Introduction
The Texas Revolution started in October 1835 with Gonzales’s battle and ended on April 21, 1836, with San Jacinto’s battle. Rogers states, “During the early 1800s, Mexico invited Americans to settle in Texas” (4). Mexico had hope that the settlers would develop the northern part of Mexico. Life in America was so hard that many Americans moved with their slaves to Texas. Even though there were some of the Mexican- born settlers that moved to Texas, a majority of the settlers were from America. There were too many Americans in Texas that it worried the Mexican leaders. To control the situation, the leaders decided to formulate some laws that made it illegal for Americans to settle in Texas. The leaders also passed some laws that would force the Americans to pay more taxes and to submit their slaves. The Texas settlers were furious and felt that Texas should be separated from Mexico so that it could make its own laws. According to Rogers, “The people of Texas wanted to be free from Mexico and felt that Texas should be able to make its own laws” (5). The Texas Revolution was caused by America’s expansionism, internal conflicts, racial prejudice, the refusal to follow government regulations and slavery; all these factors fuelled the quest for independence and in the end, the Mexican Americans were affected culturally, socially and politically.
Causes of the Texas Revolution
According to Www2.austincc.edu, “One of the most important reasons for Mexico’s loss of Texas was the historical expansion of the United states.” The Americans had the history of expanding their territory and their reason for expanding was that they wanted to achieve many of their missions (Www2.austincc.edu). First, they wanted a virgin land for farming. Second, they wanted to make the nation a transcontinental one, stretching from the Pacific to Atlantic. The final reason was to ensure their aim of spreading civilization and Christianity all over the North America was achieved. Many had witnessed the trend of America expanding, and they were expecting the same trend, be it through purchase, negotiation or militarily. The act of Americans selling some of the unoccupied lands of its border encouraged more settlers to move to Texas.
The other factor that contributed to the start of the Texas Revolution was the disputes and internal conflict that resulted after Mexico had gained its independence (Www2.austincc.edu). After Mexico had gained its independence, the leaders began pondering about how to make a government that would be favorable to the citizens and how to solidify the newly gained independence. There were arguments about the best rules to follow and how the Roman Catholic should look like. The Mexicans were preoccupied with internal matters to control some of the issues that affected them. When Mexico focused on Texas to control what they said was a deteriorating situation, the settlers of Texas became more resistant, and this led to the Revolution.
Racial prejudice contributed to the complicated relationship between the Anglo settlers and the Mexican citizens (Www2.austincc.edu). Both groups felt racially superior to the other. Some of the actions that the Mexican government took led to conflict between the two groups to the point that the Anglos resisted decisions and orders. The racial issue made both the groups to misinterpret and misunderstand the actions of the other and that resulted in each group treating the other in a haughty way. The feeling of ethnocentrism between the two groups contributed to more problems that led to Texas revolution.
According to Www2.austincc.edu), “The most immediate cause of the Texas revolution was the refusal of many Texas, both Anglo and Mexican, to accept the governmental changes.” The Jacksonian Democracy swept the Anglos and majority of the Mexicans. It stated that the government power should be vested in state and local governments which were closer to people; it was easily controlled and was more representative than the one which was proposed by the centralists. The centralists felt that the majority of power should be allotted to the central or the national government of Mexico. There was a tough fight between the two parties, but the centralists and the Santa Anna won the fight. The Anglos and majority of the Mexicans saw this as a government, which was powerful in the hands of Santa Anna, who was tyrannical. The war in Texas was primarily made to restore federalism and the 1824 constitution.
The other factor that contributed to the Texas Revolution was the issue of slavery. Initially, the Anglo- Americans were allowed to settle in Texas, Mexico, together with their slaves (Www2.austincc.edu). The Anglos in the Texas had invested more in the slaves. It came to a point whereby the government of Mexico passed laws to abolish slavery in the country and to limit it. As more Anglos invested more in the slaves, they heavily resisted the changes that were to be made. The Anglos found it worthy for them to have a free nation whereby slavery would be highly recognized and respected. The slavery institution in the Texas had both social and economic impacts, and the Anglos would not support any change that would abolish the slavery system.
Major Events that Took Place during the Revolution
The first event was the Battle of Gonzales, which was between the town of Gonzales and the Mexican soldiers. The soldiers were trying to get back the cannon in Gonzales, but the settlers of Texas refused to give them back. The soldiers went back without the cannon. The other event that occurred during the Texas Revolution was the Battle of Alamo. It was a small group of the Americans around 180 in number that was led by Jim Bowie and Davy against the Mexican force led by General Santa Anna. The final battle that ended the Revolution was the Jacinto’s battle. It was fought on April 21 in 1836. The Vince Bridge played a crucial part in the battle of Jacinto. It was a wooden bridge that was constructed by the Vince, and was destroyed by the Texan troops. The bridge prevented the reinforcement arriving at General Santa Anna’s Mexican army. It led to the defeat of the Mexican Army, which effectively resulted in the end of the Texas Revolution. Many of the Mexican soldiers were killed, and some were captured. Among those who were captured was General Santa Anna, and later in the year 1836 he signed the peace Treaty of Velasco.
Effects of the Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution had some impacts on the natives and to the country itself. According to Polinard, “The education system of Texas developed very slowly from the period of the Texas Revolution” (139). It was confirmed that the Mexican-American children were shut out of the education system, and there were few enrollments of those children in the education system. The Mexican-Americans in Texas were affected economically, culturally and politically. Women were also affected by the revolution. Women stepped out to support the revolution patriotically and this was a threat in their domestic responsibilities. There were also some positive impacts related to the Texas Revolution. It was a turning point for the nation of Texas as some of the factors such as political and ethnicity were aligned (Dawson 48). It was after the revolution that the demographic change and the economic changes accelerated.
Conclusion
It is evident that they are many factors that led to the Texas Revolution. Among those factors is the expanding nature of America to a point that they felt that they should own the Mexican land. Racial prejudice also played a role in the Texas revolution in the sense that every group felt superior to the other group. When the Mexican leaders decided to formulate changes to the government, the Anglos felt that the central power was in the hand of tyrannical Santa Anna and this resulted in a conflict between the centralists and the Anglos. In addition, the abolishment of the slavery in Mexico created a conflict between the Anglos and the Mexicans. The Anglos had invested much in the slavery that they did not imagine losing their investments. The Texas revolution had both positive and negative impacts on the people of the Texas and the nation itself.
Works Cited
Dawson, Joseph G. The Texas Military Experience: From the Texas Revolution Through World
War II. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1995. Print.
Polinard, Jerry L. Electoral Structure and Urban Policy: The Impact on Mexican American
Communities. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1994. Print.
Rodgers, Kelly. Leaders in the Texas Revolution: United for a Cause. Place of publication not
identified: Teacher Created Materials, 2012. Print.
Www2.austincc.edu. "Causes Of The Texas Revolution". Www2.austincc.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
