Texas
Remember the Alamo
Early Texas Territory
The Early 17th Century
• Texas was almost empty
– 30,000 Indians
– A Few Thousand Spanish
Mexicans
• Spanish Missions
– Converting Indians to
Christianity
• Spain hoped its people
would settle in Texas, but no
one did.
– No Gold
– No Political Freedom
– No Religious Freedom
Americans in Texas
Stephen Austin Stephen Austin
• Moses Austin
– Made agreement with
Spanish that American’s could
move there
– Americans Promised to
become Mexican Citizens and
Catholics Moses Austin
• Stephen lead a group of 300
settlers from Missouri to
Texas
The Mexican Constitution
Mexican Rebellion
Mexico gains Independence Antonio López de Santa Anna
• Mexican’s passed a
Constitution
– Not like the American
Colonies
– No experience with self-
government
• Makes way for Antonio
López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Santa Anna “Napoleon of the West”
• Ignored the promised
freedoms of the
Constitution
• Called himself “the
Napoleon of the West”
• Wanted to stop the
immigration of Americans
to Texas
United States and Mexico
American’s in Mexico Vaqueros Cattle Drive
• Did not want to become
Mexican Citizens
• Did not want to become
Catholic
• Wanted American Schools
• Wanted Freedom of Religion
• Brought Slaves
– This was against Mexican Law
• Did not want to share the
land with the Indians
– Bragged of killing Indians
English Speaking Americans in Texas
1830 – No More Too Late!
• Santa Anna wants to put an
end to English Immigration
– People from the U.S. crossed
into the Mexican territory
illegally
• Think About It!
• How does this relate to the
relationship between
Mexico and America today?
Attack on San Antonio
Texas Rebels
• “We went through the old
adobe and picket houses of
the Mexicans, using San Antonio Mission
battering rams made of logs
ten to twelve feet
long…How the women and
children would yell when
we knocked holes in the
walls through which we
passed.”
• Compare this to how the
Mexicans treated women
and children at the Alamo!
Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie
Davy Crockett
• United States Congressmen
• Great Storyteller
– “Old Betsy” had killed 105 bears in one season
• Fearless
• Disagreed with Andrew Jackson on Indian Removal
• Lost his seat in Congress due to his beliefs
Jim Bowie
• Fearsome fighter
• Designed a wicked, razor-sharp knife
Remember the Alamo!
Attack on the Alamo
• Crockett, Bowie, and about
200 men defended the
Alamo
• They held out for 12 days
against Santa Anna’s army
of about 5000
• They had no reinforcements
• They ran out of ammunition
• Finally the Mexicans broke
through the walls of the
Alamo and killed them
all…Except…
Compare and Contrast
Mexicans Vs. Americans Susanna Dickinson
• How did Americans treat
Mexican prisoners?
• How did Mexicans treat
American Prisoners?
• How did Americans treat
Mexican women and
Children?
• How did Mexicans treat
American women and
Children?
The Alamo
Remember the Alamo!
Angry Americans
Fighting Back Sam Houston
• English-speaking settlers in
Texas were furious
• Decided to fight for
independence for Texas
– “Remember the Alamo”
• Led by Sam Houston
– Run Away
– Adopted by Indians
– Fought for Andrew Jackson
– Elected to Congress
– Governor of Tennessee
Sam Houston
Fighting Santa Anna Houston Defeats Santa Anna
• Sam Houston decided to
fight Santa Anna at San
Jacinto (now Houston,
Texas)
– Texans were outnumbered
but smart
– Waited to attack until Siesta
Hour
• Only took 15 minutes to
capture Santa Anna and
route the Mexicans
Independence for Texas
An independent Nation
• Sam Houston made Santa
Anna sign a treaty making
Texas and independent
country
• Houston was elected
President
– The “Lone Star Republic”
TEXAS – THE LONE STAR REPUBLIC
Texas and the United States
Admittance to the Union
• Houston wanted Texas to
become part of the United
States
• Should Texas be a slave state?
– It would throw off balance in
Congress
– Andrew Jackson declines
– December 1845
• James K. Polk makes Texas a
state
• What will happen to Texas
next?