Texas Wins Independence From Mexico
The struggle for Texas independence from Mexico culminated on April 21, 1836, with the pivotal Battle of San Jacinto. This battle arose from a backdrop of American settlement in Texas, which was encouraged under Mexican rule but eventually led to tensions over governance and cultural differences. Early efforts for independence began in 1810, but it wasn't until the Texas Revolution ignited in 1835 that serious military confrontations took place. Key figures, such as Stephen Austin and Sam Houston, played crucial roles in rallying support for Texan independence.
The battle itself was marked by a surprise attack where Texan forces, inspired by their recent losses, defeated a significantly larger Mexican army, leading to the capture of General Santa Anna. This decisive victory forced Mexico to recognize Texas as an independent republic, an outcome formalized in a treaty that also defined its boundaries. The events surrounding Texas' bid for independence are significant not only for their role in shaping Texas' identity but also for setting the stage for its later annexation by the United States in 1845.
Texas Wins Independence From Mexico
Texas Wins Independence From Mexico
One of the most important days of the year for Texans is April 21, the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, after which Mexico was forced to recognize the independence of Texas.
Mexico itself had been independent from Spain for only 15 years at the time of the battle, and, like Spain before, Mexico considered the area of Texas to be within its boundaries. The United States had asserted a claim to the region based on the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803, but the claim was rather tenuous, especially given the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819, by which the United States acquired Florida from Spain while renouncing its claim to Texas. Nevertheless, American settlers began to arrive in Texas, attracted by the available vast lands and the lenient attitude of the Mexican authorities towards Americans in Texas.
The first direct step towards Texas' independence came in 1810, at the beginning of the revolution by which Mexico eventually expelled the Spanish who had ruled Mexico for so long. The Texans chose that moment to set up a government of their own, with Nacogdoches as their capital. Texas' independence at that time was brief, however, since the forces of Spain-which would hold on to power until 1821-quickly broke up the new Texas government.
In 1820, Moses Austin petitioned the Spanish governor of Texas for a grant of land big enough to provide farms for 300 families of American settlers. He learned in 1821 that his request had been granted, but he died before he could carry out his plan for settlement. Instead, the idea was implemented by his son, Stephen Austin, who secured confirmation of his father's grant from the new Mexican government and learned that he could have as much land as he wished, at no cost, and at a location of his own choice. Mexico continued to offer large gifts of land, either to individual settlers or to the empresarios who, like Austin, contracted to bring them. The result of the official generosity was a flood of American settlers. The number exceeded 7,000 early in the 1820s, tripled within the next decade, and continued to swell thereafter.
In 1826 the American settlers, desiring independence, proclaimed the eastern part of Texas an independent republic. As such it survived for only a short time. It was after this act of insurrection that the Mexican authorities in 1827 ordered a stop to further American immigration, although they did not enforce the order until about 1830. Then, the Mexicans dispatched troops to carry out their decrees, ejecting recent arrivals. Two years later there was another revolt, followed by the calling of a convention, which elected Stephen Austin as president. The authority of Mexico over Texas nonetheless continued, and Austin was sent to Mexico to demand reforms. Instead of getting a hearing, he was imprisoned.
After his release in July 1835, Austin became involved in the Texas Revolution. The first battle of that revolution was fought on October 2, 1835, at Gonzales. After this victory, the Texans captured San Antonio, where they fortified themselves in the Alamo. Santa Anna, the Mexican general and dictator, began his long siege of that bastion on February 23, 1836. During this siege, another conference of Texans, meeting on March 2, formally declared Texas to be independent of Mexico. It was just four days later, on March 6, 1836, that the outnumbered defenders of the Alamo were overcome by Santa Anna's men. The provisional government of Texas, meeting on the day of the defeat, appointed Sam Houston “commander in chief of all land forces of the Texian Army, regulars, volunteers and militia,” supplementing his earlier appointment as commander only of regulars. Directly after the new appointment, Houston went to Gonzales and there learned of the Alamo disaster. Gathering an army as he went, Houston retreated east toward the Brazos River, followed closely by Santa Anna. Arriving at the point where Buffalo Bayou joins the San Jacinto River, Houston made camp and waited for Santa Anna's troops.
On the afternoon of April 21, 1836, Santa Anna's men failed to post lookouts. Nearly 1,600 strong, they were taken by surprise by Houston's force of some 900 Texans, who had crossed a mile of prairie to reach them, screened only by sparse trees and rising ground and inspired by the slogan “Remember the Alamo.” The battle was short, and cost the Mexicans 630 killed and 730 taken prisoner, compared to only nine Texan casualties. Santa Anna was taken prisoner the next day, and forced to sign a treaty by which he pledged to do what he could to secure the recognition of Texas as an independent republic, with boundaries extending as far south as the Rio Grande. The battle of San Jacinto, one of the most decisive in American history, confirmed the independence of Texas and also paved the way for its annexation by the United States on March 1, 1845.