Texas Independence
By: Hannah Greulich, Brad Bardua & Brody Denning period 7
Spanish Texas
What was Spanish Texas?
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It bordered the U.S. territory called Louisiana-- The land was rich and desirable
There were forests in the east, good soil for growing corn and cotton, and grassy plains
for grazing animals.
There were rivers leading to natural ports on the Gullf of Mexico
It was home to Plains and Pueblo Native Americans
Tejanos were people of Spanish heritage who considered Texas to be their home
To get more people to Texas, the Spanish government offered huge pieces of land to
empresarios
Empresarios- Individuals who agreed to recruit settlers for the land
Mexican Independence Changes Texas
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How did Texas change?
Mexico successfully gained its independence from Spain in 1821
Tejas was now a part of Mexico
Mexican government would consent only if the new settlers agreed to become Mexican
citizens and members of the Roman Catholic Church
Original Texas families became known as the “Old Three Hundred”
By 1830, population had jumped to around 30,000, with Americans outnumbering the
Tejanos six to one
Rising Tensions in Texas
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What were some of the tensions that came along in Texas?
Americans resented following Mexican laws- disagreed with the Tejanos
Barely any Americans couldn’t read Spanish so they were unhappy about the fact that
all the official documents were written in Spanish
Slave owners were very upset when Mexico outlawed slavery in 1829- they wanted to
maintain slavery so they could grow cotton
Tejanos felt that Americans believed they were superior and deserved special privileges
Also, they seemed unwilling to adapt to Mexican laws
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Mexican government closed the state to further American immigration
Required Texans to pay taxes for the first time
Enforced the new laws and sent more Mexican troops to Texas
Texans Revolt Against Mexico
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What happened during the revolt?
Actions caused angry protests and some Texans even talked of breaking away from
Mexico
Stephen Austin gave a request to the Mexican government that asked for Texas to
become a self-governing state within Mexico
Austin met General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Mexican president and they
agreed to most of the reforms in Austin’s petition
In September 1835 Mexican soldiers marched on the town of Gonzales they had orders
to take the Texans cannon which they used to defend against the Native Americans and
when they got there the Texans had a sign on the cannon that said “Come and Take It”
Two months later Texans drove the Mexican troops out of an old mission called the
Alamo
Santa Anna and 6,000 troops headed for Texas
The Fight for the Alamo
Who fought for the Alamo?
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On March 1, 1836 the Texans met at a settlement called Washington-on-the-Brazos to
decide how to fight Santa Anna’s troops
Sam Houston, was the only man with military experience at the meeting so he was put
in charge of the Texas army.
William Travis led one of the two groups ready to attack Santa Anna’s troops
Mexican’s began their seize on the Alamo, because Juan Seguin spoke Spanish, he was
sent to warn the other Texans but when he came back, he saw the Alamo in flames.
Santa Anna sent 1,800 men to attack, and they won.
Those who did not die in battle were executed by Santa Anna
Victory at San Jacinto
Who got the victory?
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After the massacre at Goliad Houstons army consisted of Tejanos, American Settlers,
Volunteers, and many enslaved African Americans.
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The Texans snuck up on Santa Anna’s troops in 1836, and killed half within 18
minutes.
Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty, giving Texas freedom from Mexico
Lone Star Republic
What is the Lone Star Republic?
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In September of 1836, Texans flew a flag with one star, and got the name, Lone Star
Republic.
Most Texans didn’t want Texas to be an Independent Nation, they wanted to be
Annexed into the U.S.
The North retaliated and said it would become a slave state, and slaves would then out
number people, which was bad for congress.
Congress voted against annexation and Texas was independent for almost another 10
years.