The Alamo

The Alamo

The events that began on February 23, 1836 have roots that span as far back as 1808. This exploration into the events and carnage that took place before, during and after the Alamo will only go back to the events immediately leading up to the Alamo. Mainly the frame of mind the Mexican government had regarding the Texas settlers and the reasons leading to the confrontation at the Alamo.

In times before the confrontation at the Alamo, the Mexican government welcomed settlers into Texas. The motive behind Mexico’s act was to create a buffer zone between Mexican settlements and the Indians. Settlers were able to come to Texas as long as they promised to convert to Catholicism and become Mexican citizens among other stipulations. Moreover, Mexico had further problems, the most noticeable was Mexico’ s financial standing. The independence movement that freed Mexico from Spain also left Mexico “dead broke;” furthermore, they had no real way of watching or parenting the fledgling Texas. Hence, Texas became accustom to doing things without Mexico interfering. Soon after Mexico opened the door to Texas the population of settlers grew to make up 75 per cent of the whole population. This could be seen as a bad thing to the Mexican government because if Texas became entirely made up of settlers what was to stop Texas from breaking away from Mexico for good. To add to the pressure pot the settlers were illegally trading, and engaging in illegal slavery, among other illegal acts. According to Walter Lord the American Settlers refused to pay any form of tax, in fact according to Lord’s figures only 1,665 pesos where collected from Texas in Two years.

These factors and many more including America herself showing interest in Texas, led Mexico to institute a restriction of the number of settlers allowed into Texas. In addition, “Mexico suspended all unfilled colonization contracts, and required passports issued by Mexican Consulate at their place of residence,” these policies alone angered the settlers who have been accustomed to a lazie fair approach. In addition troops were now being used to see that the laws were enforced and obeyed. As Myers points out:

The North Americans had reason to protest. They had gone through the bad years when fields

had to be chopped out of the woods and when an Indian raid was commoner that a square

meal. An...

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...nd bloody tiger to name a few. Many Americans had been opposed to the Texas cause, but no longer were they thinking about that, now they were thinking about revenge. Mexicans had slain American citizens and this had to be avenged in the mind of most Americans. The call to arms had now been rung, “Remember the Alamo.” The Alamo had been a total loss on the field of physical war fair, but on the playing ground of the mind the Alamo had seized the minds and hearts of every American and sympathizer alike, to rally to its call. So in the end I believe the Alamo was a total victory for the settlers cause.

Works Cited

General Antonio Lopez De Santa-Anna, D. Ramon Martinez Caro, General Vicente Filisola,

General Jose Urrea, and General Jose Maria Tornel; Translated by Carlos Castaneda.

The Mexican Side of the Texas Revolution. Dallas.: P.L. Turner Company,1956

General Miguel Sanchez Lamego; Translated by Consuelo Velasco. The Siege and Taking of The

Alamo. New Mexico.: Sunstone Press, 1968.

Lord, Walter. A Time to Stand. Lincolon.: University of Nebraska Press.: 1978.

Matovina, Timothy. The Alamo Remembered. Austin.: University of Texas Press.: 1995.