Texas Declares Independence

In March 1836, a convention of settlers and Tejanos at Washington-on-the-Brazos declared Texas independent of Mexico. The declaration, followed weeks later by a decisive military victory at San Jacinto, created the Republic of Texas, which existed as a separate nation for nearly a decade. The episode reshaped North America: it set the stage for the annexation of Texas by the United States and, indirectly, for the U.S.–Mexican War.

The roots of the revolt lay in Mexico's efforts to populate its northern province. After winning independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico allowed American settlers, led by empresarios such as Stephen F. Austin, to establish colonies in Texas on condition that they obey Mexican law and adopt Catholicism. By the early 1830s, Anglo settlers heavily outnumbered the Tejano population of Mexican-descended Texans. Tensions grew over several issues: Mexico's 1829 abolition of slavery (which settlers often evaded), a 1830 law restricting further immigration from the United States, customs duties, and the political shift in Mexico City toward centralized rule under Antonio López de Santa Anna, who set aside the federalist Constitution of 1824. Many Tejanos also opposed centralism, and the early rebellion was partly a federalist cause.

Fighting began in October 1835 at Gonzales, and Texan forces soon captured San Antonio. Santa Anna marched north with a large army to crush the rebellion. On March 2, 1836, the convention adopted the declaration of independence, and delegates drafted a constitution that protected slavery. Days later, on March 6, Mexican troops stormed the Alamo mission in San Antonio, killing its defenders, among them Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett. Later that month, near Goliad, Mexican forces executed hundreds of Texan prisoners. These events provoked outrage and became rallying points for the Texan cause.

The decisive moment came on April 21, 1836, when Sam Houston's army surprised Santa Anna's force near the San Jacinto River. The battle was remarkably short, and the Texans won overwhelmingly. Santa Anna was captured and signed treaties recognizing Texan independence. Mexico's government repudiated them, however, and never formally accepted the loss of Texas.

The new republic faced financial troubles, conflict with Native peoples, and the constant threat of Mexican invasion. Most Texans favored joining the United States, but annexation was delayed by fears in Washington that it would inflame the national dispute over slavery and provoke war with Mexico. The United States finally annexed Texas in 1845, and the border dispute that followed contributed to war in 1846. Texas independence remains a powerful symbol in Texan identity, though historians continue to debate how much the revolt was a struggle for liberty and how much it was bound up with slavery and territorial expansion.