The Convention of 1836
Essential Question:
How do governments change?
Starting a New Republic
• In early February 1836, Santa Anna
marched into Texas with a large army,
crossing the Rio Grande at Laredo. By
February 23, his army was in San
Antonio.
• While one group of Texans was readying
for battle in San Antonio, 59 elected
delegates began arriving at Washingtonon-the-Brazos to attend the Convention
of 1836.
Starting a New Republic
• The delegates began their work on March 1, 1836. The
Convention of 1836 marked the fourth time that Texans
had met to debate the status of Texas as a part of
Mexico.
• In 1832 and 1833, they had appealed to the Mexican
government. In 1835 they had sought support from
other Mexican states. At this fourth meeting, most
delegates were determined to split from Mexico.
The location of the Convention
of 1836 was …
A.
B.
C.
D.
Washington-on-the-Brazos
Lubbock
San Antonio
Galveston
The answer is:
A
Delegates to the Convention
• The delegates were all male, representing all the
Texas settlements.
• Only two of the 59 delegates, José Antonio
Navarro and José Francisco Ruíz, were native
Texans.
• Forty-five of the delegates had been born in the
southern United States and moved to Texas. Seven
were originally from the northern United States.
• One delegate was from Mexico and four came
from foreign countries—one each from England,
Scotland, Ireland, and Canada.
Navarro
Ruiz
Zavala
WHO WAS LORENZO DE ZAVALA?
• “I, a Mexican by birth and always partial to (fond of)
my native country, have been torn between opposing
duties and sentiments (feelings).”
• Decided to support the Texas fight for independence
• Supported democratic ideals
• Found a colony with 500 families in Texas
• Signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence
• Vice-President of the new Republic of Texas
• Helped to form a new government in Texas
Delegates to the Convention
• Several of the delegates had previous
legislative experience.
• The first task of the convention was to
elect a chairman, and the delegates
chose Richard Ellis.
• H. S. Kimble was chosen as secretary, to
record debates and decisions.
• The next important step the delegates
took was to appoint a committee to write
a declaration of independence.
Declaring Independence
• George Childress, originally from Tennessee, had made
the motion to write a declaration and was named
chairman of the committee to write it.
• On the morning of March 2, the committee presented
the Texas Declaration of Independence to the
convention. That same day, all the delegates at the
convention approved the declaration. As a result, March
2 became Texas Independence Day.
Declaring Independence
• After approving Childress’s declaration, the convention
turned its attention to writing a constitution for the
new republic (a government in which citizens rule
through elected representatives).
• On the night of March 16, the constitution was
completed and approved. The delegates then formed
an ad interim government and elected
Sam Houston as the commander-in-chief of
the Texas military.
Models for a New Government
• The delegates had only a short time to write both the
Declaration of Independence and Constitution of
Texas.
• Most of the delegates were very familiar with the
Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas
Jefferson in 1776, and the U.S. Constitution. These
documents served as the Texas writers’ main models.
They also included rights they enjoyed under Spanish
and Mexican governments.
Just as Thomas Jefferson was in
charge of writing the United States
Declaration of Independence,
________ was in charge of writing
the Texas Declaration of
Independence.
A.
B.
C.
D.
James Fannin
George C. Childress
David Crockett
Juan Seguin
The answer is:
B
Looking to American Government
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
• The Texas Declaration began with a justification
of the their actions. Santa Anna had violated
the liberties guaranteed under the Mexican
Constitution of 1824.
• The Convention of 1836 charged that Texans
had been deprived of many rights. Those rights
included freedom of religion and the right to
trial by jury, the right to bear arms, and the
right to petition the government.
• Finally, because Mexico had sent a large army,
the declaration also noted that the Texans’
protests against these policies were met with
military force.
Texas and U.S. Declaration of
Independence
CONSTITUTION
• There were also similarities between the Constitution of
Texas and that of the United States. Both documents
established three branches of government: the executive
(chief governing officer), legislative (lawmaking body),
and judicial (courts).
• Similar to the U.S. Constitution, Texas’s constitution
contained a Bill of Rights that guaranteed basic rights.
They included freedom of speech, freedom of the press,
freedom of religion, trial by jury, and other basic civil
rights, or guaranteed freedoms. This Bill of Rights
established civil freedom, political freedom, and religious
freedom in Texas.
Spanish and Mexican Models
• Some features of the Texas Constitution were based on
practices common in Spanish and Mexican law courts. For
instance, the document recognized both husbands and
wives as able to own community property.
• The constitution also had protections for people in debt.
For example, certain property could not be seized as
payment of debts.
• Ministers and priests were barred from holding public
office.
Limits on Rights
• The Convention of 1836 did not treat all people of Texas
equally. (Slavery was legal.)
• Free African Americans were not permitted to live in the
Republic of Texas without the permission of the
legislature, and their rights to own land were restricted.
• Native American rights were also left out of the
Constitution. Sam Houston, an adopted member of the
Cherokee Nation, tried to get them land titles, but the
convention did not approve it.
An Ad Interim Government
• There was not time to hold general
elections to approve the constitution and to
vote for a leader of the new republic.
Therefore, it was necessary to set up a
temporary government.
• The new leaders included the first president,
David G. Burnet.
• Sam Houston was elected by unanimous
vote as commander-in-chief of the
(volunteers and the regular) army.
On the Move
• Houston left the convention on March 6 to take
command of the army at Gonzales, arriving there
on March 11. By that time, the Alamo had already
fallen, its defenders killed.
• On March 15, reports reached the convention that
the Alamo had fallen. Two days later, on March 17,
the delegates received word that Santa Anna’s
army was marching toward their location at
Washington-on-the-Brazos. With that news, the
convention adjourned, or ended, and the
members scattered. (From Harrisburg to
Galveston)
Summary
• One of the first acts of the Convention of 1836 was to require
males to serve in the military because they expected to fight
for independence.
• Both American and Texas Declaration of Independence
documents justify the act of declaring independence.
• The Convention of 1836 did NOT address the rights of Native
Americans. The delegates did not approve a treaty that
granted the Cherokee in Texas the right to their lands.
• The news of the Alamo made them more certain that they
were doing the right thing in establishing an independent
country.
• The establishment of the Republic of Texas brought civil
freedom, political freedom, and religious freedom to the new
nation. The Texas Constitution had a Bill of Rights that
guaranteed basic rights, including freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, freedom of religion, trial by jury, and
other basic civil rights.