Would you be willing to move far away from home if you were offered free land?
A.
Yes
B.
No
A
0%
A. A
B. B
0%
B

Section 2 Independence for Texas

Why did Texans fight for their independence from Mexico?

• Conflict began in
1803
• Louisiana Purchase-
Americans claimed land in present day
Texas
• Spain protested
• In the Adams-Onis
Treaty the US agreed to drop its claim to this region

• Few people lived in Texas
• Most were Tejanos
(Mexicans living in Texas)
• Native Americans
(Comanches, Apaches, and Kiowas) also lived in this area
• The Spanish offered large amounts of land to people who agreed to bring families to settle there
• The people who received this land and recruited the settlers were called empresarios

• American Moses Austin received the first land grant in
1821
• Moses Austin died before he could establish his colony
• Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821
• Austin’s son, Stephen F.
Austin , received permission from the Mexican government to organize a colony
• 300 American families settled in
Texas
• From 1823-1825 Mexico sold land at extremely low costs
• In return settlers agreed to learn
Spanish, become Mexican citizens, convert to Catholicism, and obey Mexican law
• Most settlers came from the US

How did Mexico attract settlers to Texas?
A.
It jailed the empresarios for keeping most of the land in
Texas for themselves.
B.
It removed all taxes on
American-made goods.
A. A
C.
It offered land to people who agreed to settle it.
B. B
C. C
D.
D. D

• By 1830- There were more
Americans in Texas than
Mexicans
• Plus they did NOT adopt
Mexican ways
• The US had twice offered to buy
Texas from Mexico
• The Mexican government became alarmed at the
American influence and passed a decree that stopped all immigration from the US
• Trade between Texas and the
US were discouraged by placing a tax on goods imported from the US
• These policies angered Texans who depended on US trade and also had friends and relatives who wanted to come to Texas
• Slave holders in Texas were also upset at the Mexican governments plan to end slavery

• 1833- General Antonio
Lopez de Santa Anna became the president of
Mexico
• Stephen F. Austin traveled to
Mexico City with the Texans’ demands to remove the ban on American settlers
• Also to make Texas a separate state of Mexico
• Santa Anna agreed to remove the ban on American settlers, but not on the second request
• Austin sent a letter to Texas suggesting plans for independence get underway
• The letter was intercepted and Austin was arrested

• Austin was in jail
• Santa Anna named himself dictator and overthrew Mexico’s constitution in 1824
• Santa Anna placed Texas under greater control
• The Texans’ lost all power
• Austin was released from prison and saw that dealing with Santa Anna was impossible
• He knew war was inevitable

• 1835- unrest among Texans sometime resulted in fighting
• Santa Anna sent an army to punish the rebels
• In October- Some Mexican troops tried to seize a cannon held by the
Texans in Gonzales
• The Texans taunted them with a white flag that said “Come and
Take It”
• After a brief battle, the Mexicans were driven back
• Texans considered this the first fight of the Texas Revolution
• Volunteers joined (including
Tejanos and African Americans)
• December 1835- Texans freed San
Antonio from a larger Mexican force

• Santa Anna was furious and marched north to San
Antonio in February 1836
• The Texans were barricaded inside a nearby mission called the
Alamo
• The Texans had cannons, but little gunpowder
• The Texans had only about 180 soldiers
• Santa Anna’s army had several thousand
• The Texans had brave leaders like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie

• The Texan commander was 26 year old William B. Travis
• Travis was determined to hold his position at the Alamo
• Travis sent messages asking for help from Texans and from the US
• For 12 days, The Alamo defenders kept Santa Anna at bay with rifle fire
• March 6, 1836- Mexican cannon fire smashed the
Alamo’s walls
• The Mexicans entered the
Alamo killing all the defenders
• Only a few women and children and some servants survived
• The defenders killed hundreds of Mexicans, but more importantly bought Texans some much needed time

Why was the battle at the Alamo important to the
Texans?
A.
The tragic loss led to their overall defeat in the war.
B.
Their victory at the Alamo was the turning point of the war.
C.
The Texans’ stand gave them much-needed time and inspiration.
A
0%
A. A
B. B
0% 0% 0%
D
D.
D. D

• Texan leaders were writing a new constitution
• March 2 nd , 1836-
American settlers and
Tejanos declared independence
• The Republic of Texas was established
• Texans could not vote because of Mexican occupation, so Texas leaders set up a temporary government
• Sam Houston was named commander in chief

• Houston ordered troops at Goliad to abandon their position
• Before they could leave they were met by
Mexican troops and had a fight
• Several hundred Texans surrendered
• Santa Anna ordered them all executed
• The Texans called it the
“Goliad Massacre”

• Houston gathered an army of about 900 at San
Jacinto (Near present day
Houston)
• Nearby was Santa Anna with more than 1,300
• April 21- Texans launched a surprise attack yelling
• “Remember the Alamo!
Remember Goliad”
• They killed more than
600 and captured more than 700 more (including
Santa Anna)
• May 14, 1836- Santa
Anna signed a treaty that recognized the independence of Texas

• September 1836- Sam
Houston was elected president of Texas
• Houston sent delegates to Washington D.C., asking the US to annex
Texas
• Andrew Jackson refused the request… why?
• Another slave state would upset the balance of slave states and free states in Congress
• Texas would remain an independent country… for now

• Texas still had problems with Mexico
• Also had debt
• Many wanted to join the US
• Southerners favored
Texas annexation,
Northerners opposed it
• The slavery issue kept Texas from joining the US

• 1844 presidential campaign changed the situation
• Manifest Destiny was a popular idea at the time
• When Polk became president, Congress passed a resolution to annex Texas
• Texas joined the
Union in 1845

Why did Texans fight for their independence from Mexico?
-Americans in Texas were upset about the actions of the Mexican government, including limitations placed on immigration from the US
-Taxation on US imports, which discouraged trade and hurt Texans’ livelihoods
-Plans to end slavery

A. Mexicans.
25% 25% 25% 25%
B. Texans.
C. Tejanos.
D. empresarios.
M ex ic an s.
T ex an s.
T ej an os
.
e m pr es ar io s.

7. The Mexican government arrested
Stephen F. Austin because he worked for
A. the American government.
B. Texas independence.
C. President Santa
Anna.
D. overthrowing the government.
25% 25% 25% 25%
th e
A m er ic an
g ov er
...
T ex as
in de pe nd en
P re si ce
.
de nt
S an ta
A
o ve rt nn a.
hr ow in g th e go
...

8. During the battle in Gonzales, Texas bore a flag on the cannon on which was printed,
A. "Come and Take
It."
B. "Freedom or
Death."
C. "Texans Are
Americans."
D. "Texas or Die."
25% 25% 25% 25%
"
C om e an d
Ta ke
It
." do m
"
Fr ee
o r D ea th
."
"
Te xa ns
A re
A m er ic a.
..
"
Te xa s or
D ie
."

9. After which victory did Santa Anna sign a treaty recognizing the independence of
Texas?
A. Goliad Massacre
25% 25% 25% 25%
B. the Alamo
C. Battle of San
Jacinto
D. Battle of the Rio
Grande
G ol ia d
M as sa cr e
th e
B
A la m o at tle
o f S an
J ac in to he
R at tle
o f t
B io
G ra nd e

10. Who did the provisional government of the Republic of Texas name as commander in chief of the Texas forces?
A. Davy Crockett
25% 25% 25% 25%
B. Sam Houston
C. Jim Bowie
D. John Tyler
D av y
C ro ck et t
S am
H ou st on
J im
B ow ie
J oh n
Ty le r

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Participant 5

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