The Texas War of Independence began due to growing tensions between Texan settlers and the Mexican government. Mexican laws and policies restricting slavery, religion, and cotton growing angered Texans, who vastly outnumbered Mexicans in the region. In 1835, minor revolts broke out in response to Mexico transitioning to a stronger central government. After the Battle of Gonzales where Texans refused to surrender a cannon, the conflict escalated. Santa Anna took command of the Mexican army and launched aggressive campaigns, massacring Texan forces at Goliad. The Texans were later defeated at the Alamo after a long battle, though they ultimately won independence after defeating Santa Anna's forces at the Battle of San Jacinto.

1. Texas War of Independence

2. Preliminary Causes of Conflict
• The precursors of the conflict emerged at the
end of the Mexican War of Independence
• Indian raids were causing problems
• Grant given to Stephen Austin to colonize
Texas

3. The New Texans
• Texans soon outnumbered Mexicans in Texas-
Coahuila
• Mexican government issues several regulatory
measures to control the Texans
• Texans obviously ignored or circumvented
their laws

4. Growing Tension
• Reasons for discontentment: slavery,
government location, religion, Mexican
soldiers
• The Mexicans also restricted the Texans from
growing cotton.
• Stephen Austin went to Mexico City to talk to
Santa Anna, the dictator.

5. Mexican Government
• In 1835 the Mexican government
began to transition to Centralism.
• This new strong federal
government began to anger
Texans, who staged a minor revolt.
• Santa Anna then reinforced
Mexican military positions in Texas

6. Battle of Gonzales• Santa Anna
calls to disarm
the state
militias
• The Texans in
Gonzales had a
cannon that
they refused to
give up, so 100
Mexican
dragoons rode
in to take it.
• The Mexicans
found only 18
Texans, but the
Texans ended
up winning.

7. Siege of Bexar
• The Mexicans retreated to Bexar amidst
several minor skirmishes.
• The Texans looted thousands of dollars of
food, blankets, clothing, and other provisions.
• Cos, in charge of 200 Mexican cavalrymen
moved to the nearby Alamo mission.

8. Surrender of Cos
• On December 11, 1835 Cos surrendered.
• Under the terms of the treaty he was
supposed to leave Texas and no longer fight.

9. The Provisional Government
• After Cos left the Texans set up a intermediate
government.
• Sam Houston was Commander-in-Chief and
Henry Smith was the Governor.
• Their main goal was to resist the Mexicans so
they began to set up a country

10. Santa Anna’s Offensive
• Santa Anna stepped
down from the
Presidency to
relieve Cos as head
of the Army
• He believed he
could quell the
rebellion in Texas
• Santa Anna takes
an aggressive
foreign policy
warning Andrew
Jackson and the
U.S. not to get
involved

11. Goliad Campaign
• The new bold strategy worked well for the
Mexicans. After winning minor battles at
Battle of San Patricio and Battle of Agua
Dulce, the Mexicans defeated the Texans at
Refugio.
• They caught the Texans in retreat, and forced
them to surrender. A week later they lined
them up and killed all 300 in the “Goliad
Massacre”

12. Alamo
• About 180 Texans at the Alamo, commanded by
William Travis faced off against 1500 Mexicans.
• After a long battle all the Texans died as well as
an estimated 600 Mexicans

13. Santa Anna Surrenders at San Jacinto
• Santa Anna heads towards Galveston to smash
the Provisional government.
• The Texans meet his column and do to Houston's
indecisiveness end up waiting, while Santa Anna
gets reinforced.
• The Texans fight outnumbered 900 to over 1200,
but win effectively