The main cause for the Texas insurrection was the difference of opinions that U.S. Anglos had from Mexican government and the U.S. citizen’s refusal to cooperate with the Mexican government. In the 1820s Stephen F. Austin was able to get approval from Mexican government to allow U.S. citizens to settle in Texas. Mexico wanted the requirement that the U.S. citizens entering into Texas to convert to Catholicism, learn Spanish, and be loyal to the Mexican government. But the U.S. citizens disagreed with this and were allowed concessions from the state government on issues of slavery, taxations, and converting to Catholicism. U.S. Anglos wanted to stick with traditional American frontier institution wanting a local armed militia for protection …show more content…
against Indians. Mexican officials saw the U.S. immigrants as ungrateful for they did not respect Mexican laws or customs. And the idea of the Texans having their own armed militia seemed like a step toward rebellion. A major difference between the American immigrants and the Mexican government was their views on slavery. Mexico was strongly anti-slavery having it abolished in 1831, while the U.S. Anglos in Texas were pro-slavery bringing their slaves with them. With the huge influx of American immigrants into Texas, the Mexicans living in Texas became greatly outnumbered. Mexico was losing control over Texas and decided to abolished immigration in hopes of regaining control, which deeply outraged the U.S. Anglos. In 1834, General Santa Anna declared himself dictator of Mexico.
His priority was to centralize power and strengthen national unity. He issued decrees that limited economic freedoms and property rights for the Anglos, causing anger and resentment from the Texans. Revolts began in 1835, Texans decided they wanted independence from Mexico some Tejanos were also for this but the majority of Tejanos were against this because they saw the Texans as rude and aggressive. The first military conflict between Texans and Mexicans was at Gonzales, Texas. Colonel Domingo de Ugartechea sent troops to retrieve a cannon given to the American immigrants, they refused to give back the cannon resulting in the Battle of Gonzales. Texans were victorious in the battle, adding fire to the revolution against Mexico. After Mexico’s loss in the Battle of Gonzales, General Santa Anna took command of his army with the intentions to suppress the rebellion and expel all Anglos. This resulted in two massacres, the Alamo and Goliad, including the deaths of William B. Travis, Davy Crocket, and James Bowie, but this only added motivation for Texan independence from Mexico. Sam Houston, the general of the Texas army, during the Battle of San Jacinto attacked and defeated Santa Anna’s army. Santa Anna was captured and forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco, giving Texas independence from Mexico ending the
revolution.
...of the crucial replies to Travis’s letter even after the lieutenant colonels’ death was the defeat a decade later of Santa Ana’s army led by Sam Houston which is currently is the backbone of the history of Texas Revolution.
Many factors led to the Texicans’ decision to declare their independence. The declaration was due to a lack of tolerance for religion, the repealing of the constitution of 1824, an unstable government with an unstable president, and the closure of the Mexican legislature, a congress of nine declared Texas independent from Mexico, followed by a formal declaration on March 2, 1836. After the declaration, General Samuel Houston was appointed commander-in-chief for the Texican government. Immediately after the declaration, hostilities between Mexico and Texas began. Santa Anna sent back up to Texas, but the Texicans fought them off with bows and spears (Mckeehan). Santa Anna’s first mistake was his decision to go to Texas with 10,000 men behind him with no intention of mercy.
was not justified to declare war with Mexico because of the ignorance of Mexican authority, the robbery of disputed/Mexican-owned land, and the order from Polk which provoked the war. The U.S. were allowed by Mexican government to settle into the provenance of Texas. After settling in the nutritious and fertile farmland, the U.S. settlers rebelled against Mexican law and established slavery in Texas. The U.S. robbed disputed/Mexican-owned land, which led to confusion spreading into Mexico and the U.S. because of unofficial borders. Polk provoked a Mexican attack by ordering soldiers onto Mexican borders, which led to the Mexicans attacking out of pressure.
Flores is a Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Liberal Arts and a Professor of Anthropology and Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas. Flores says that one of the reasons Texans wanted to gain its independence from Mexico was because of the government Santa Anna had. Texans and anyone going against Santa Anna wanted Mexico to go back to a federalist republic they did not want a centralist government. Stephen F. Austin proposed the idea of making Texas an independent Mexican state that had control of its own affairs to Santa Anna, but he refused the idea which then added on to the Texans desires to become independent. The tension grew between the Texans and the Mexican government when Santa Anna got rid of the Mexican Constitution of 1824. Flores states that saying the Battle of the Alamo was a battle between Texans and Mexicans is wrong. The “Texans” in fact were not truly Texans, only thirteen native-born Texans fought in the Battle of the Alamo (eleven of those were of Mexican descent), the rest were Europeans, Jews, African Americans, United States Americans and Mexicans. Flores discusses the severe effects of the Texas Modern on the Mexicans. He says that most Mexicans were unemployed, lived in poverty, and had little access to public institutions. He also says the Mexicans were maintained by
For almost fifty years, from 1827 to 1876, seven constitutions were adopted and implemented for Taxes and each one has its set of laws and contained specific ways, aimed at correcting the deficiencies and drawbacks of the previously adopted order. The Constitution of 1876 is the sixth one, which set the rules and laws for Texas government since the state has achieved its independence from Mexico in 1836. The constitution established the principles of Texas Democratic Government and specified the laws, which were applied to the three branches of government: legislative, juridical and executive.
This historic event allowed spreading of independence, formation of a revolutionary government and the drafting of a constitution. If Santa Anna had struck the Texan settlements immediately, he might have disrupted the proceedings and driven all insurgents across the Sabine River (Survivor 140). Finally the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed but not before "General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna who did not always do what was best for his country, directed his peace negotiators to make demands that the that the U.S. felts was unreasonable accusing the other of stalling, the armistice was called off " (Howes, p. 233). The American army a week later invaded Mexico City and forced the Mexicans to surrender. Santa Anna then fled leaving his country shattered" (Howes, p. 233).
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, the Invasion of Mexico, the U.S. Intervention, or the United States War Against Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States and the Centralist Republic of Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Riot. Through this time, supply ships from San Blas continued to be unpredictable and the missions—with their native workers—were worried to provide for the population. When the native groups began to resist the bigger demands, they were placed under firmer military control. Also, additional tribes were gathered, mixed, and combined into dense groups in order to serve the payment. Under these conditions, new diseases quickly spread and native cultures were further disrupted.
for a revolution of the world. The American Settlers were tired of Mexican dictatorship and wanted the same freedoms they enjoyed back in America. So with a little bit more influence from America, a revolt was formed. Eventually Texas would capture Santa Anna the Mexican. dictator and independence for Texas.
The Texas Legislature is far too archaic to provide consistent leadership for a state government; Congress has become too enmeshed with the executive branch and leaves blurry lines drawn in its separation of powers. The ideal legislature would be a modernized version of what the Texas Constitution created.
The Battle of the Alamo, the most famous battle of the Texas revolution, began on February 23, 1836, and continued for almost two weeks. With the Mexican army growing day by day, and Texas reinforcements nowhere in sight, the Texans made a final stand against the massive Mexican army led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna. General Santa Anna used the time to encircle the old fortified mission compound, gradually cutting off entrance to, and exit from the Alamo. The arrival of General Santa Anna 's army outside San Antonio nearly caught the local Texans by
Now, the Mexican Revolution was just a small beginning for the eventual state of Texas. Back in 1809, Texas was just a provenance in the Spanish Empire and its inhabitants were mostly converted Native Americans and people of Spanish descent, but not native born of Spain. The Spanish born people had more rights and were, according to the law, superior to all others. This and more oppression by the Spanish against the Mexicans (i.e. the Native Americans and non-Spanish born), caused an uprising by the common people that was started by a Catholic priest in 1809. It would take 16 more years before Mexico had won its independence from Spain like the US had from Great Britain.
In the great state of Texas, the governor is the highest ranked official that is elected. Even though it is believed the governor has minimal power due to EJ Davis and his abuse of power in the 1800’s, the governor still has an influence on many things and has the power to implement things as well. According to the Associated Press (2011), “The governor’s chair is an increasingly powerful institution in most states, with the clout, control, and visibility that has long made it the leading stepping stone to the oval office.” (Associated Press [AP],2011). The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch and the commander-in-chief of the state’s military forces. One key role the governor has is the power to appoint or select members to
The constitution establish major governing institutions, assign institution’s power, place explicit and implicit control on power granted. All this gives the political legitimacy. The U.S constitution gives the base model for state constitution for Texas.
With Santa Anna moving to control Mexico, and taxes increasing, Texans grew restless and rowdy. A Texan, William B. Travis, and a small group of Texans attacked a squad of Mexican troops in Anahuac with the motive that “taxes should not thus be collected from them to support a standing army in their own country” (SOS 1) and soon drove them back. Travis retreated to San Felipe and was assisted by Bexar. Skirmishes and the threat of war with Mexico soon followed. Come 1835, the idea of independence was extremely popular within the territory of Texas.
Beginning in 1845 and ending in 1850 a series of events took place that would come to be known as the Mexican war and the Texas Revolution. This paper will give an overview on not only the events that occurred (battles, treaties, negotiations, ect.) But also the politics and reasoning behind it all. This was a war that involved America and Mexico fighting over Texas. That was the base for the entire ordeal. This series of events contained some of the most dramatic war strategy that has ever been implemented.