LONE STAR REBELLION
AP U.S 1
Greedy Americans
Eager for land, Americans wanted Texas Spanish wanted to populate area, but Mexicans had
won their independence In 1823 a large chunk of land goes to Stephen
Austin He would bring into Texas 300 American families They would be Roman Catholic and become
Mexicanized
Stephen Austin
2 stipulations were ignored
30,000 by 1835 Most were law
abiding, God-fearing people, but no all were
Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston
Tough Pioneers
These people were not easy to push around Friction rapidly increased between Texans and
Mexicans over issues like slavery, immigration, local rights
Mexico emancipated its slaves in 1830 Texans wanted to keep their slaves
Seeds of Rebellion
When Stephen Austin went to Mexico City in 1833 to negotiate differences the dictator Santa Anna put him in jail for 8 months
In 1835 he wiped out all local rights and started to raise an army to suppress the Texans
1836 Texas declares independence, Long Star flag and name Sam Houston commander in chief
Santa Anna had about 6,000 men and he sent them in
Battle of the Alamo
Trapped about 200 Texans at Alamo in San Antonio Killed every man after 13 days trying Colonel W.B. Travis: “I shall never surrender not
retreat… Victory or Death” Slain heroes like Bowie and Crockett became
legendary after their death Scores of vengeful Americans seized their rifles
and rushed to aid of relatives, friends and compatriots
Bowie Knife
Texas Revolution
Caught like a coward
When finally confronted and caught, Santa Anna was found cowering in tall grass near the battlefield, confronted with bowie knives he quickly signed 2 treaties
He agreed to withdraw Mexican troops and recognize Rio Grande as southwestern boundary of Texas
After he was released, he said the agreement was illegal
What to do now U.S?
Events put U.S gov. in a sticky situation Texas wanted to join the Union, but issue of
slavery halted proceedings Antislavery crusaders in North were opposing
annexation, didn’t want to add another slave state
Another Missouri Compromise? How to deal with this issue…
Texican culture
The “Old Three Hundred” were the original settlers in Texas
Mostly Scots- Irish southerners from the trans-Appalachian frontier they were cultured people
All but 4 were literate Wide ranging horse patrols organized to
attack Indian camps became the Texas Rangers
Clashes in culture
Texas lies along the border where Hispanic and Anglo-American cultures meet, mingle and clash
The Texas Revolution was partly a contest of those two cultures
Mainly though a contest on philosophy of government, liberal frontier ideals of freedom against conservative concept of centralized “control”