Battle of the Alamo and Mexican Government Essay

Submitted By kendrea
Words: 680
Pages: 3
Open Document
Many factors caused the United States to declare war upon Mexico. For example, the two nations spoke different languages and had different religions. The United States was full of energy and trying to expand. Mexico had little unity, was sparsely populated, and weakened due to an oppressive upper class. The American mind was thinking about Manifest Destiny, and Mexico had control over Texas, California, and New Mexico. The Mexican government wanted settlers from America to colonize Texas. The only rules were no slaves and that the settlers had to become Catholic. But few Americans who settled there heeded these rules. To make matters worse, on December 16, 1826, a few armed Americans went to Nacodoches (an area of Texas) and claimed it, calling it the Republic of Fredonia. They won a small battle with the help of some local Indians. When a larger force of Mexican soldiers came to put down the rebellion, they found out that the "Fredonians" had escaped to Louisiana.

Mexico responded to this violence with the Decree of April 6, 1830. This prohibited more Americans from immigrating to Texas and set new taxes on commerce. Also, General Antonio López de Santa Anna became the Dictator of Mexico in 1834. The Texans resisted his authority. Stephen Austin, a well-known Texan, was jailed when the Mexican government obtained a letter he had written advising Texans to form their own state. War broke out between the Texans and Mexico soon after.
 The Texans claiming to be fighting for the restoration of democracy in Mexico, captured the cities of Gonzales, Goliad, and San Antonio. After these initial successes most Texans went home for the winter, leaving only 155 men to protect San Antonio. They were not expecting the Mexicans to return anytime soon. But, on February 23, 1836, General Santa Anna arrived with large force of soldiers and entered San Antonio. The defenders retreated to the Alamo, a former mission near San Antonio. Their leader, Colonel William B. Travis, tried to get reinforcements, but only 32 men from Gonzales were able to come. The Mexican army numbered 2000 men, while there were a mere 187 soldiers and 15 civilians inside the Alamo's walls. Santa Anna's forces surrounded the small mission and repeatedly attacked, but was repelled each time by the Texans. Santa Anna lost many men with each attack, but he pressed the assault. During one such attack, Travis declared, "I shall never surrender or retreat! I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that
Show More

Related Documents: Battle of the Alamo and Mexican Government Essay

Battle Of The Alamo Research Paper

The Alamo battle is a historic structure which stands in the center of San Antonio Texas. This battle was fought in March 1836, during the war of Texas independence. Sometimes the Alamo is called “the Thermopylae of America,” after the famous battle in which the ancient Greeks held off a large Persian force. Unlike this Thermopylae, no man escaped from the Alamo. The Alamo is now restored and owned by the state. Early Days: The Mission was originally called San Antonio de Valero. It was later…

Words 441 - Pages 2

Essay Battle Analysis ALAMO

Battle Analysis Presented by SFC Uribe, Henry /SSG Vargas, Luis The Battle of the Alamo Overview The Alamo is located in San Antonio, Texas and has a rich history behind it. The biggest remembrance of the Alamo is the battle that took place during 1836. The purpose of the battle was Texans fighting for independence from Mexico. Texans In the year 1803, 800,000 square miles of land west of Mississippi was purchased by the United States causing a dispute with Spanish authorities. In 1820…

Words 444 - Pages 2

Battle Of The Alamo Summary

SUBSCRIBE ABOUT US Search  Battle Of The Alamo Facts, information and articles about Battle Of The Alamo, an event of Westward Expansion from the Wild West Battle Of The Alamo Facts Dates February 23, 1836 – March 6, 1836 Location San Antonio de Bexar, Texas Republic, now: San Antonio, Texas Generals/Commanders William Travis, Texas James Bowie, Texas President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Mexico Soldiers Engaged 189 United States 1,800 – 6,000 Mexico Outcome Mexican Victory Result Texas…

Words 1096 - Pages 5

Essay on The Alamo

The Alamo This movie is about a heroic fight that takes place in San Antonio and how a handful of men fought to protect the area against the Mexican attackers. The movie starts with a flash back of what happens during the battle in San Antonio, with all the Texans dead from the fight. It then goes back to one year ago to a general named Sam Houston, who goes to a party and tries to convince people to move to Texas because it is much better there. General Houston then meets with David Crocket and…

Words 555 - Pages 3

Battle Of The Alamo Research Paper

tensions arose between the Mexican government and the Texan settlers, who were primarily American immigrants. These tensions were fueled by cultural, political, and economic differences. The Mexican government, under President Antonio López de Santa Anna, sought to centralize power and enforce laws that the Texan settlers viewed as oppressive.In response to these grievances, Texan settlers staged a revolt against Mexican rule. The conflict culminated in the famous Battle of the Alamo in 1836 where a small…

Words 341 - Pages 2

The Texas Revolution Essay

whether they are political disputes against the Centralist party in Mexico that had primary control at the time of the Revolution. These and more will be explored. Also, there are key battles in the Texas Revolution that decided the final fate of Texas, none more famous than the famous Battle of San Jacinto and The Alamo. The most popular, speculated cause of the Texas Revolution is that Texas was following in the…

Words 1057 - Pages 5

Alamo And The Texas Revolt Summary

The Historiography of the Alamo: Unraveling American Heroism. Jack McConnell History 200 Professor Thissen-Reily April 29, 2024. The Alamo and the Texas Revolt have been the subject of much debate and disagreement among historians. For a long time, the "traditional" narrative of the Alamo defenders fighting for "freedom" against Mexican "oppression" went largely unchallenged. However, in recent decades, more nuanced and critical perspectives have emerged, shedding light on the complex political…

Words 1759 - Pages 8

Alamo Research Paper

is what William Travis, commander of the Texans fighting at the Alamo, wrote to the people of texas and all the Americans in the world. The mexican troops had began a siege of the Alamo, and he knew that unless he received help, his troops were doomed. The Republic of Texas was a rebellious province of Mexico. The americans that were settled in Texas wanted independence from Mexico, so they rebelled and eventually joined the United States. To begin, the Alamo is an 18th­century mission church in San Antonio…

Words 740 - Pages 3

Battle Of San Jacinto Research Paper

Overall, The Battle of San Jacinto occurred on April 21st in 1836, which consisted of Texan Troops under the command of Sam Houston, with Santa Anna leading the Mexican army in this decisive battle. The Texan troops were fighting for independence, while Santa Anna was trying to maintain Mexico’s dominance over Texas. After the Alamo, Sam Houston and his army were desperate and kept moving towards east Texas, in the belief that maybe U.S. would intervene. They ended up in present day Houston, which…

Words 298 - Pages 2

The Alamo Movie Research Paper

The name of the film I chose to research is “The Alamo.” The historical film stars actors Billy Bob Thornton as David “Davy” Crockett, Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston, Patrick Wilson as Colonel William Travis, Emilio Echevarría as General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, Jason Patric as Jim Bowie, and Jordi Molla as Juan Seguin. “The Alamo” was directed by John Lee Hancock. Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan, John Lee Hancock, and John Sayles wrote the script for the film. The film premiered in theaters on April…

Words 1784 - Pages 8