The Texas Revolution Essay

Ever since the Manifest Destiny became the United States’ holy goal, Texas had always been in the sight of the United State, for the location and size of the territory were extremely attractive for the expansion. In addition, the state offered the Rio Grande River which promised great trade in the future. These factors made Texas a key component in fulfilling the sacred duty, so when news spread that Texas became independent, there was no time wasted from the United States in integrating them into the union. Even before Texas gained their independence, the United States had become intertwined with the culture of Texas by having hundreds of American citizens immigrating into the territory and spreading American values across the land. As many historians have said “Throughout the United States, especially in the South, support for Texas was warm and widespread. Men, money, and

So in light of both sides having grievances it was only a matter of time before someone snapped. And snapped they did, in a string of firecracker events the seeds of revolution and the battle of the Alamo ensued.

One of the first battles fought in the Texas Revolution was the Battle of Concepcion, a Texian victory but one that demonstrated the relative small numbers involved. The entire Texian force was about 100 volunteers, while the Mexican force number just 300. But even as the Texians were involved in fierce battles against Mexican forces, the representatives of the various regions of Texas were divided over whether to demand full independence, or simply a return to the Constitution of 1824 which had been overthrown. The Texian delegates eventually compromised on a resolution which stated that they had the right to declare independence because the government of Santa Anna had destroyed the social contract which held Texas as a part of Mexico. This

The annexation of Texas was a path that many Texans wanted. Nearly ninety percent of Texans wanted to become part of the United States. “People hadn’t come to Texas to become part of the British Empire; most were particularly incensed by the British insistence on emancipation of the slaves; responding to public sentiment, the Texas Senate demanded that President Houston give them a full accounting of his dealings with Great Britain”. Before annexation, The Republic of Texas was a sovereign nation that existed for nearly ten years. The annexation process was proposed by John Tyler. Unfortunately, President Martin Van Buren struck down the annexation of Texas out of fear that this would expand slave territory and ensue war with Mexico. The Treaty of Annexation, Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexican-American War and Joint Resolution of Congress all impacted the annexation process.

In Mexico’s early years, the northern lands were relatively deserted. One of the less inhabited lands was Texas, and Mexicans invited Americans into Texas to help populate it. However, America accepted Mexico’s innocent offer with a sly, cunning idea. The US allowed its residents to live in Texas, but eventually, Texas fell under the influence of Americans. This is mainly why Texas wanted to leave Mexico and become annexed to the US. Also, while

The Battle of the Alamo, a thirteen day siege at the Alamo Mission in the middle of San Antonio Texas. Although it resulted in a Mexican victory it was a crucial turning point in the Texas Revolution. The Texas Revolution did not occur because of cultural differences nor did the Battle of the Alamo, they were both caused by both the newly arrived Texans and the native Tejanos fighting for autonomy from the Mexican government. President General Antonio López de Santa Anna repealed the constitution of 1824 in favor of a more “centralist” government, because of this conversion to centralism the native people’s rights became increasingly limited. The Texans and Tejanos living along the border of Texas and the rest of Mexico were not supportive of Santa Anna’s new regime and began to revolt. However, it was not just the people of Texas pushing for independence, citizens of the United States were also providing a grand amount of support. The Siege of the Alamo was not a war based on cultural variations, both the native people and the newly arrived texans were fighting for their independence from the centralist Mexican government.

The Annexation of Texas was one of the most debatable events in American history. The question at hand would deeply impact the United States for generations to come. There was on one side a long list of reasons for why to not allow annexation, but there was the same kind of list on the other side for reasons to push forward for annexation. Some of these reasons of both sides were slaves, war, manifest destiny, politics , and constitutional rights. Also the way Texas began in a way said that they should be apart of the United States In the end there were more important reasons for annex Texas into the union, than to leave Texas the was she was.

First and foremost, Texas was not colonized by British settlers. This has always made it stand out as a fiercely independent territory then later a state. The individuals who shaped and formed Texas did so in such a way to hold tightly onto its fierce independence. This fierce independence was fueled throughout the first several decades of Texas existence due to invading foreign armies and the daily struggles of just surviving in the Wild West. Because of this, the people of Texas developed strong work ethics and a

The Texas Constitution has evolved in many ways throughout history. Before the current constitution there were five predecessors. There were many factors that effected each of the five constitutions. After very long governance by Spain and Mexico and a small war with Mexico, the Texans finally won their independence. The first constitution had become official in September of 1836. This first constitution was called the Republic Of Texas Constitution. After struggling for about nine years to become apart of the Union, Texas’s second constitution was created. The Second constitution was called the Statehood Constitution and was thought to be one of the best constitutions of time. The Jacksonian Democracy greatly influenced the Statehood Constitution. The idea of the Jacksonian Democracy was to increase the people’s participation in the government. This Constitution lasted about 16 years until Texas joined the Confederate Sates of America in 1861. This third constitution was called the Civil War Constitution. The main goal was to modify the

After the United States won its freedom from Britain, there was another revolution occurring in the west, the Texas Revolution. Like the United States, Texas wanted its independence from Mexico, but was not going to transpire without a fight. “Remember the Alamo,” (1836) was a quote used by Texians following the Battle of the Alamo to inspire soldiers as they led their attack on the Mexican army at the Battle of San Jacinto. The Battle of the Alamo was a turning point during the Texas Revolution and forever will be remembered as so in Texas’ and the United States history (New World Encyclopedia).

More and more Texans answered the call to arms such as Ben Milan a soldier of the War of 1812, James Bowie who was know for his knife, Sam Houston and Stalwart Davy Crockett both former soldiers and congressmen. The name that would lead them all William Barrette Travis.

From March 2, 1836 to February 19, 1846, Texas as its own independent country in North America. Those who resided in this independent country were referred to as Texians. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 during the Texas revolution which ended on April 21 of that same exact year. However, Mexico did not want to give the Republic of Texas its independence which resulted in conflicts between that of Texas and Mexico that went on into the 1840s. As a result, The United States of America recognized the Republic of Texas as an independent country in 1837 but failed to append their land. Later receiving its independence, Texas elected a Congress of fourteen senators and twenty-nine representatives in the month of September and year of 1836. However, within the Republic, citizenship was not a privileged for everybody living in Texas. Not everybody had legal rights to reside within the limits of the Republic without Congress permission. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas created differences for each and every ethnicity for each individual person. Meaning, whoever was there on the day the Republic of Texas won their independence had to be classified as a citizen of the Republic including Africans, those with African descent, and Native Americans. For Caucasian immigrants to become citizens they would have to had lived in the Republic for six months or less and take an oath. Those who were brought to Texas as a slave had to stay a

The Texas revolution has impacted my life the most out of every American historical event. The revolution was the deciding factor that has allowed me to live a life with more opportunities. The three factors that have changed my life due to the Texas revolution are education opportunities, business opportunities, and the privilege of being a United States citizen. To begin with, the Texas revolution has affected my educational opportunities such as my time at ECHS. The revolution had led to the Texas becoming their own independent and free country.

Political conflict, was a key component in multiple uprisings during the time. Economic motivations, grew to a point where it never reached prior to the Jacksonian era. Social changes, divided a significant amount of people within Texas itself. Cultural differences were notable and existed, but they took on a smaller role compared to politics, economics, and social changes. While cultural differences were present, they were not nearly enough to spark an entire rebellion. The cultural differences made it difficult to easily assimilate, but hardly impossible. The inability to quickly adjust to preceding expected cultural norms was a very unlikely reason for the rebellion. Weber, initially presents a very valid argument of the cultural differences between Anglo Texans and Mexican Texans. However, he makes it clear in his essay that despite the cultural differences, the main fight was between the Mexican Texan and the centralist Mexican government (MPTH, 139). There is more than enough evidence to support that the Texas rebellion would occur inevitably, as the discontent with the Mexican leadership rose. Consequently, it appeared that both cultures were able to coexist exceptionally. It is also leaves a curious question on whether culture assimilation, rather than cultural differences lead to the Texas

The Texas Revolution started in October of 1835 and ended in April of 1836. The war was fought amongst the Texas Colonists and Mexico. The reason for this war was because Texas wanted their independence from Mexico. Some of the main causes of this revolution were Siete Leyes, Santa Anna, slavery, religion, and the changes in government/power. Santa Anna, Mexico’s elected official, wanted to gain as much power as he could over Mexico.