The Texas War for Independence 1835-1836

Background 1810: Mexico gained its independence from Spain. 1821: Mexico wanted to settle Texas. Stephen F. Austin was hired to bring settlers to Texas. New settlers had to convert to Catholicism, give up their American citizenship, and free or leave behind slaves before moving to Texas.

United States Texas

Causes 1833: General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became the leader of Mexico. Texas settlers lost many rights. 1833: Stephen F. Austin was put in jail after asking for more self-government in Texas. 1834: Many Americans living in Texas (Tejanos) wanted the Mexican Constitution of 1824, which limited the power of the central government, to be more strictly enforced.

Causes Cont. Santa Anna cancelled the constitution. Many Tejanos ignored Mexican laws. To control this, troops were stationed to keep out any more settlers. After being released from jail, Austin encouraged the Texans to rise up against the Mexican government.

Battle of Gonzales 1835: Santa Anna gave orders to retrieve a cannon from the town of Gonzales October 2: Mexican troops were gathered on one side of the Guadalupe River and the men of Gonzalez on the other. They stood around the cannon with a flag that read “Come and take it.” The Texans won the battle. This was the start of the war. A month later, the people of Texas formed a temporary government that planned to overthrow Santa Anna.

Battle of the Alamo In San Antonio, the Texans occupied the Alamo, an old Franciscan mission. Santa Anna marched his troops to the Alamo and surrounded it for 13 days. He defeated the Texans. All but 2 Texan defenders were killed. Santa Anna’s cruelty inspired many people to join the Texan army.

Declaring Independence Several days before the Battle of the Alamo, Texas delegates met to declare their independence from Mexico. A constitution was created shortly after. It was similar to the U.S. Constitution but had some differences. Slavery was made officially legal.

Battle of Goliad The Texan army had control of Goliad. The Mexican army attacked. James Fannin, the Texas commander, was outnumbered and surrendered. Santa Anna ordered for Fannin and his soldiers to be charged with treason and executed. Many Texans and even some of the Mexican troops were shocked by this.

Battle of San Jacinto Sam Houston was the commander in chief of the Texas army. He was prepared to fight Santa Anna. His army had to retreat east because they were outnumbered and untrained. Houston’s army attacked the Mexican army by surprise at San Jacinto. Santa Anna chose a poor site for his camp. His troops had poor defenses and no way to maneuver. Santa Anna was defeated and captured.

The New Country Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty officially declaring Texas’s independence from Mexico before he was released to Mexico City. He was thrown out of power by angry Mexican citizens when he returned. The new country was called the Republic of Texas. Its capital was the new city of Houston, and Sam Houston became president.

The New State As early as 1837, the Republic of Texas wanted to be a part of the United States. 1845: Texas officially became the 28th state.

THE END!