The document provides background on the history leading up to the Battle of the Alamo. It discusses how American settlers began migrating to Texas in the 1840s due to Manifest Destiny. This concerned the Mexican government, who took steps like banning further American immigration and abolishing slavery. This outraged Texan settlers and led to conflict. In early 1836, Santa Anna's army arrived at the Alamo in San Antonio, where Texan forces had barricaded themselves. Over the next two weeks, the Texans fought off repeated attacks until the Mexicans were finally able to breach the walls. In the ensuing bloody hand-to-hand combat inside the fort, nearly all of the Texan defenders were killed, cementing

1. Sandra Cash
Mailbox 108
Why We Remember the Alamo
Why do we remember the Alamo? What affect did it have and what caused it? Before one can
talk about the Alamo, one must understand some of the American and Mexican history leading up to
this battle. First, an understanding of the underlying American history, especially of Texas, is
fundamental. In the same way, the background history of Mexico is important. This paper will also
address the actual battle of the Alamo: what happened, and who survived. In the end, the events of the
Alamo affected the course of history.
During the 1840s, citizens of the United States were going west. The ideology known as
“Manifest Destiny” was an important factor in this migration (Brinkley, 194). Manifest Destiny was the
ideology in which Americans, being very proud of being Americans, thought that it was God’s will and
their historical destiny to expand the country’s boundaries. (Brinkley, 194) Due to this, Americans
started expanding into Texas and Oregon. Americans were able to help colonize Texas, because Mexico
saw how well Austin's colony was doing and wanted to keep their country growing in the same manner.
They started to give monetary incentives to American colony founders, who were like Austin, and even
gave huge territories of land to individual settlers (Infoplease).
Mexico had finally gotten its freedom in 1821, and the hero of this revolution, Agustin de
Iturbide, became the emperor of the new nation (Paul). Iturbide allowed Americans to colonize Texas,
so long as the immigrants were Catholic (Paul). While Americans colonized Texas, the Mexican Republic
was having problems self-governing. “It had 13 presidents in its first 15 years of independence” (Todd).
Throughout this time, the United States had offered to buy Texas from Mexico twice, and was twice

2. refused (Brinkley, 194). Later, President Miguel Felix Hernandez founded La Constituciòn Liberal de 1824,
infuriating Santa Anna and eventually leading to the battle located at the Alamo twelve years later (Paul,
6).
The 1824 Constitution left it to each state to control its own immigration and land policy
(William, 254). Also during this time, Mexico enacted a colonization law, which granted inexpensive and,
for four years, tax-free land to every American who chose to move to Texas (Brinkley, 194). Due to this,
many Americans moved to Texas, for they could buy cheap land without paying taxes. Many of the
people who moved to Texas were farmers who only wanted to have land they could own. During this
immigration to Texas, Stephen F. Austin led several hundred families into Texas, establishing a
settlement along the Brazos River, which is close to the Gulf of Mexico (Todd).
Through the next 15 years, about 30,000 Americans went to Texas. By 1830, the majority
population of the area was American, which concerned the Mexican government (Infoplease). Santa
Anna seized power and became president of Mexico. Concerned about the ratio of Americans to
Mexicans in Texas, he enacted the Law of April 6, 1830 (Remember the Alamo). This law did three things.
First, it prevented more Americans from immigrating into Texas and canceled all colonization contracts.
Second, it prohibited slavery; and lastly it sent military to the Anglo colonies (Remember the Alamo)
(Todd). In addition, Santa Anna decided to tax Texas’ trade with the United States (Todd). Now the
Texans were outraged at these changes, especially at the ban of slavery, and the taxes on their trade
with the United States.
Stephen F. Austin then decided to go to Mexico City with the hope of bringing individual
statehood for the American settlers, as was promised by the former Mexican government.
Unfortunately, he was unsuccessful in his attempt and was incarcerated until September 1835, when he
returned to the territory and found the settlers on the brink of mutiny (Todd). Santa Anna took the

3. Texans’ resistance to his new regulations as treason, so in 1835 he sent his army to wield his authority
(Todd). The Governor of Texas, Henry Smith had a meeting with leaders like Austin Houston and Sam
Houston, so that they could try to gather a force and beg the United States to help them (Todd). A few
months after Mexico’s Independence Day in 1835, the self-proclaimed Amy of Texas took over Bèxar
and the Alamo (Raul, 2). Paul, from Wild West magazine wrote this about the attack:
Under Bed Milam, the attack on Còs’ troops in San Antonio de Bèxar happened. San Antonio de
Bèxar was only 400 yards from the Alamo. This fight was unlike anything the Mexican army had
ever experienced. Còs finally flew the white flag of surrender from the Alamo on December 9.
More than 200 of his men lay dead, and many more were wounded. He signed papers giving
Texans all the public property, money, arms and ammunition in San Antonio. By Christmas Day,
the Mexican army was back to the Rio Grande. To the Texans, who lost about 20 men, including
Ben Milam, the victory seemed cheap and easy (Paul).
Santa Anna was not at all pleased to hear that Bèxar was taken over by the Texans. He started to
prepare an army that would eventually grow to 6,000 soldiers, before he started to attack (Paul). Even
though it was the middle of winter, Santa Anna drove his militia ruthlessly. This took a toll on the men
and animals; many died and were left on the trail (Paul). Knowing that Santa Anna will be coming
through San Antonio de Bexar, the Texans bickered whether they should fight there, or just retreat to
the coastal area (Todd). Houston, who was in charge of the Texas army, corresponded with Governor
Smith stating this:
“…I have ordered the fortifications in the town of Bexar to be demolished, and if you
should think well of it, I will remove all the cannon and other munitions of war to Gonzales and
Copano, blow up the Alamo and abandon the place, as it will be impossible to keep up the

4. Station with volunteers, the sooner I can be authorized the better it will be for the Country [italics
added+…” (Lindley, 7)
This letter shows that Houston only recommended that the Alamo should be blown up, but did not
actually order the Alamo to be blown up. Also with that letter, Sam Houston also dispatched Colonel Jim
Bowie and 25 men to help blow up the Alamo (Lindley, 7). Governor Smith decided that it would take
too long to move the cannons and would not blow up the Alamo. Instead, they would fight, even though
it seemed like a losing battle. Colonel William Travis sent letters begging for supplies and more men. In
one of his letters he said, “To the people of Texas and All Americans in the World…I shall never
surrender or retreat….Victory or Death!” (Paul)
On March 6, 1836, Santa Anna reached the Alamo and witnessed a Mexican Flag flying with
“1824” across it. He ordered the Texans to relinquish the mission, but they answered by a cannon shot
(Todd). He told his men to bombard the Alamo and raised a red flag, which meant take no prisoners.
This began the 13-day battle (Paul). The Texans who fought were positioned all around the walls.
Because of this vantage point, they killed and injured hundreds of Mexican militia (Todd). Santa Anna
ordered his men to fire around the clock, that way the army would get weary and would be easy to
defeat, but the same was true for his army as well (Paul). After a while, the Mexican militia finally got
into the Alamo by climbing up the walls in multiple places.
After many Mexicans were over the walls and in the Alamo, Texans withdrew from the walls and
began to make their last stand (Todd). Soon after this they started fighting hand to hand with knives,
pistols, rifles anything they had left (Paul) (Todd). This was throughout the Alamo, and after 90 minutes
to 2 hours of fighting hand to hand, it was over. Almost all the Texans were killed during the fight,
except a few were imprisoned, but Santa Anna imposed his “take no prisoner policy” so they were killed
(Todd). It is thought that there were only 32 survivors, which were women, children and slaves (Habig,

5. 7). Gregorio Esparza’s son Enrique Esparza and his family, excluding his father, survived the attack, he
later said this about the attack to the San Antonio Express:
“…the families that were in the quarters just huddled up in the corners. My mother's children
were near her. Finally, they began shooting through the dark into the room where we were. A
boy who was wrapped in a blanket in one corner was hit and killed. The Mexicans fired into the
room for at least fifteen minutes. It was a miracle, but none of us children were touched …”
(Remember the Alamo: Survivors Stories)
Santa Anna was not even going to be merciful to all the women, children and slaves; he only allowed
some of t hem to live. Plenty of other survivor stories relate that the Mexican army just shot into rooms.
There was only one male survivor and that was the slave of William Travis, named Joe (Remember the
Alamo: Survivors Stories). Joe fought with his master during the siege, while fighting during the siege he
was shot and bayoneted (Remember the Alamo: Survivors Stories). We have this information, because
an army officer told the story Joe’s story, which Joe himself never published, in a letter written in May
1836:
“…Travis sprung up, and seizing his rifle and sword, called to Joe to take his gun and
*uncertain+… Joe followed his example. The fire was returned by several shots, and Travis fell,
wounded, within the wall, on the sloping ground that had recently been thrown up to
strengthen the wall. There he sat, unable to rise. Joe, seeing his master fall, and the Mexicans
coming over the wall and thinking with Falstaff that the better part of valor is discretion, ran,
and ensconsed [sic] himself in a house, from the loop holes of which, he says, he fired on them
several times after they had come in…” (Remember the Alamo: Survivors Stories)
Later when the Alamo was taken over he was brought to Santa Anna, who gave him back to the Travis’s
family (Remember the Alamo: Survivors Stories).

6. After the bodies of the Texans, which included legendary Davy Crockett, were gathered up, they
were burned, with the exception of Jose Gregorio Esparza (Paul). He had a Christian burial due to the
fact his brother Francisco was part of General Còs’ presidio guards (Paul). The Mexican casualties are
not certain. It is thought that it could be any number from 600 to 2,000 who died (Todd). Considering
this along with the number of wounded, Santa Anna could not afford another victory like this (Paul).
Santa Anna kept going into Texas, taking back Mexican land from Texans. Many Texans fled to
Louisiana (Todd). While Santa Anna was doing this, General Sam Houston gathered men to strike back
(Brinkley, 195). On April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston attacked San Jacinto. During the attack, which
is known as the Battle of San Jacinto, the Texans' rally cries were “Remember the Alamo!” “Alamo!
Travis! Crockett!” and “Alamo! Alamo! Alamo!” (Williams, 572)
After the battle had ended, the Texans had captured President Santa Anna, giving him more
mercy than he had given to the survivors of the Alamo (Todd). Under the pressure from his captors,
President Santa Anna signed a treaty giving Texas independence, which he later denied (Todd). With
Texas’s independence, they became their own country. Their first President, Sam Houston dispatched
representatives to Washington with a proposal to become part of the United Sates (Brinkley, 195).
The Alamo played an important part of American history and Mexican history. In the beginning,
it was colonized by Americans through grants, while Mexico was just being to self-rule. Then once
President Santa Anna came into office he saw that there were too many Americans in Mexico and
decided the only way to fix this was by having them surrender and if they did not surrender than he
would battle them out. This was the sad fate of the Alamo, which was a tragic loss for both sides. Even
though this was tragic, the Texans used it to rally people to help fight for their independence, which
they would eventually win at the Battle of San Jacinto. This is why we remember the Alamo.

7. Works Cited
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation A Brief, Interactive History of the American People. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill , 2005. Print.
Habig, Marion Alphonse. The Alamo Mission: San Antonio De Valero, 1718-1793. Chicago: Franciscan
Herald Press, 1977. Print.
Hively, Todd. "The Alamo." Let's Take A Look At Texas (2010): 1-4. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
Lindley, Thomas. Alamo Traces: New Evidence and New Conclusions. Republic of Texas, 2003. eBook
Paul, Lee. "The Alamo: 13 Days of Glory,." Wild West. February 1996: 6. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.historynet.com/the-alamo-13-days-of-glory.htm/6>.
Raul, Ramos. Beyond the Alamo: Forging Mexican Ethnicity in San Antonio, 1821-1861. The University of
North Carolina Press, 2008. eBook.
"Remember the Alamo." PBS. 2004. Web. 16 Nov 2011.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/timeline/timeline2.html>.
“Remember the Alamo: Survivor Stories.” PBS. 2004. Web. 16 Nov 2011.
<http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/alamo/sfeature/sf_survivors.html>
"Texas: History." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia.© 1994, 2000-2006, on Infoplease.© 2000–2007
Pearson Education, publishing as Infoplease.16 Nov. 2011
<http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0861505.html>.
William, Davis. Three Roads to the Alamo. HarperCollins e-books, 2009. eBook