The Spanish opened Texas to Anglo-American settlers in 1820 to populate the remote region, granting land to those who became Mexican citizens and adopted Catholicism. By 1830, about 20,000 American settlers lived in Texas. However, tensions grew as Mexican laws restricted slavery and required Catholic worship, angering the mostly Protestant settlers. The rise of dictator Santa Anna in 1833 further alarmed Texans, leading to the Texas Revolution for independence.

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• Remember the Alamo Webquest

3. • Spanish authorities opened Texas to Anglo-American settlement in 1820
because they were unable to persuade their own citizens to move to
remote and sparsely populated Texas. The settlers were to be Catholic,
hard working, and willing to become Spanish citizens in return for
generous land grants.
• Moses Austin was given permission to bring 300 families to Texas but he
died before he was able to establish his colony. His son, Stephen Austin,
settled the colony with about 300 families in 1821. By this time Mexico
had won it’s independence from Spain.
http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/resources/video_library.html
Click on the above link
go to Mexico Opens Texas to Americans who come to claim it as their own
Watch the video
Question: Why did the Spanish government authorize land grants for Anglo-
Americans?

4. • There were twenty-five other empresarios, people given land grants in
exchange for recruiting settlers, who established colonies in Texas. By
1830, there were about 20,000 Americans in Texas.
• All settlers had agreed to become Mexican citizens, worship in the Roman
Catholic Church, and speak Spanish. However, most settlers were English
speaking Protestants who felt little loyalty to Mexico. Some settlers even
brought slaves from Louisiana.
Question: Why were did Mexican authorities decide to bar any more
Americans from settling Texas?

5. Mexican authorities began to enforce the laws requiring Texans to worship
in the Catholic Church, as well as, the law banning slavery. Settlers grew
angry when troops were to enforce the law.
In 1833, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna took control of the Mexican
government. He quickly threw out the Mexican constitution and made
himself dictator. This change frightened Americans in Texas.
Question: Why did the idea of a dictator concern American settlers in Texas?

6. • Green DeWitt, an American, established at colony east of present-day San
Antonio called Gonzales. The Mexican government sent a cannon to
protect the settlers from Indian attacks in 1831. President Santa Anna sent
100 soldiers from San Antonio to retrieve the cannon in 1835. The settlers
refused to let the Mexican soldiers have the cannon.
• Sarah DeWitt and her daughter sewed a flag with a cannon and the words
“Come and Take it,” which was flown when the first shots of Texan
independence were fired. They forced the troops to withdraw.
Question: Why is Gonzales called the “Lexington of Texas?”

7. • As General Santa Anna and his troops marched toward Texas, a group of
Texans met at the town of Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 1, 1836.
The delegates declared independence from Mexico.
• Sam Houston was put in command of the army of the new Republic of
Texas. Thousands of men volunteered to fight for independence.
Question: Why did so many people want to fight for
Texan independence?

8. • The Alamo was originally named Misión San Antonio de Valero. It was one of
five missions built by the Spanish in the San Antonio area. The Alamo served
as a home to missionaries and their Indian converts for nearly seventy years. In
1793, Spanish officials turned San Antonio's five missions over to the Native
Americans and they distributed the land to the remaining Indian residents.
• In early 1800 the Spanish sent a cavalry unit to the former mission. The
soldiers renamed the old mission in honor of their hometown Alamo de Parras,
Coahuila.
Question: What was the original purpose of the
Alamo complex?

9. • In December 1835, Ben Milam led Texian and Tejano volunteers against
Mexican troops quartered in the city. After five days of house-to-house
fighting, they forced General Cós and his soldiers to surrender. The
victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo and strengthened its
defenses under the command of Colonel James Neil.
• On January 19, 1836, Colonel James Bowie arrived at the Alamo with a
group of reinforcements. Thirty cavalrymen under the command of
William B. Travis arrived at the former mission on Feb 3. Davy Crockett and
his men arrived the next week.
• Family illness caused Col James Neil to leave for home.
Question: How did the Texas volunteers capture the Alamo?

10. • Santa Anna’s arrival with 1500 troops at the end of February led to a
desperate call for reinforcements and supplies. Santa Anna sent a courier
to Col Travis demanding surrender. He further advised the he would give
no quarter (kill all who were captured.) Travis responded with cannon fire.
• A small group of men from DeWitt Colony made their way through the
enemy lines to the fort. They were the last reinforcements to arrive.
• After a 12 siege, Santa Anna ordered an assault for the next day.
Question: How did Travis respond to Santa Anna’s demand
for surrender?

11. • At 5:00 a.m. on March 6, Mexican troops began the attack the Alamo.
Cannon and small arms fire from inside the walls beat back the first several
attempts. Finally, the Mexicans scaled the walls and rushed the compound.
The quickly captured a cannon and blasted the barricaded doors open. The
struggled continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. The seven
defenders who survived the battle were executed shortly after they
surrendered. The entire battle lasted only ninety minutes.
Question: Why did the fall of the Alamo inspire Texans?

12. • Colonel James Fannin was in command of 300 troops at Goliad about 90
miles from San Antonio. General Sam Houston ordered Fannin to retreat
to Victoria, Texas after the fall of the Alamo.
• Fannin and his men were surrounded by Mexican cavalry on the open
prairie. The Texans were forced to surrender when they ran out of water
and ammunition. The prisoners were executed a week after their
surrender.
• Word of the Goliad Massacre spread quickly throughout Texas. Rebels
used Goliad as a rallying cry and recruitment increased rapidly.
Question: Why were Texans so angry about the
events at Goliad?

13. • General Houston received information that Santa Anna and his army were
camped near the San Jacinto River. Over 630 Mexicans were killed and 700
wounded during the surprise attack on April 21.
• Santa Anna had disappeared during the battle, and next day General Houston
ordered a thorough search of the surrounding territory for him. In the
afternoon Sergeant J.A. Sylvester spotted a Mexican slipping through the woods
toward Vince's Bayou. Sylvester and his comrades caught the fugitive trying to
hide in the high grass. He wore a common soldier's apparel round jacket, blue
cotton pantaloons, skin cap and soldier's shoes. They took the captive to camp,
and on the way, Mexican prisoners recognized him and cried, "El Presidente!"
http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/resources/video_library.html
To watch the video click on the above link
Go to Sam Houston’s Texans Avenge the Alamo and defeat Santa Anna at San
Jacinto
Question: Who was the soldier captured on
April 22?

14. • After surrendering Santa Anna signed a treaty granting Texas independence.
• Texan delegates wrote a constitution using the United States Constitution as
a model.
• Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.
• Texans nicknamed their new country “The Lone Star Republic” because
their soldiers carried a flag with a single white star when they won
independence.
Question: What was the official name of
the independent Texas republic?

15. • Mexico refused to accept the treaty that Santa Anna signed granting Texan
independence.
• Texas was almost bankrupt
• Native Americans groups were attacking settlements
• Many Texans wanted to be part of the United States but the American
people were divided over whether or not to annex (add) Texas.
Southerners supported the idea but northerners did not want another
slave state admitted to the union.
• Andrew Jackson feared that annexing Texas would lead to war with
Mexico.
Question: Why did Congress refuse to annex Texas?