Question

You have been reading about the war between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It sprang out of a dispute between two countries over the southern border of Texas. The U.S. claimed the Rio Grande as the border, while Mexico claimed the Nueves River farther north. Each based its claim, in part, on agreements made at the end of the Texas war for independence, which ended in 1836. Each also based its claim on nationalism, or national self-interest, and a desire to expand its territory. For this portfolio project, you will explore different perspectives regarding the Mexican-American War. You will then present your findings in a short essay.

heres the 2nd question: Describe the Texans’ actions—how Texas came to exist.

Answer 1

After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821 it invited settlers into the sparsely populated province of Tejas to help populate and defend it. Anglo-American empresarios (land agents) such as Stephen F. Austin brought thousands of U.S. settlers into Texas during the 1820s and early 1830s. These settlers were attracted by cheap land and the chance to start new farms and ranches, and they largely kept U.S. customs, laws, English language, Protestant religion, and—in many cases—slavery, even though Mexico discouraged and later outlawed slavery.

Tensions grew as Mexico tightened control in the 1830s. Mexico’s 1830 law limited further U.S. immigration, and President Santa Anna abandoned the federalist 1824 constitution and imposed a centralist government that curtailed Texas self-rule. Many settlers resisted Mexican laws they saw as threats to their property and way of life (especially the prospect of losing slave labor) and to local political autonomy. Tejanos (Texans of Mexican descent) were divided: some supported the Anglo settlers’ demands for restored local government, others remained loyal to Mexico.

The Texans moved from protest to armed rebellion in 1835–1836. Early clashes included the “Come and Take It” fight at Gonzales (October 1835) and the Siege of Bexar (December 1835). In March 1836 Texas delegates declared independence from Mexico and adopted the Texas Declaration of Independence. Famous events of the military conflict include the 13-day Siege of the Alamo (February–March 1836), where defenders like William B. Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie were killed, and the Goliad massacre (March 1836), where captured Texan prisoners were executed. Those defeats galvanized Texan resistance.

Under General Sam Houston, Texan forces surprised and defeated Santa Anna’s army at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, capturing Santa Anna himself. Under pressure he signed the Treaties of Velasco, which stipulated Mexican withdrawal and—at least in the treaty—recognized the Rio Grande as Texas’s southern border. Mexico later repudiated the treaties, but for Texans the result was independence: the Republic of Texas was proclaimed and functioned as an independent nation from 1836 until 1845.

As an independent republic, Texas sought recognition and eventual annexation by the United States. U.S. annexation was controversial because Texas allowed slavery and its admission would affect the balance between slave and free states. After political debate and the election of pro‑annexation President James K. Polk, the United States annexed Texas in 1845, making it a state and setting the stage for the border dispute (Nueces vs. Rio Grande) that contributed to the Mexican–American War.

In short, Texas came to exist because Anglo and some Tejano settlers resisted Mexico’s centralizing policies and enforcement of laws they opposed, fought a military rebellion, declared and defended independence, and then pursued annexation by the United States.