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Jan 1, 1400
Age of Exploration
The Europeans were looking to spread their faith (God), to find riches (Gold), and be remembered as a great explorer (Glory). Columbus was looking for a new, shorter route to Asia. Most explorers were from Spain and France. A conquistador is one of the Spanish conquorers from Mexico and Peru. Hernando Cortez tore down Tenochitlan and founded New Spain. -
Jan 1, 1517
Peneda Maps the Texas Coast
Peneda sailed from the western coast of Florida to present day Vera-Cruz. This led to the creation of the first map of the Texas coast. -
Jan 1, 1527
Cabeza de Vaca Shipwrecks
Cabeza de Vaca was captured by the Karankawa Indians and was a slave for 2 years. Disease and hunger killed many native Americans and explorers during the Age of Contact. It made them want to go explore Texas too. -
Feb 23, 1540
Coronado Sets Out For Cibola
Cibola is the name of a mythical land. It is one of the seven Golden Cities of Cibola. Coronado thought Cibola was in Texas because a Spanish priest told Spanish officials that he had seen the legendary city of Cibola. Coronado didn't find Cibola. Coronado did discover the Grand Canyon but his expedition was branded a failure. -
LaSalle Lands in Texas
France started to challenge Spain for Texas. LaSalle discovered the Missippi River Delta. -
Fort St. Louis is Founded
Fort St. Louis is about 40 miles inland of where LaSalle's expedition landed in Texas. This fort was founded by LaSalle. Fort St. Louis failed because of LaSalle's poor leadership and very little shelter. LaSalle was murdered by his own expedition. -
Marques de Rubi Inspects Texas
His mission was to go on a 23 month inspection tour of Texas and report back to the Spanish crown. He was sent by King Charles III. He recommended to exterminate the Lipan Appaches and abandon east Texas completely. -
Mission San Francisco Founded
The purpose of a mission is to convert the natives into Spanish citizens. The leaders of the missions are priests and franciscan friars. Spain built the missions. The natives were being converted into Catholics. Most missions failed because most of the natives were killed by European diseases and the missions were constantly attacked by other native tribes. Presidios protected these missions. A presidio is a fortified military settlement In Spain and Spanish America. -
Phillip Nolan Expedition
A filibuster is a military adventurer who wanted Texas to become detached from Spain. Some examples of filibusters are James Long, Philip E. Bean, and Father Hildago. Jean Lafitte was a French-American pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase meant U.S.-Spanish relations grew tenser. Spain, Great Britain, and Russia still claimed land in North America after the Louisiana Purchase. -
Moses Austin Asks For Permission For A Colony
An old aquantance named Baron de Bastrop helped Austin convince Governor Antonio María Martínez. Sadly Moses F. Austin died of pneumonia before he could fulfill his dreams of colonizing Texas. -
Mexico Gains Independence
Mexico gained independence from Spain. The Mexican constitution was called the 1824 Constitution of Mexico. Under the constitution Mexico joined the stae of Coahulia with Texas to form Coahulia y Texas. -
Stephan F. Austin Establishes His Colony (Continued)
shortly after the colony was established, Austin learned that Mexican authorities were refusing to recognize the Spanish land grant given to his father. It was also hard to get enough food. Two other empressarios are Haden and Benjamin Edwards. -
Stephan F. Austin Establishes His Colony
An empressario is a who has been granted the right to settle on Mexican land in exchange for recruiting new settlers. The first settlement was located in Spanish Texas. Some requirements of settling in Spanish Texas were you had to be Catholic and must use the land for farming and raising livestock. The first 300 land grants became known as the Old 300. The 300 land grants were to families and partnerships of unmarried men. One early challenge in establishing the colony was that... -
The Fredonian Rebellion
The goal of the Fredonian Rebellion was the first attempt by Texas settlers to secede from Mexico. The two brothers Haden and Benjamin were upset with the Mexican government for revoking their land grant. The rebellion ended with the two brothers crossing the Sabine River into the U.S. and abandoning their rebellion. -
Mier y Teran Report
The goal of the Mier y Teran Report was to inspect Texas missions and settlements. Mier y Teran was sent to report on the natural resources of the province, the condition of its Indians, and the number and disposition of any American or French settlers. Some recommendations were to have Texans trade with Mexico more than the U.S. and Mexico should encourage more Mexican and European people to settle in Texas. -
Law of April 6, 1830 Passes
The Law of 1830 banned immigration from the United States and suspended all unfilled empressario contracts. The Law also said all Mexicans moving to Texas got special privileges. This helped encourage Mexican immigration into Texas. The Law also stated that no more slaves were allowed to be brought into Texas. They could also tear down buildings to make room for fortifications. The Law also said that U.S. goods had custom duties (taxes) on them. -
Convention of 1833
A political gathering of settlers in Mexican Texas. 56 delegates met in San Felipe de Austin to draft a series of petitions to the Mexican Government. The delegates sent Stephan F. Austin to present the petitions to Mexican Government. -
Austin Arrested
Stephen F. Austn was arrested because he was considered to be a suspect in trying to incite insurrection in Texas. After being imprisoned SFA change his mind about Texas remaining a part of Mexico. -
Battle of Gonzales
The Battle of Gonzales was fought over a cannon that the Mexican Government gave the people of Gonzales to use in case of indian attacks. The Texans won this battle and the important Texas slogan 'Come and Take It' originated from this battle. -
San Antonio de Bexar Siege
A siege is when a force surrounds a building or town and cuts off supplies with the aim of getting an armed person to surrender. The Mexicans controlled San Antonio de Bexar before the siege and Texans after it. -
The Alamo Falls
Three of the defenders of the Alamo were Davy Crockett, James Bowie, and William B. Travis. There were about 200 Texans and somewhere between 1,600-6,000 Mexican soldiers. Houston didn't send help because he was busy training and assembling his own army. The Mexican Army won the Battle of the Alamo. February 23 - March 6, 1836. -
Convention of 1836
The two important documents that were created at the convention were the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. -
Goliad Massacre
Col. James Fannin and his men lost the Battle of Coleta Creek. Santa Anna ordered the execution of Fannin and his men. All but a few Texans who escaped were massacred. -
Runaway Scrape
Everyone was moving east towards Louisiana. The goal was to cross the Sabine River into Louisiana before they were killed. Everyone was running because Santa Anna had just announced his plans to kill anyone who opposed the Mexican Government. People thought Sam Houston was a coward because he was running away from Santa Anna and the Mexican Army. -
Battle of San Jacinto
The two battle cries the Texans shouted were "Remember the Alamo!" and "Remember Goliad!". About 630 Mexican soldiers died and 730 were captured while only 9 Texans were killed. During the battle Santa Anna fled and was caught by the Texans a few days later. Ultimately the Texans won the battle and their independence.
