The Events that Led to the Texas Revolution
Fredonian Rebellion
- In Nacogdoches
- Group of Texans formed the Fredonian Republic
- Led by the Edwards Brothers
- Claimed the area was no longer under Mexican
control
- Stephen F. Austin sided with Mexican Gov’t
- Mexico sends militia – ends quickly
- Mexico become suspicious of U.S.
Mier y Teran Investigates
1828
The Mexican government wanted to know what the heck was going on in
Texas so the sent General Mier y Teran to investigate.
• Teran told the Mexican government that Texans outnumbered Mexicans
10 to 1.
• They should be worried about the growing American influence on
MexicanTexas.
• Resulted in Law of April 6
If the MX gov’t doesn’t do
something about the growing
influence, Texas will be lost
FOREVER!!!!!!!
Law of April 6, 1830
• Stopped all immigration from the UNITED STATES
• Issued a decree (law) abolishing slavery in Mexico (including Texas)
• Suspended empresario contracts
• Encouraged immigration from MEXICO AND EUROPE
• Placed customs duties (taxes) on goods made in foreign countries (the United
States)
Anahuac
Mexican colonel John Bradburn sent to Texas
to enforce Mexican Laws
Finally, after Bradburn arrested William Travis
and Patrick Jack for interfering with his efforts
to enforce the laws, the settlers had had it
The Texans had captured Bradburn’s soldiers
and held them hostage, demanding Travis’ and
Jack’s release… when Bradburn refused, he
fired on the town!
The colonists realized they needed more fire-power so they sent one of the settlers
(JOHN Austin) to get a cannon from Brazoria
Turtle Bayou Resolutions
1832
Texans pledge loyalty to Mexico
 Support for Santa Anna because he
favors constitution of 1824
 Santa Anna had said that HE
supported the Constitution of 1824
 Bradburn dismissed from
command

Finally in 1833, Santa
Anna became president of
Mexico… most Texans
were happy…
because he had
declared himself to be a
FEDERALIST… he had
promised to support
the Constitution of
1824… which is what
the Texans wanted…
I am a
Federalist.
NO, I am a
Centralist
Federalist (free)
The government’s
powers are divided
among several
branches
The state
government has a lot
of power
Centralist (center)
Citizens have
less freedom.
Both have a national
government
Citizens have more
freedom
The national
government has
ALL of the power
Usually controlled by
a dictator
Texans Call a Convention
• To address grievances they still had with the Mexican Gov’t
• Stephen F. Austin was elected president of the convention
• Some guy named Sam Houston shows up at the convention
What They Want from Santa Anna:
• Texas should be made a separate state (no more Coahuila!)
• Immigration from the U.S. should be allowed again
• Texans want to be exempt from certain import taxes
• They wanted more delegates in the state legislature
• Better protection from the Native Americans
The delegates decided to send Stephen F. Austin to Mexico to
present their resolutions to Mexico City
Austin in Mexico
• Austin gets frustrated (he had been waiting for 3
months) and writes a letter to the delegates in San
Antonio telling them to give up on the Mexican
government and go ahead and form their own
government
• Austin meets with Santa Anna (President) who
agrees with some requests
• Rejects making TX a separate Mexican State
• Austin leaves Mexico City in December 1833 to head back to
Texas
Arrest of Stephen F. Austin
January 1834
•
•
Meanwhile, the Mexican authorities in Saltillo had read
Austin’s letter to the delegates in Texas… they weren’t too
happy…
Arrested for Treason for letters he wrote to Texas official
earlier



By 1835 Santa Anna was in full control of Mexico
and he was proving he was a dictator.
He disbanded the Mexican Congress and had a new
constitution written to give all power to him
He put down a revolt in Mexico and was extremely
harsh to the rebels.


Santa Anna sent his
brother in law,
General Martin
Perfecto de Cos to
San Antonio de
Bexar to watch over
Texas and put down
any rebellion.
Cos sent soldiers to
reopen Anahuac and
to start collecting
customs again.
Martin Perfecto de Cos


Furious at the reopening of Anahuac, William
Barrett Travis leads a small force of 25 men to
destroy the fort.
Travis uses a small ship called a schooner and
fire a canon at the fort. The small Mexican force
surrendered and agreed to leave Anahuac
alone.



Two Texas lawyers
secured Austin his release
from prison in August of
1835.
During his time in prison
he learned of Santa Anna’s
action and spoke
positively of Texian
independence.
He convinced many in the
peace party to call for a
war for Independence.
Stephen F. Austin’s design for a Texas Flag
Mottos in center:
"Where Liberty dwells there is my country.“
"WASHINGTON-In his example there is safety"




General Cos knew the Texians were becoming more
and more rebellious.
He asked for more troops from Mexico and started
fortifying military positions in San Antonio.
He also felt he needed to disarm the Texians.
He sent a small army patrol to the town of Gonzales
to confiscate a small cannon there that was used for
Indian defense.




1st Battle of the TX Revolution – Oct. 2, 1835
The citizens of Gonzales refused to give up the
cannon.
About a 160 Texians gathered around the small
cannon and a flag inscribed “Come and Take It.”
“Lexington of Texas”
J.H. Moore
1st Battle of the TEXAS Revolution
1st Battle of the AMERICAN Revolution
Battle of Gonzales
April 19,Battle of Lexington
1775
Lexington,
MA
Gonzales,
TX
Mexican officials had gone to Gonzales
to get the cannon that had been loaned
to them by the Mexican government to
protect themselves from Native
Americans
Texans won!!!
October 2, 1835
British soldiers went to Lexington to get
any military supplies or weapons that
the Americans had stored
Americans won!!!
Because of these similarities, the Battle of
Gonzales is sometimes called “The Lexington
of Texas”
The Texans
attacked the
Mexican soldiers
and killed one.
The Mexicans then
retreated back to
San Antonio
Causes
Battle of Gonzales,
October 2, 1835
Effects
Causes
• Santa Anna’s failure to follow the Constitution of 1824
• rising tensions between Texans and the Mexican government
• demand that U.S. settlers at Gonzales hand over their cannon
Battle of Gonzales,
October 2, 1835
Effects
• Texas rebel victory
• started a war between Texas and the Mexican government from
which Texans could not turn back
• increased the resolution and confidence of the Texas rebels
• A week after Gonzales, Texans take the Presidio at Goliad
• They realize they may actually be able to beat the huge Mexican Army
• They decide to go to San Antonio– the biggest town in TX with the most
soldiers
The Mission at
Goliad

They organized themselves as the
“Army of the People” and elected
Stephen F. Austin to lead them
with the goal of taking San
Antonio de Bexar.

A siege is when an army surrounds a fortified place and
waits to attack.

Mexicans were inside the Alamo & Texans surrounded
them

This siege would last 34 days with sporadic fighting.
Consultation of 1835
In Texas, leaders in the town of Columbia issued a call for a
convention so people could discuss the situation with Cos and
Santa Anna.
This convention was known as the CONSULTATION and was
supposed to be held at Washington-on-the-Brazos on October
15… however because of military hostilities (think Battle of
Gonzales)… it was delayed until Nov. 1.
Colonists had mixed opinions --
Peace Party
War Party
Thought war
should be
avoided at all
costs
Thought Santa
Anna had become
a dictator (not
good) and war
was their only
option
“War is our only recourse.
There is no other remedy.
We must defend our
rights, ourselves, and our
country by force of arms.”
Stephen F. Austin
at the Consultation of 1835
Consultation
Consultation
Pro-war
wanted to declare Texas
independence from Mexico
Pro-peace
wanted to remain loyal to Mexico
and to have the Constitution of
1824 restored; did not want to
lose Tejano support
Declaration of the People of November 7, 1835
•
•
•
pledged loyalty to Mexico
explained that Texans had used force only for defense
warned that if the Constitution of 1824 was not restored, Texas would
declare independence from Mexico
The Grass Fight
• There had been very little military activity in Oct. and Nov. because
sieges were BORING
• A TX scout named “Deaf” Smith heard that the MX Army had some
cavalry and mule train headed to San Antonio
• Some of the Texans, thinking it has silver for Cos’ soldiers ATTACK!!!
• It ends up to be just grass for their horses!
• This is the final straw… the siege is called off and the Texans start
packing to go home
1835
• Ben Milam, an empresario, heard that the Texans were leaving and
tried to rally the troops to fight (he really wanted independence)
• He and Frank Johnson organized about 300 of the troops that were
left and attacked the Mexicans in the Alamo!!!
• The battle lasted about 4 days… and the Texans had won!!
• Cos surrendered and went home. Yay!
“Who will go with old Ben Milam into San
Antonio?”
With Cos gone… the Texans realized that he took
with him the last of the Mexican soldiers in
Texas… many Texans thought they had won the
war!!!!
Ben Milam
Genera
l Cos
President Santa Anna!
The Texans have run us
out of Texas!!!
Santa
Anna
Geez, Cos!!! Can’t you do
anything right? If you want
something done right you
have to do it yourself! Come
on! Let’s go back to Texas
and I’ll show you how to
stop this rebellion!!!!
Mexico City
San Felipe
Consultation
of 1835
1835
The Battle of Gonzales
The Battle at Goliad
March of the Army of the People
Siege of Bexar
Consultation of 1835
The Grass Fight
Battle of San Antonio
Cos surrenders and returns to Mexico