The Annexation of Texas
Essay title: The Annexation of Texas
The Annexation of Texas
Thesis: The nine years of Texas’s independence were long and seemed to be dragged out. Were those nine years unnecessary and could it have been done in a shorter period of time?
13 October 1834 was the first revolutionary meeting of the American citizens who’d settled in Mexico, in the area soon to be known as Texas. The people attempted a movement that soon was laid to rest by the Mexican Congress. Attempts at independence were silenced for the time being and the elections of 1835 proceeded forward. With Santa Anna moving to control Mexico, and taxes increasing, Texans grew restless and rowdy.
A Texan, William B. Travis and a small group of Texans attacked a squad of Mexican troops in Anahuac with the motive that “taxes should not thus be collected from them to support a standing army in their own country” (SOS 1) and soon drove them back. Travis retreated to San Felipe and were assisted to Bexar. Skirmishes and the threat of war with Mexico soon followed.
Come 1835, the idea of independence was extremely popular within the territory of Texas. Assemblies were held in the later months of 1835 and soon the revolution had spread like wildfire. From the interior of Mexico, Stephen Austin returned with news from Santa Anna (the Mexican President) and stated Anna wanted nothing better than Texas’ prosperity and would promote the idea everywhere. Texans felt these words to be hollow, and rallied to the idea of independence and annexation to the United States. Within months, the nation was on the edge of war. With the smallest little spark enough to explode into chaos.
Mexico saw the fire of revolution in the Texans and acted quickly. They soon sent spies in to observe the actions of the Texans and slowly started to move troops into the Texas territory. A list of suspicious colleagues was sent around and with that the Mexican army declared that they would march on the Texan colonies and remove and/or punish any American who’d immigrated since 1830. The declaration made it clear that Santa Anna felt that any American who lived in texas had overstepped Mexican authority, and needed to be punished. Word was sent to San Felipe to the chairman of the Committee of Safety Stephen Austin, who in turn sent word to the volunteer companies they had established that “war was their only resource” (SOS 2).
As these preparations occurred, the Mexicans pumped another 500 troops into the texas territory. These troops marched for Bexar where they searched for artillery. The Texans mustered up a force of 168 men to attack the Mexican troops. On 1 October 1835 the Texans, led by elected Colonel John H. Moore marched upon the troops with a six pound cannon and a set of smaller firearms. The Texans emerged with a flawless victory from their battle with the Mexican troops, not losing a single man. The Battle of Gonzales had just opened the war for the Independence of texas.
Finally, after a year of fighting and the battles of Goliad, Concepcion, and San Patricio Texans declared independence from Mexico on 2 March 1836 (SOS). Expecting and hoping for the United States to annex the new nation for hospitality in America, protection from the Mexican government, and of course most of the Texans were American anyway.
However, the first month of Texas’s independence was no cake-walk. 4 days after its Declaration of Independence the Battle of the Alamo ended. 140 texans under W. Barret Travis and Davy Crockett held off 4,000 mexicans for 3 days (SOS). While all of the defenders were killed and mutilated, they took with them an estimated 1600 Mexican troops in their bravery.
The days passed