americans come to texas moses austin dreamed of starting an american colony in texas. his son,...
TRANSCRIPT
Americans come to Texas• Moses Austin dreamed
of starting an American colony in Texas.
• His son, Stephen, inherited his father’s dream and huge area of land.
• Mexico allowed Austin to start the colony if the settlers were “moral and hardworking,” and the settlers had to promise to become Mexican citizens and join the Catholic Church
Rising Tensions
• By 1830, Americans outnumbered ‘Tejanos’ 25,000 to 4,000
• Americans disliked following Mexico’s orders, doing business in Spanish, and the banning of slavery by Mexico in 1829.
Texans Rebel
• Some Texans wanted revolution, others, including Stephen Austin, hoped to make Texas a separate Mexican state so that it could run itself.
• Santa Anna threw Austin in jail for even asking
• Texas rose up in revolt in 1835—Santa Anna sent 6,000 troops to crush them.
The Alamo
• Santa Anna reaches the old mission at San Antonio.
• Mission defended by 180 Texans.• Santa Anna surrounded the Alamo and
demanded surrender—promising no mercy.• All Texans killed or executed.• Lack of mercy enraged Texans who now
wanted revenge.
Texas Wins its Independence
• Houston won a surprise victory over Santa Anna near the San Jacinto River.
• Santa Anna withdrew but Mexico never fully accepted the loss of Texas.
To Annex or Not?
• Texas known as the Lone Star Republic because of the single star on its flag.
• Issues of slavery and fear of war with Mexico made Texas wait 10 years to join the Union (until 1845).
