1. The Lure of the West 10.1

2. Manifest Destiny The belief among Americans that God intended the United States to expand Westward. Basically, America should go all the way to the Pacific Coast.

3. Manifest Destiny This idea appealed to many Americans. Northerners had economic struggles and overcrowding. The west provided opportunity. People raced for the new lands.

4. Mexican Texas Americans began moving into the territory known as Texas. They did so after Mexico won its independence. Mexico offered cheap land for anyone that wanted to move there. They did this in order to protect against Indian raids.

5. Mexican Texas Mexico also did this to try and turn the settlers against the United States. Empresarios began moving into the territory. One famous Empresario was Stephen F. Austin.

7. Texas Revolution Many new settlers in Texas did not learn Spanish or accept Mexican Culture. Mexico closed the Texas border to U.S. residents because of the fear of revolt. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was elected president of Mexico in 1833, and ruled as a dictator.

8. Texas Revolution Many residents in Mexican territories hated Santa Anna as a president. Stephen F. Austin believed that war would be the only way to resolve conflicts with Santa Anna. The Texas Revolution began.

9. Battle at The Alamo

10. Battle at the Alamo Texas rebels captured the town of San Antonio in 1835. The Alamo was a mission built by the Spanish and its where the most famous battle of the Texas Revolution was fought. Frontiersmen such as Jim Bowie, William Travis, and Davy Crockett fought off repeated attacks from Santa Anna’s Army.

11. Battle at the Alamo With the defeat at the Alamo, the American settlers were not discouraged. At the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna was defeated, and Texas became an independent republic

12. Life in the Republic of Texas It took Texas 9 years to become a state in the United States. Mainly because northern states did not want to add another slave state to the union

13. Life in the Republic of Texas Texas invited French and German immigrants to its lands in order to increase the population. Tejanos began to be discriminated against. The Texas economy relied on farming and ranching. The Texas Rangers were formed to protect the citizens of Texas.