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The Alamo
Political Geography
Tejas
• Land in Tejas was rich & desirable, with forests in the
east, rich soil for growing corn & cotton, & great
grassy plains for grazing animals.
• It was home to Plains & Pueblo Native Americans &
had few Spanish settlers.
• In 1821, only about 4,000 Tejanos lived there.
• Spain agreed to allow Moses Austin to start his own
colony in Texas.
Settlement
• Shortly after Austin arrived in Tejas in 1821, Mexico
gained its independence from Spain, so Tejas became
part of Mexico. It made Austin’s land grant worthless.
• The Mexican government would allow Austin to keep
his colony only if he agreed that new settlers must
become Mexican citizens & Catholic.
• He attracted 297 families, known as the
“Old Three Hundred.”
• He demanded evidence that each family was moral,
worked hard, & did not drink.
• By 1830, the population had grown to about 30,000,
with Americans outnumbering the Tejanos six to one.
Conflicts
• Tejanos & Americans did not get along for several
reasons, including:
– Americans did not want to learn Spanish
– Official documents had to be in Spanish
– Slavery was outlawed by Mexico in 1829 & Americans wanted
slaves to help with their cotton farms
– Tejanos believed Americans thought they were superior &
deserved special privileges
– Americans seemed unwilling to adapt to Mexican laws
• The Mexican government sent
troops to Tejas to force them to
obey the laws.
What is the Alamo?
• Mission San Antonio de Valero (later called the Alamo)
was established in 1718, the first of five Spanish
missions founded in San Antonio to Christianize and
educate resident Indians.
• Other Spanish missions in San Antonio included San
Jose, San Juan, Concepcion, & Espada.
• It was well over 100 years old when it became the focal
point for the Battle of the Alamo. The Alamo will
always be remembered and associated with that battle.
Texans Revolt
• Texans talked about breaking away from Mexico,
although Austin remained loyal.
• Austin went to Mexico City to meet with General Lopez
de Santa Anna, the Mexican President. They discussed
changes to be made.
• When Santa Anna didn’t agree to the changes, Austin
protested & was jailed for one year. Santa Anna also
sent troops to Texas.
• Mexicans tried to seize the Alamo, but Texans fought
back & the Mexicans fled.
The Fight for the Alamo
• Leaders William Travis, James Bowie, Davy Crockett,
& Juan Seguin, helped to lead the revolt. In 1836, Santa
Anna’s troops surrounded San Antonio & began
another siege of the Alamo.
•
• Travis wrote: “The enemy has demanded a
surrender…I have answered the demand
with a cannon shot & our flag still waves
proudly from the walls. I shall never
surrender or retreat.”
Colonel William Travis
• He was a Texas military
commander & fought at
the Alamo at age 26.
• He asked Texans for
support & backup in
defending the Alamo
from Santa Anna’s
troops.
• He gave his life fighting
at the Alamo.
James Bowie
• He commanded the Volunteer
Force at the Alamo.
• He was disabled by pneumonia
& he was confined to his cot at
the time of his death.
• He is known for his famous
"Bowie knife" and his
sometimes reckless sense of
adventure.
Davy Crockett
• He was a genuine frontiersman
and Indian fighter who had no
formal schooling. He served in
the Tennessee legislature and
killed 105 bears in one year!
• When he lost a re-election
against Andrew Jackson in
1835, he set out for Texas with a
group of fellow adventurers,
telling opponents"You can go to
hell--I'm going to Texas!"
• He died defending the Alamo.
Santa Anna
• He led the Mexican rebellion
against Texas.
• After taking the Alamo, he
moved against the forces
being massed by Sam
Houston, pushing them back
toward eastern Texas.
• The army settled into a
siesta. And then the Texans
struck. Santa Anna was
captured the next day.
The Battle
• The Mexicans set the Alamo on fire & the mission went
up in flames & Texans fought to put it out.
• The Alamo’s defenders held off the attack for 12 days.
They refused to surrender.
• On the 13th day, Santa Anna ordered more than 1,800
men to storm the fortress.
• Texans met attackers with a hailstorm of cannon &
gunfire. Then it suddenly became strange & quiet.
Texans had run out of ammunition.
Events of March 3, 1836
• Day 13 of the siege: At 1 a.m. Mexican troops move
towards their positions. At 5 a.m. Santa Anna gave the
signal. The Mexican bugler sounded & they advanced
on the Alamo.
• Texans fought hard to defend their mission. There were
heavy Mexican casualties (nearly 600 killed or
wounded). The battle raged all through the Alamo.
• By 6:30 a.m. the last firing was over. The Alamo had
fallen... In the words of General Vincente Filisola,
“By grapeshot, musketshot and the
bayonet, they were all killed at last."
The Result
• Men who had not died in the Battle were executed at
Santa Anna’s command.
• A total of 183 Alamo defenders died, although they let a
few women & children live.
• Susanna Dickinson, one of the survivors, was
ordered by Santa Anna to tell the story of the
Alamo to other Texans to discourage rebellion.
The battle shocked Texans & showed them
how hard they would have to fight for their
freedom from Mexico.
• With Santa Anna on the attack, Texans fled eastward.
They were captured by Mexican forces, who executed
more than 300 more.
Sam Houston
• Born in Virginia, Sam
Houston was a statesman,
politician, & soldier.
• He moved to Texas, leaving
the United States to protest
Jackson’s Indian Removal
Act.
• Houston persuaded Texans
to move eastward & led the
battle against Santa Anna
at San Jacinto.
Victory at San Jacinto
• With support from Texans, Houston’s army doubled
into more than 800 angry men, including Tejanos,
American settlers, volunteers from the U.S., & many
free & enslaved African Americans.
• Santa Anna caught up with Houston near San Jacinto
River & Texans advanced on the Mexican army with
“the stillness of death.”
• When close to Santa Anna’s camp, they raced forward,
rifles ready, screaming, “Remember the Alamo!!!”
• In 18 minutes, Texans killed more than half
of the Mexican Army. Santa Anna signed a
treaty giving Texas its freedom. With the
Battle of San Jacinto, Texas was now
independent.
The Lone Star Republic
• Texans adopted the nickname Lone Star Republic &
proclaimed themselves to be an independent nation.
• They set up their own army & navy & elected Sam
Houston as president.
• Many Texans did not want to remain an independent
nation & so Texas asked the U.S. Congress to join the
union in 1836.
• Congress voted against it, because many Americans
feared conflicts with slavery & voting advantages.
• It would be more than ten years
before Texas would join the
United States.
Texas Flag
• The official state flag of
Texas, called the Lone Star
Flag, was adopted in 1845
when Texas became the
28th state of the United
States.
•
The colors represent
bravery (red), purity
(white), and loyalty (blue).
• The large white star was
first used on Texas flags in
the 1830's during the
battles between Texas and
Mexico.
The Aftermath
• Without the Alamo there could have been no
Battle of San Jacinto.
• Without the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas could not
have existed.
• Without Texas, the westward expansion of the
U.S. would have been thwarted.
• Without the West, the U.S. would have remained
an Atlantic power, and not risen to become a
world power.
• Without the U.S. as a world
power, the world as we see it
today would not exist.
Six Flags Over Texas
• The amusement park was named for the six different
nations’ flags which have governed Texas, including:
France, Spain, Mexico, Republic of Texas, the Confederate
States of America, & the United States of America.