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Mexico Wins Independence from Spain; Austin Founds New Colony
In search of new opportunities in the unsettled territory of Tejas, Moses Austin hoped to bring 300 families to the Mexican province in 1820. With the help of Baron de Bastrop, Austin received approval from the Spanish governor to bring settlers into Tejas. Moses Austin died in 1821, however, and his son, Stephen F. Austin, inherited the land grant for 300 families. Austin settled the land near the Brazos and Colorado in 1824. -
Conflict on the Horizon
Largely, they didn't see themselves as Mexican nationals and referred to themselves as Texians. Additionally, many of Austin's settlers came from the American South and brought enslaved African Americans with them, despite Mexico's laws prohibiting slavery. Because of the lack of allegiance to the nation, Mexican officials feared they would lose control of the state. -
Santa Anna becomes President of Mexico
General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna led a successful revolt against President Bustamante. Texans were initially okay with this development because Santa Anna supported the Constitution of 1824, which was very similar to the U.S. Constitution. However, Santa Anna nullified the 1824 Constitution in favor of a more centralized government and was no longer supportive of Texas self-rule. -
Texas Revolution Begins: "Come and Take it!"
Tension grew, in Texas and Mexico. Texans, with a growing influx of American settlers, pushed for separate statehood. The first notable battle of the Texas Revolution occurred when Texans at Gonzales refused to return a small cannon lent to them by Mexican authorities. Colonel John H. Moore and his company famously rolled out the cannon under a flag that read, “Come and Take It.” The fight resulted sparked the Revolution. Mexicans retreated, but the battle had just begun. -
Texas Declares Independence
On March 1, 59 delegates held the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos. There they drafted the Texas Declaration of Independence and adopted it on March 2. During the Convention, delegates also drafted the Texas Constitution, outlining their plan for the new Republic. This took place only a month after Santa Anna entered Texas with his army of 6,000 men. Mexico’s army vastly outnumbered the Texas rebels. -
The Fall of the Alamo
Santa Anna led an attack on the Alamo. Under the command of William B. Travis and James Bowie, Texas rebels fought a fierce battle against the Mexican army. Casualties were high on both sides, but Santa Anna’s army ultimately triumphed. The defenders of the Alamo were killed in the attack, including famed frontiersman and former U.S. Congressman David Crockett. Those who did survive were captured and executed by Santa Anna’s troops. -
Austin becomes capital of Texas
The second president of Texas, Mirabeau B. Lamar, the capital was relocated to Austin. Many in Congress believed that Houston was too far from the original Texas settlements, so the commission surveyed land north of San Antonio between the Trinity and Colorado Rivers. Lamar set up a commission to begin researching potential locations for the new capital. They ultimately chose the village of Waterloo and changed the name to Austin to honor the legacy of Stephen F. Austin. -
Texas adopts Lone Star flag
The flag you know today as the official State flag of Texas was adopted in January of 1839 as the official flag of the Republic of Texas. -
The Beginning of the U.S.-Mexican War
The annexation of Texas bolstered the westward expansion of the United States. Settlers moved to Texas in droves. President Polk defined the border between Texas and Mexico at the Rio Grande, but Mexico did not agree. Diplomatic solutions failed. Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to position troops along the north bank of the Rio Grande to protect the Texas boundary. -
Juneteenth
On June 19, 1865, federal authority was established in Texas when General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston. Granger proclaimed the end of slavery for 250,000 African Americans as well as the end of the Confederacy. "Juneteenth," celebrating that declaration of emancipation, was declared an official holiday in the state of Texas in 1980.