender.
8. What did the Texans hope would happen when they laid
siege to San Antonio?
The Texans hoped the Mexicans would run out of
supplies and be forced to surrender.
Peace Party Prevails at the Consultation
At this same time, other Texans were meeting at San
Felipe for a Consultation. The delegates came from 14
different towns and districts. Members of the War Party
wanted to declare immediately that Texas was free from
Mexico. Members of the Peace Party opposed Santa
Anna but did not want to declare independence from
Mexico. They wanted the Consultation to declare that
Texas was fighting for the Constitution of 1824, which
Santa Anna had overthrown. The Consultation took a
vote on whether to declare independence from Mexico
immediately. The majority of delegates voted not to do
so. The next day, the group made a statement that
Texans were loyal citizens of Mexico, supported the
Constitution of 1824, and would take up arms only to
defend themselves and to oppose Santa Anna. This
statement is referred to as the Declaration of the People
of Texas.
9. How did the delegates differ about declaring
independence from Mexico?
The delegates at the Consultation differ in that
the Peace Party wanted to stay part of Mexico
and the War Party wanted to declare
independence from Mexico.
A Provisional Government Begins
Next, the Consultation created a provisional government, or
temporary government, for Texas. The provisional
government had a governor and a lieutenant (assistant)
governor. It also had a council with one representative from
each municipality, or locally governed area. The consultation
chose two members of the War Party as governor and
lieutenant governor. Both supported independence for Texas.
Most of the members chosen for the council were members of
the Peace Party. The two parties continued to argue. The
Consultation created a regular army of full-time, paid
soldiers. Sam Houston was named its commander. The
Consultation chose Stephen F. Austin and two other people as
commissioners representing Texas in the United States. They
were told to ask the United States for soldiers, supplies, and
money to fight against Santa Anna.
10. Why did the Consultation send representatives to the
United States?
The Consultation sent representatives to the United
States for soldiers, supplies, and money to fight
against Santa Anna
veto To reject
override To overrule
The Grass Fight
The Texans laying siege to San Antonio heard that a group of
Mexicans were headed there with mules carrying bags of
silver. The Texans believed this silver was going to be used to
pay the Mexican soldiers. A group of Texan soldiers met the
Mexican mule train and attacked it. They were disappointed to
find that the mules were carrying grass, not silver. This
skirmish became known as the “Grass Fight.” Except for the
Grass Fight, very little was happening at San Antonio.
The Texan volunteer soldiers were tired of waiting for the
Mexicans to surrender. They were hungry and winter was
coming. Many of the soldiers left. The siege was called off in
December.
5. Why did the Texans attack the group of Mexicans traveling
to San Antonio?
The Texans attack the group of Mexicans traveling
to San Antonio because they thought the mules
were carrying bags of silver for the Mexican
soldiers.
The Assault on San Antonio
As the Texans got ready to leave, they heard that the
Mexican army at San Antonio was weak and could not
win a major fight. By this time hundreds of volunteer
soldiers had begun to arrive in Texas from the
United States. A group of about 300 volunteers led by
Ben Milam and Frank W. Johnson decided to attack San
Antonio. The Texans forced the Mexican soldiers into
the center of town. The Mexicans took refuge in an old
mission known as the Alamo. After only four days, Cós,
the Mexican commander, admitted that he had lost the
battle. He promised he would never again fight against
the colonists or the Constitution of 1824. He and his
soldiers were allowed to return to Mexico. The capture
of San Antonio was a great victory for the Texans. The
Mexicans had almost twice as many soldiers as the
Texans, but the colonists won anyway. Now there were
no Mexican soldiers on Texas land. The Texas
volunteers then began to go home.
6. What did the Mexican commander promise after he
lost the battle at the Alamo?
After the battle of the Alamo the Mexican commander
Cos promised he would not fight against the colonist
or the constitution of 1824 ever again
Tejanos and African Americans Join the Fight
Many Tejanos (Texans whose ancestors were Mexicans)
could not decide whether to be on the side of Texas or
the side of Mexico. Most did not take either side. Some
Tejanos, however, joined Cós to fight for Mexico.
Others joined the Texas army commanded by Captain
Juan N. Seguín. Seguín supported the Texas movement
for independence. There were also a number of free
African Americans who fought in the Texas army. One
of them was Hendrick Arnold, who led part of
the Texas army into battle.
7. Why do you think it was hard for the Tejanos to
choose between the Texans and the Mexicans?
It was hard for the Tejanos to choose between
the Texans and Mexican armies because many
of their ancestors were from Mexico.
The Provisional Government
The provisional government continued its work as the
fighting went on. A post office was created. Plans were
made to set up an army and a navy. The government also
asked the United States to loan it money. There were
many arguments between the governor and members
of the Council. The Council voted to hold a convention.
However, the governor vetoed, or rejected, this idea.
The Council then overrode (overruled) the governor’s
veto. The convention would be held, even though the
governor was against it. Because of the disagreements
between the governor and the Council, the government
could not work properly. Neither side would cooperate
with the other side. The Texans should have been
preparing to fight the Mexican leader Santa Anna.
Instead, they were spending time arguing
with each other.
8. What did the governor do when the Council voted to
hold a convention? How did the Council react? What
finally happened?
The governor vetoed the Council’s vote to hold a
convention. The Council then overrode or
overruled the governor’s veto. The convention
would be held, even though the governor was
against it.
petition To request something from an individual
or body such as a government
executive Having to do with the chief officer of
a government
legislative Having to do with the lawmaking
body of a government
judicial Having to do with the courts
civil rights Freedoms guaranteed to all citizens
ad interim Temporary government
Santa Anna Crosses into Texas
The council called for a new convention to be held in
March 1836. Texans hoped that the Mexican army
would not come to Texas until after the convention.
However, the Texans found out that Santa Anna
was already on his way with a large army. The Mexican
soldiers arrived at San Antonio in February. For safety,
those Texans who were still in San Antonio moved into
the Alamo mission.
9. What did the Texans in San Antonio do when Santa
Anna’s army arrived?
The Texans in San Antonio moved to the Alamo
when they heard Santa Anna was coming to
Texas.
The Convention Declares Independence (page 215)
At the end of February, delegates started arriving in the
small town of Washington-on-the-Brazos for the new
convention. The Convention of 1836 began on March 1,
1836, with 59 delegates. Only two of the delegates
attending had been born in Texas. Most of the other
delegates were from different parts of the United States.
The Convention decided to choose a committee to write
a document stating that Texas was free of Mexico. The
Texas Declaration of Independence was similar to the
U.S. Declaration of Independence. It stated that
the Mexican government led by Santa Anna had not
treated the Texans fairly, and had not given them many
freedoms. Texans were denied the freedom of religion,
freedom to carry weapons, and the right to petition,
or request something from the government. In addition,
the Mexican government did not provide schools for
Texan children. The Texas Declaration of Independence
stated that the people of Texas were declaring that they
were free from Mexico. On March 2, 1836, all of the
delegates voted to adopt the Declaration of
Independence. March 2 is known as Texas Independence
Day. The following day the delegates signed the
declaration
10. What are two reasons the Texans believed the
Mexican government was treating them unfairly?
The Delegates Write a Constitution
The Convention then began writing a constitution for the
Republic of Texas. The delegates worked as quickly as
possible because Santa Anna was in Texas. The
constitution was completed and approved only
two weeks after the Declaration of Independence was
signed. The Texas constitution was similar to the
Constitution of the United States. It set up three
branches, or parts, of government. At the head of
the executive branch was the chief governing officer.
The legislative branch made the laws. The courts made
up the judicial branch. The Texas constitution also
contained a Bill of Rights that promised certain
civil rights to the citizens of Texas. These rights
included freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and
freedom of religion. The Texas constitution made it legal
to own slaves. Free African Americans were not allowed
to live in Texas without special permission. Those
African Americans who had fought to free Texas could
not live freely in the republic.
11. What are some of the civil rights protected by the
Texas constitution?