Unit 1: Natural Texas
Explored for gold, god, and glory.
Who are the Spanish conquistadors?
Drawn by cheap land and economic opportunity, these settlers moved into Mexican Texas under empresario contracts, eventually outnumbering Tejanos and fueling cultural tensions.
Who were Anglo-American settlers?
Despite ending in defeat for Texian forces, this 1836 battle became a rallying cry for independence, symbolized by the phrase “Remember” this mission.
What is the Alamo?
This commander led Texian forces to victory at San Jacinto and later served as the first president of the Republic of Texas and governor after annexation.
Who was Sam Houston?
Fought in October 1835, this skirmish began when Mexican troops tried to seize a cannon from Texian settlers, who famously flew a flag reading “Come and Take It.”
What is the Battle of Gonzales?
Mapped the Texas coastline in 1519, which gave Spain political control of Texas.
Who is Alonso Alvarez de Pinda?
This Mexican leader, who shifted from federalist to centralist, abolished the Constitution of 1824 and became a dictator, sparking unrest that led Texans toward independence.
Who is Antonio López de Santa Anna?
In 1826, Haden Edwards led this short-lived revolt in Nacogdoches, declaring Texas independent from Mexico—a movement quickly crushed by Mexican troops and Anglo settlers loyal to Mexico.
What is the Fredonian Rebellion?
Sparked by disputes over Texas and the Rio Grande border, this 1846–1848 conflict ended with Mexico ceding vast territories to the U.S. under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
What is the U.S.–Mexico War?
This commander of Texian forces at the Alamo wrote a famous letter calling for reinforcements, vowing “Victory or Death” before falling in the 1836 battle.
Who was William B. Travis?
His ship wrecked on Galveston Island ended up living with the Natives as a healer, and was the first to officially set foot and explore Texas. Would write a book about his adventure back in Spain. This helped spark further Spanish exploration.
Who is Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca?
Beginning in the 1820s, Mexico encouraged this process by granting land to empresarios like Stephen F. Austin, leading to an influx of Anglo-American settlers into Texas.
What is the colonization of Texas?
Created to protect Texas trade and challenge Mexico at sea, this naval force was expanded under President Lamar, despite leaving the young republic with crushing debt.
What is the Texas Navy?
Adopted alongside the Texas Constitution of 1836, this document guaranteed freedoms like trial by jury and freedom of religion, modeled after the U.S. Bill of Rights.
What is the Texas Declaration of Rights?
Passed by the Mexican government, this law offered land grants to settlers and empresarios under certain conditions, encouraging Anglo-American immigration to Texas.
What is the Colonization Law of 1825?
A tribe that lived in the Coastal Plains had a surplus of crops, used pottery, and lived in dome-shaped dwellings(permanent settlements).
Who is the Caddo?
This political group supported a decentralized government under the Constitution of 1824, granting states more autonomy—a stance that initially appealed to many Texans.
What is the Mexican Federalist Party?
Adopted at Washington-on-the-Brazos, this document declared Texas a republic, guaranteed rights similar to the U.S. Constitution, and legalized slavery.
What is the Texas Constitution of 1836?
Signed in 1848, this treaty ended the U.S.–Mexico War, recognized the Rio Grande as Texas’s southern border, and ceded vast lands including California and the Southwest to the United States.
What is the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
Passed by Mexico to curb Anglo-American immigration, this law banned further U.S. settlers, canceled unfulfilled empresario contracts, and imposed customs duties—fueling tensions that led to revolution.
What is the Law of April 6, 1830?
These religious outposts aimed to convert Indigenous peoples to Catholicism and secure Spanish control, but they also introduced European farming, language, and culture to Texas.
What are Spanish missions?
This 1824 document established a federalist system in Mexico, giving states—including Coahuila y Tejas—local control, which Texans initially welcomed before tensions grew over centralization.
What is the Mexican Constitution of 1824?
Ambitious programs—military campaigns, naval expansion, and the Santa Fe expedition—left Texas deeply in debt. By the end of his presidency, the Republic owed over $7 million, a huge burden for the young nation.
President Lamar
This series of laws admitted California as a free state, strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, and settled Texas’s western boundary in exchange for federal assumption of its debt.
What is the Compromise of 1850?
This legendary Texas Ranger captain became famous for his leadership during the Mexican-American War and for pioneering the use of Colt revolvers in frontier combat.
Who was Jack Coffee Hays?