The Battle of the Alamo
In the 1820’s, westward expansion was in full force. Americans continued to look for cheaper land past the western frontier and many found their homes in the vast territory of Texas.
In 1821, Mexico won independence from Spain and Texas was part the newly independent country. The Mexican government granted land rights to Americans settling in the area and many became Mexican citizens.
However, in 1829 Mexico's second president Vicente Guerrero abolished slavery in the country. At that time, many white American settlers from the South had brought enslaved Black people with them.
Language and other cultural issues divided the white settlers from the Tejanos (Texans of Mexican descent).
In 1835, then Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna repealed Mexico's Constitution and wanted to centralize the government. He didn't like that the American settlers were not paying taxes or following Mexico's laws.
In response, the settlers rebelled. Santa Anna led his army to San Antonio, Texas to bring the area back under Mexican control by a show of force.
On the long march Santa Anna's army suffered from insufficient supplies, raids by American Indian groups, and lack of water or medical supplies.
In San Antonio, a group of about 200 Texans were stationed at the Alamo, an old Spanish mission that was turned into a a fort.
The fort was on 3 acres of land and contained several buildings with cannons along the walls and on roofs. Among the group there were James Bowie, William Travis, Davy Crocket and other recent immigrants from the U.S.
Santa Anna and his army of about 1,500 soldiers arrived in February 1836 determined to retake Texas. They laid siege to the fort in order to drive out the rebels. The Texan volunteers held out for 13 days before the Mexican forces overpowered them.
Every Texan soldier in the fort was killed and the only survivors were women, children, those who had been enslaved by the Texans at the fort.
As a result of the devastating loss for the American settlers, the Alamo became a symbol of resistance and a rallying cry. Thousands of white Texans signed up to join the rebellion against the Mexican government.
Six weeks after the Alamo, Sam Houston led an army of over 800 Texans that attacked Santa Anna’s army at the San Jacinto River.
Soldiers shouted, “Remember the Alamo” as their battle cry and won the battle of San Jacinto after capturing Santa Anna.
Soon after, Santa Anna and the Texans signed a treaty granting independence to Texas. In September 1836, Sam Houston was elected the first and president of the Republic of Texas.