Texas Revolution

Battle of the Alamo, 1836

Andrew Jackson was the 7th American President who served in office from March 4, 1829 to March 4, 1837. One of the important events during his presidency was the Battle of the Alamo.

It’s been a battle cry ever since Texas forces were slaughtered by the Mexican army almost 180 years ago: “Remember the Alamo!” But since 1836, it’s not exactly clear what Americans are supposed to remember. Were those fighting for Texas’s independence from Mexico heroes, a la John Wayne? Or were the Alamo and the Texas Revolution a land grab by white slave owners who would eventually help make Texas part of the United States?

The Texas Revolution began with the Battle of Gonzales in October 1835 and ended with the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

 Rebellious Texans had captured the city of San Antonio de Béxar in December of 1835 and had fortified the Alamo, a fortress-like former mission in the center of town. Mexican General Santa Anna appeared in short order at the head of a massive army and laid siege to the Alamo. According to local legend, Crockett endeavoured to maintain the spirits of his men on the eve of battle by playing on his fiddle. He knew, and they knew, that they all faced certain death.

The city of San Antonio belonged to the rebels…but did they really want it? Many of the leaders of the independence movement, such as General Sam Houston, did not. They pointed out that most of the settlers’ homes were in eastern Texas, far from San Antonio. Why hold a city they did not need?

Houston ordered James Bowie to demolish the Alamo and abandon the city, but Bowie disobeyed. Instead, he fortified the city and the Alamo. This led directly to the bloody Battle of the Alamo on March 6, in which Bowie and nearly 200 other defenders were massacred. Texas would finally gain its independence in April, 1836, with the Mexican defeat at the Battle of San Jacinto.

In 1845, the United States annexed Texas. For many years afterward, the U.S. Army quartered troops and stored supplies at the Alamo. In 1883, the state of Texas purchased the Alamo, later acquiring property rights to all the surrounding grounds. Today, more than 2.5 million people a year visit the 4.2-acre site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEPy6Ud8GW0

Sam Houston (1793-1863)