1. The Texas Revolution
RVCS US History

2. Timeline
(1800) Jefferson * War of 1812 * Texas Revolution ( ) * Civil War (1860+)

5. “Manifest Destiny”
Manifest Destiny—The belief that America’s expansion towards the West was providentially given by God.
Americans were proud of their democratic nation and sought to spread their boundaries
Motivations? Were they trying to “help” others? Were they trying to simply gain land? …A little of both?
[video]

6. Mexico (Background) Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821
In 1829, Mexico abolished slavery
A lot of the land had been under the control of the Roman Catholic Church—it was handed over to the Mexican government in 1833
Meanwhile, a lot of American settlers emigrated to Texas (Americans had nearly 10x the number of Mexicans in this territory by the mid-1830s)
In 1834, President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna issued additional taxes on Americans in Texas—Americans tend to dislike taxes

7. The Appeal of Texas
Originally, the Adams-Onis Treaty with Spain kept Americans away, but Mexican independence brought new possibilities
Many Southerners saw the land as fertile for crops (also a place to take their slaves)
[video] PLob1mZcVWOaiSQkabxib4dgeK95kNROeZ

8. Stephen Austin
Stephen F. Austin—He established a large American settlement in Texas
**Remember, though, Santa Anna eventually began to enforce new restrictions on American settlers such as taxes…another issue was slavery.**
[video, 1st 5 min] Dtd8Xt59SWJrqgjstrgy11fyfu

9. Texas War for Independence
When did this take place? 1836
One of the most important and well-known battles was at “The Alamo” (the 2nd most important, The Battle of San Jacinto, will also be evaluated today)

10. Alamo Video
history-alamo

11. Key the Alamo
Fewer than 200 American Texans defended themselves versus 3,000 Mexican soldiers
General (and President) Santa Anna – Mexican leader who opposed the resistant Texans
[video]
Colonel William Barrett Travis – Defended the Alamo for almost 2 weeks before their defeat
[video]
Davy Crockett – Famous Tennessee frontiersman
[video]

12. Alamo Video (Fighting)

13. After the Alamo
Damage—The Texans were completely devastated; almost no one survived. Meanwhile, Santa Anna had roughly 600 of his 1,800 men killed.
After this battle, the Texans’ war slogan was “Remember the Alamo.”

14. Key Questions Was “Manifest Destiny” a good thing?
Should American Texans have resisted taxation and the other new laws by Pres. Santa Anna?
Do you think Americans and Mexicans could have negotiated a better outcome?

15. [Time Permitting] Davy Crockett Study
[Page 259] Read the biographical section (in blue) about Davy Crockett.
Come up with 3 main points about his life, achievements, etc.

16. The Battle of San Jacinto

17. When did this battle take place?
About a month after the Alamo
April 21, 1836
[video]

18. What happened? (San Jacinto)
Sam Houston and his men easily defeated Santa Anna and his men. The Mexican troops were taking a “siesta” along the San Jacinto River when Houston’s men surprised Santa Anna in an attack.
Santa Anna was taken prisoner and then signed an agreement to retreat beyond the “Rio Grande River”
Texas became an independent territory— “Lone Star Republic”
Sam Houston became the first president in the fall of 1836

19. What to do with Texas?
The South wanted it—a LOT more land and a balance of power between themselves and the North
The North had fears—(1) Southern power (2) War with Mexico
Other folks: “Expansionists”
They believed America was destined to expand to the Pacific; Texas was just the beginning

20. Texas & the US
Texas eventually became part of the United States with just a few days to spare in 1845—they entered as a “slave state”
[Alternate History Video]