The Road to Revolution Unit 5 1826-1835

The Road to Revolution 1826 The Fredonian Rebellion erupts 1830 Mexico passes Law of April 6, 1830 1832 Colonists and Mexican troops clash at Anahuac 1833 Stephen F. Austin imprisoned 1835 The Battle of Gonzales fought 1835 Texans and Mexican troops face off at Battle of San Antonio

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW When Santa Anna gained control of the Mexican government, he sent Mexican troops into Texas once again. His actions convinced many Texans that independence was the solution. WHY IT MATTERS NOW Clashes between the colonists and the Mexican soldiers led to the beginning of the Texas Revolution.

SANTA ANNA’S TRUE COLORS Texans quickly found out that Santa Anna did not share their views on government. Once in power, Santa Anna dismissed the Mexican Congress. Santa Anna had a new constitution written which gave him ALL the power. Santa Anna sent his brother-in-law, General Cos, to Texas to enforce Santa Anna’s laws and put down any rebellion.

Trouble in Anahuac AGAIN Cos sent Captain Tenorio to Anahuac to watch the Texans and continue collecting Taxes from the Texan colonists. Two Texans were arrested for not showing respect to Tenorio. The Texans decided to force Tenorio and his men out of Texas, so they assembled 25 men and headed to Anahuac. William B. Travis was the group’s leader. The Texans fired one shot to announce their arrival. Tenorio and his men surrendered and agreed to leave Texas.

WAR PARTY PEACE PARTY Did not want war; but wanted Texas to be separate Mexican state Thought that war was inevitable for Texas’s independence When Stephen F. Austin was released from prison, the Texans looked to him as to how to handle this situation. He believed “war is the only recourse.”

I. The Mexican Army Arrives in Texas Tension continued to build in Texas as the actions of Travis and other radicals at Anahuac caused concern for the Mexican authorities. General Cos arrived in San Antonio with 650 troops to bring order. Result? Texans felt threatened by this action; so committees of correspondence (local groups sharing political and military information) much like those formed during the American Revolution—sprang up to keep the colonists informed.

Battle of Gonzales

II. The Battle of Gonzales It happened on October 2, 1835. It is called the Lexington of Texas because it was the first official battle of the Texas Revolution. Why Lexington? It is very similar to the first battle of the American Revolution—when the British attempted to take arms from American colonists in Lexington, Massachusetts.

II. The Battle of Gonzales The Mexican commander Colonel Ugartechea demanded the return of a 20 inch brass cannon from the people at Gonzales. The people refused, buried the cannon to hide it, dug it up, and mounted it on a wagon. Then, they made a white flag out of a wedding dress with a taunting motto, or slogan, “Come and Take It”!

II. The Battle of Gonzales The Texan commander Colonel John H. Moore led 160 Texan soldiers against 100 Mexican soldiers in a 15 minute early morning battle. Only 1 Mexican soldier is killed and the Texans win the battle as the Mexican army retreats!

III. The Siege of San Antonio de Bexar A week after Gonzales, 120 Texans took Goliad by surprise! These two victories convinced many Texans that the Mexican army could be defeated. SFA was appointed command of the “Army of the People” of about 300 Texans as they set out to defeat Cos’s army at San Antonio. There, SFA decided to lay siege (military blockade) around the city because they didn’t have any heavy artillery to attack Cos’s army. In late November, SFA left his command at San Antonio to plead for aid from the USA. Edward Burleson was chosen to take over command of the volunteer army.

III. The Siege of San Antonio de Bexar As Burleson prepared to call off the attack, news spread about Cos’s army getting weak and hundreds of volunteers arriving in Texas from the USA. A former empresario, Ben Milam, arrived with his army at San Antonio and motivated the discouraged Texas Army to fight on to victory with his famous plea: “Who will go with old Ben Milam into San Antonio?” He and Frank W. Johnson each led a column of 150 men into battle on December 5, 1835. The Siege of Bexar (as it became known) lasted 4 days as Mexican forces were forced to take refuge in an abandoned mission known as the Alamo!

III. The Siege of San Antonio de Bexar Milam was killed, but Johnson led 400 Texans to victory as Cos surrendered his army of 1,000 men! Cos promised NEVER to fight on Texas soil again and was allowed to return to Mexico. The capture of San Antonio was a BIG victory for the Texans—BUT many mistakenly thought the war was over!

Questions: Gonzales and San Antonio How was the Texas Revolution similar to the American Revolution? Why is Gonzales known as the “Lexington of Texas”? Which two battles made the colonists believe the Mexicans could be easily defeated?

Questions: Gonzales and San Antonio 4. Explain why the Texas army had the advantage at San Antonio de Bexar. 5. Explain why the Siege of San Antonio de Bexar was an important victory for the Texas Army. 6. Why was Sam Houston so angry with Colonel James Fannin and Colonel James Bowie after the Texans victory at San Antonio de Bexar? What did Houston fear?