Texas 1836

1. Texas 1836 http://unitedstates.fm/pics/alamo.jpg

2. Background of the Battle of the Alamo: • in 1821, when Mexico won its independence from Spain. • having difficulty finding settlers, they invited tejas, or Americans, into the area to settle in 1823. • the tejas were from the southern states, so the Mexicans came up with several rules for them to follow.

3. Rule 1: No slavery in Mexico. Rule 2: All immigrants must become Mexican. Rule 3: All immigrants must become Catholic. Rule 4: All immigrants must swear loyalty to the new Mexican republic. Over 30,000 settlers under Stephen Austin came to settle, and all went well until 1834.

4. In 1834, President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who called himself the “Napoleon of the West,” began to make Mexico into a dictatorship. He was resisted by the tejas, who had kept none of the four rules. They wanted independence instead, and Santa Anna gathered an army of federales. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Oleo_Antonio_Lopez_de_Santa_Anna.PNG/473px-Oleo_Antonio_Lopez_de_Santa_Anna.PNG

5. Santa Anna was indignant about the revolution, and declared in a forceful letter to Andrew Jackson that any Americans found fighting would be treated as “pirates” and killed on sight. His army of 6000 soldiers, plus many supplies, moved north to fight. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Oleo_Antonio_Lopez_de_Santa_Anna.PNG/473px-Oleo_Antonio_Lopez_de_Santa_Anna.PNG

6. http://www.poorwilliam.net/pix/texas-revolution-map.jpg

7. The tejas met at Washington on-the-Brazos (river) and created their own republic. They elected Sam Houston as president and general. They then nervously began looking for soldiers and supplies. He also sent Jim Bowie to collect cannon from the Alamo and to retreat north. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/SHouston_2.jpg/225px-SHouston_2.jpg

8. Bowie was an adventurer and credited inventor of the Bowie knife. While he was at the Alamo, he was unable to move the cannon, and was convinced instead to stay and try and slow down Santa Anna’s army, heading north. He was joined by about 150 Americans, including outdoorsman Davy Crockett. http://www.lsjunction.com/people/bowie.jpg

9. http://www.texasescapes.com/SanAntonioTx/Alamo/AlamoBattlePaintingTexasStateLibraryNArchives.jpghttp://www.texasescapes.com/SanAntonioTx/Alamo/AlamoBattlePaintingTexasStateLibraryNArchives.jpg

10. The end result? 100-200 Americans killed, with no survivors. 400-600 Mexicans killed, with the rest of the army crippled. Santa Anna gained the Alamo, and Texans gained a rallying cry, “Remember the Alamo!” Later, at the battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna’s army was defeated and the general was captured. This ended the war.

11. Texas became the Lone Star Republic until 1845, when Polk admitted it to the Union. • Texas cities named after heroes: • Austin, the capital • Houston, the largest city • Dallas, after Polk’s Vice President. • Mexican hatred towards American for “stealing” Texas (and later California) from them. This would later lead to the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848.