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Early 1800s
The Spaniards decided to offer large tracts of land to empiresarios. Empresarios are people who agreed to recuit settlers. News of the offer caught the attention of businessman Moses Austin. -
Period: to
Texas Independence
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Migration to Texas
In this time Texas included a handful of Americans and about 3,000 Tejanos. Tejanos are people of Mexican haritage who consider Texas their home. Spanish officials beleived they might lose control of Texas unless they lured in more settlers. -
Brazo river settlements
Austin Moses convinced the Spanish government to give him a huge tract of land along the Brazos River. Austin then promised to bring 300 families to his colony. He died before he could organize the colony. Stephen F. Austin carried out his plans. He established the first settlement along the Brazo and Colorado Rivers. Mexico won its independence from Spain. Mexico issued new land grants and extended Austins boundaries. -
Mexicans against slavery
Colonists on the Bazos were using slaves to grow cotton when the Mexican government prohibited slavery. The cotton growers protested so vigoriously that the government decided to permit slavery in Texas, at least temporarily. Slaveholders balked at the idea that the government might deprive them of their human property. U.S wanted the same voice they had as the Mexicans officials insisted on tight political control. -
Texans and Mexicans no longer friends
Relations between the Texans and Mexico reached a new low when Mexico forbid further emigration into Texas by settlers from the United States. -
Mexicans surrender
The Battle of Velasco resulted in the first casualties in Texas' relations with Mexico. After several days of fighting, the Mexicans under Domingo de Ugartechea were forced to surrender for lack of ammunition. -
Texas petition
Stephen F.Austin traveled to Mexico City with a petition. The petition listed reforms, or improvements, demanded by both Anglos and Tejanos. The reforms included repeal of the ban against immigration and creation of a seperate Texas state. -
Battle of Gonzales
Texans repulsed a detachment of Mexican cavalry at the Battle of Gonzales. Leading up to the conflict, the Mexican authorities sent a force of about 100 men to repossess a cannon that had been provided the residents of Gonzales for defense against Indians. In response to the Mexican force, the Texans, under Colonels John H. Moore and J. W. E. Wallace, loaded the cannon with scrap iron, aimed at the Mexicans, and fired the shot that began the revolution. -
Battle of Conception
Jim Bowie Known for his famous "Bowie knife" and James Fannin and 90 Texans defeated 450 Mexicans at the Battle of Concepcion, near San Antonio. -
Ben Milam was killed
Mexicans under General Cos surrendered San Antonio to the Texans following the Siege of Bexar. Ben Milam was killed during the extended seige. -
Texas Declartion
The Texas Declaration was produced overnight. Its urgency was paramount, because while it was being prepared the Alomo in San Antonio was under seige by Santa Anna's army of Mexico. Fifty-four delegates of the Convention of 1836 met about it. Richard Ellis was elected president of the convention and Herbert S. Kimble secretary. The Texas Declartion of Independence was then signed. An ad interim government was formed. -
Runaway Scrape
Texans under Col. William B. Travis were overwhelmed by the Mexican army after a two week seige at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio. The Runaway Scrape began. This was a period of terror and panic amoung settlements of Texas, as Santa Anna and the Mexican armies swept eastward from San Antonio virtually unopposed. -
Goliad Massacre
James Fannin and nearly 400 Texans were executed by the Mexicans at the Goliad Massacre, under order of Santa Anna. -
Battle of San Jacinto
Texans under San Houston routed the Mexican forces of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. At this battle Texans had about 750 men. They took on 1500 of the enemy. Houston sent spys destroying bridges after the Mexicans crossed so there was no escape. The Texans won the battle. -
Treaty of Velasco
Santa Anna and president David Burnet signed the Treaty of Velasco. -
Houston elected
Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas, whiched earned its independent from Mexican in a successful military rebellion. -
James Polk
U.S. president James Polk followed through and campaign platform promising to annex Texas, and signed legislations making Texas the 28th state of the United States. -
State government
State government was formally instaled in Austin Texas and James P. Henderson became the first governor of Texas.
