The Essential American

TO UNDERSTAND THE INDEPENDENT NATURE OF MOST TEXANS TODAY, it helps to understand the history of Texas and its path to statehood. Unlike other territories, it was not purchased, settled, and admitted to statehood. Instead, Texans fought for their freedom several times before deciding to join the United States. Texas was part of Mexico when it won its independence from Spain in 1821. Mexico adopted a constitution in 1824 that included guarantees of certain liberties, though not freedom of religion, and restrictions on the federal government.

In 1822, in an effort to increase population and economic activity, Mexico offered to sell foreigners land in the Texas territory for ten cents an acre. Groups of families emigrated from the United States to Mexican Texas during this period.

Less than a decade later, there were many more Americans than Mexicans in the Texas territory. The Mexican government became concerned that the American population might have an overwhelming influence on the territory. In 1830, Mexico banned immigration from America.

In 1833, Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna took control of the Mexican government. He began to strip away the liberties of the people, centralizing control. Santa Anna basically supplanted the 1824 constitution with the Siete Leyes, a much more dictatorial body of laws, in December 1835. Many of the people in Texas were unhappy that their liberties were being taken away. Above all, they were people who loved freedom and liberty.

This led to the Consultation in San Felipe, Texas, in November 1835, where fifty-five people from thirteen municipalities throughout Texas came together to determine how to proceed, even though fighting had already begun on October 2, 1835, at the Battle of Gonzales. They did not want to declare independence at that time, but wanted to put the Mexican government and the rest of the world on notice that they would not allow a Mexican despot to strip away their liberties and dictate how they lived their lives. They communicated to the Mexican government that either the 1824 constitution had to be restored or Texans would fight for their independence.

At this same time, General Sam Houston was named the commander of the Texas troops. As the friction between the Mexican Government and the Texas people intensified, men from the United States and its territories traveled to Texas to help it fight for independence.

Houston ordered Captain Jim Bowie to remove the artillery from the Alamo, a garrison near San Antonio, and destroy the structure. But Bowie could not move the artillery due to lack of draft animals, and instead decided to defend the Alamo. At the same time—on March 2, 1836—the war aim changed from restoring the 1824 constitution, when Texas officially declared its independence.

After laying siege for thirteen days, Santa Anna’s men stormed the Alamo on March 6, 1836. Not content to win, the Mexican soldiers killed every Texas soldier in the Alamo in less than two hours, sparing only women, children, and slaves. The Texan death toll was 180 to 200 men; the Mexican casualties numbered approximately 600.

Not long afterward, Texas soldier Colonel James Fannin surrendered to the Mexican Army outside Goliad. Instead of being treated humanely, Fannin and his wounded men were shot inside a church, while the rest of the almost 400 captives were marched out and slaughtered on the same day, Palm Sunday. Only a few survived the massacre.

Santa Anna, emboldened by his army’s recent wins at the Alamo and Goliad, assumed that he and his army would continue to be victorious. He became more confident and less cautious.

Captain Moseley Baker was one of Houston’s troops. Born in Virginia, he had lived in Alabama before moving west to the Texas territory. Baker had served in the 1835 Consultation, and recruited soldiers for Texas’ fight for independence. Many of his men were from outside of Texas, places as far-flung as Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana.

In order to win, Santa Anna had to not only drive back, but also crush the resistance to ensure no thought of independence remained. Instead, however, he focused on capturing the seat of government.

After weeks of following each other, by April 21, the two armies were close enough to engage in the Battle of San Jacinto. Houston delayed attacking Santa Anna that morning. Convinced that Houston would not attack at all that day, Santa Anna allowed his troops to rest in the early afternoon, and no sentries were posted. When Houston’s forces attacked around 4 p.m., they were met with little Mexican resistance.

Before the attack on Santa Anna’s army, Baker provided a rousing, inspirational talk to his men. There exists no verbatim transcript of the talk; what follows was pieced together from witness recollections. Baker reminded the men that they were fighting for liberty from a tyrannical Santa Anna; that they were the last best hope for Texas, a phrase we find echoed in other historic speeches.

During the battle, Houston had two horses shot from under him. The Texans continued to kill the Mexican soldiers for more than an hour. What made the battle the turning point was the capture the next day of Santa Anna, who had changed clothes, except for his shirt with diamond-encrusted studs, and was trying to escape. His capture forever changed the sovereignty of the West.

Santa Anna’s surrender led to the signing of the Treaty of Velasco between him and Texas President David Burnet. The fighting drew to an end when Mexican Commander Vicente Filisola left Texas under orders from Santa Anna.

Texas’ independence led to the Mexican-American War and eventually to the annexation by the United States of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Wyoming—almost a million square miles.

The story of liberty-loving Texans fighting for independence—first from Spain and then from a Mexican dictator—illustrates why Americans are willing to die for their freedom and liberty.

You are now paraded to go in battle. For the past few weeks our greatest desire has been to meet our foes in mortal combat, and that desire is about to be gratified. I have confidence to believe that you will do your duty and act like men worthy of freedom, but if there be one who is not fully satisfied that he can face death unfalteringly he is at liberty to remain at camp, for I do not wish my company disgraced by a single act of cowardice.

Yonder, within less than a mile is the tyrant, Santa Anna, with his myrmidons, who have overrun our country, destroyed our property, put to flight our families and butchered in cold blood many of our brave men.

Remember, comrades, that we this day fight for all that is dear to us on earth, our homes, our families and our liberty. He who would not fight for these is not worthy of the name of man.

Remember that this little army of less than 800 men is the last hope of Texas, and with its defeat or dispersion, dies the cause of freedom here and we will be regarded by the world as rash adventurers, but should victory crown our efforts, of which I have but little doubt, we can anticipate a riddance to the country of the oppressors, followed by peace and prosperity, and in the further years when this broad, beautiful and fertile land shall be occupied by millions of intelligent and thrifty people who can appreciate the value of liberty, we will be honored as the founders of a republic.

Remember that Travis, Crockett, Bowie and their companions, numbering one hundred and eighty-three of the bravest of brave men, stood a siege of ten days against twenty times their number and fought till the last man was killed, not one being left to tell the news or tell the tale.

Remember you fight an enemy who gives no quarter, and regards neither age nor sex. Recollect that your homes are destroyed; imagine your wives and daughters trudging mud and water, and your children crying for bread, and then remember that the author of all this woe is within a short distance of us; that the arch fiend is now within our grasp; and that the time has come at last for us to avenge the blood of our fallen heroes and to teach the haughty dictator that Texans can not be conquered and that they can and will be free. Then nerve yourselves for the battle, knowing that our cause is just and we are in the hands of an All-wise Creator and as you strike the murderous blow let your watchwords be “Remember Goliad! Remember the Alamo!”