The Race For Texas Bernal Middle School 1

A. Spain Vs France (late 1600s) 1. Both Spain and France were the strongest two European countries in Texas, and both wanted to control Texas.

A. Spain Vs France 2. Spain controlled all of western United States and France had the Louisiana Territory.

A. Spain Vs France 3. Explorers and Missionaries traveled through East Texas and befriended the Caddo Indians. ~Missionaries, or people promoting the Catholic Church mistook their friendship as a want to become Catholic

A. Spain Vs France 4. With this new ‘want to be Catholic’, Spain began to build Missions throughout Texas. ~Mission- A Catholic Church that is designed to convert people. 5. These Missions help the Spanish to control the land.

A. Spain Vs France Friar or Fray Damian Massanet, was the first French Priest to start converting Caddos and other natives to the catholic church.

Fray Damian Massanet Mission: To colonize East Texas with several Priests and 100 soldiers. Result: many Missions in East Texas failed due to it’s remote location and lack of support/protection.

A. Spain Vs France 7. Father Francisco Hidalgo was Spanish, but worked close with the French priests as well. ~This caused tensions between the two countries back home!

B. Missions in Texas 2. The French are also interested in spreading their territory, and build a few Missions in East Texas. ~French Missionaries are called Friars

C. Conflicts Cross the Atlantic 1. Spanish officials eventually deem the French as invaders, and decide they should be removed from their Tejas.

C. Conflicts Cross the Atlantic 3. French soldiers were sent to Texas Missions, led by General Blondel, to loot the Spanish Missions.

C. Conflicts Cross the Atlantic 4. When the French were leaving, chickens spooked Blondel’s horse, making him fall off. ~Reports of this French invasion spread through Spanish lands

C. Conflicts Cross the Atlantic 5. This ‘invasion’ became the first European ‘war’ on Texas land. ~Deemed the Chicken War

C. Conflicts Cross the Atlantic 6. With this upset for the French, the Spanish maintain their hold on Texas and claim land west of the Sabine as Tejas.

D. Spain Settles Tejas 1. 8 Missions are reopened in the Tejas Province of Spain. 2. The capitol was created in the center of Texas, near modern day Waco Texas.

D. Spain Settles Tejas 3. Antonio Margil de Jesus, a Spanish Priest, sets out to rebuild a mission in central Texas. ~He takes 55 settlers and provides all financial support for their move

D. Spain Settles Tejas 4. He calls the new Mission San Antonio de Valero. It was created in 1718. ~The actual building is the Alamo.

D. Spain Settles Tejas 5. Margil de Jesus wants his mission to survive, so he also creates a system of protection (through his personal funding) 6. He builds a nearby Presidio, or fort, with soldiers to protect against neighboring aggressive natives.

D. Spain Settles Tejas 7. Jose de Escondon, another priest, also wants a lasting Mission in SouthTexas. ~Military Commander and Governor of Nuevo Santander (Laredo)

. Jose de Escondon He brings 6000 people and expands his missions to include presidios, missions, and ranches between the Rio Grande and Nueces River