War of Texas SecessionPerspectives on the Texas Revolution

Raúl A. RamosUniversity of Houston

Alamo

•Contexts:

• Visual/Symbolic

• Temporal

• Cultural

• Social

Perspective

Visual Context

War of Texas Secession

Temporal Perspective

• 1830- Law of April 6

• 1834- Austin Arrested

• Oct. 1835- Cannon at Gonzales

• Nov. 1835- Texan Siege on Bexar

• March 2, 1836 - Texas Declaration of Independence

• March 1836- Mexican Siege on Bexar

• April 1836- San Jacinto Mexican defeat

Tejano Options

• Negotiating and navigating a changing landscape

• Anglo Texan statehood demands to Mexico City

• Mexican political practices and conflicts

• How define allegiance?

Mexican Civil War

• Opposition to the centralist government

• Federalists organizing around Mexico

• Zacatecas

• Coahuila

• Yucatan

Power of Language

• AmericanImmigrants

Law April 6, 1830

• Response to Mier y Teran Report

• Modification of Colonization Laws

• Article 10 - Restricts slavery

• Article 11 - Halts American immigration

American Expansion

Indigenous Context

• Cherokee settlements

• Comanche trading and raiding frontier

• Missions secularized and assimilated

The Texas War

• War of Secession or Revolution?

• Participation - Changing face and nature of the War

• Initially, long term Anglo Texan

• Tejano Federalists

• Later, American volunteers predominate

Uncertainty

• Continued Federalist revolt in Mexico

• Seguin and Tejanos link Texas

• Status of Mexican dominated regions of Texas

• 1842 Mexican expeditions into San Antonio

• Santa Fe Expedition

Historical MemoryDallas - 1886 San Antonio - 1886

Texas Revolution

• Multiple Contexts and Perspectives

• Timeframe: 1830 to 1848

• Connections to American, Mexican and World History