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Mexico Gains Independence from Spain
Mexico declared war on Spain in 1810, after a declaration known as the Grito de Dolores inspired Mexicans to take up arms against the colonial Spanish government. Initially led by a Catholic priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, many Indigenous Mexicans and mestizos, people of mixed descent, fought for their independence until 1821. On August 24, 1821, the Treaty of Córdoba was signed by Juan O'Donojú on behalf of Spain and established Mexico as an independent constitutional monarchy. -
Mexico bans Slavery
In 1829, President Guerrero banned slavery in Mexico but gave Texans a one-year exemption. Then the new president Bustamante ordered all slaves be freed before the year had past which outraged many Texans, who were immigrants from the US and were accustomed to using slaves for workers. To go around this edict, Texans converted their slaves to indentured servants for life. This political act was one of the first instances of mounting tensions leading up to the Texas Revolution. -
Anahuac Disturbances
The Anahuac Disturbances were a violent revolt following the Mexican government's ban on immigration(of US citizens) and the subsequent strict enforcement of immigration and customs policies in 1830. After the event, all of the Mexican soldiers were driven out of East Texas, and this was another key event leading to Texas' demand for independence. -
The Birth of the Republic of Texas
Many of the settlers in Texas were from the U.S, and they wanted independent statehood from Mexico after tensions rose and Texians felt they deserved more freedom. On March 2, 1836, the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed at Washington-on-the-Brazos, creating the Republic of Texas. -
Battle of the Alamo
Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his men attacked the Alamo, an old mission converted into a fort, and were held back for 13 days until all of the Texans inside were defeated. Rather than crushing the rebellion, this event infuriated and invigorated Texas rebels. -
Texas Annexation
On February 2, 1845 the US Congress passed a bill to annex Texas, effective December 29th, 1845. In October of 1845 Texans presented their Constitution to the US and it was accepted and Texas became the 28th state with the provisions that Texas had the right to divide into up to 5 states and that no Texas land was surrendered to the US government. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Issues arose after the annexation of Texas in 1845 because Mexico claimed the land between the Rio Grande and the Nueces river. The 150 mile border overlap and the US's failure to heed warnings against annexing Texas sparked the Mexican-American War, which ended in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty declared Mexico's recognition of the Rio Grande boundary and also sold the lands North of the Rio Grande(Texas) and California to the US for $15 mil. -
Compromise of 1850
As part of the Compromise of 1850, proposed by US Senator Henry Clay, Texas gave up the lands of Utah and New Mexico in exchange for the US assuming $10 million of its debt, changing the Texas boundaries to its current form. -
Texas Secedes from the Union
Texas was the 7th state to secede from the Union and join the Confederate States of America. During the Civil War, Texas acted as the Confederacy's "storehouse" and supplied weapons, food, horses, and soldiers. -
Texas Readmitted into US
After the loose reconstruction of Texas government, Texas was accepted back into the US although they didn't meet the formal requirements for readmission.
