Posted: May 13th, 2021

The Causes of the Texas Revolution and Secession

# The Causes of the Texas Revolution and Secession

The Texas Revolution (1835–1836) was an uprising in the Mexican state of Coahuila and Texas that led to the establishment of the Republic of Texas. The independent state played an important role in America’s Manifest Destiny when Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845. However, the annexation of Texas also contributed to the tensions that led to the American Civil War (1861–1865), as Texas became one of the eleven states that seceded from the Union in 1861. In this blog post, we will explore the causes of the Texas Revolution and Secession, and how they shaped the history of Texas and the United States.

## The Causes of the Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution was sparked by several factors, including:

– **The Mexican Constitution of 1824**: This constitution established a federal system of government in Mexico, which gave some autonomy to the states, including Coahuila and Texas. However, in 1834, President Antonio López de Santa Anna abolished the constitution and centralized power in his own hands. This angered many Texans, who valued their local rights and institutions.

– **The Anglo-American Colonization**: Since the early 1820s, Mexico encouraged immigration from the United States and other countries to populate its northern frontier. Many Anglo-American settlers, known as Texians, received land grants from Mexican authorities and brought their slaves, culture and religion with them. By 1835, there were about 30,000 Anglo-Americans and 3,500 Tejanos (Mexican Texans) living in Texas. The Texians soon outnumbered and dominated the Tejanos, and clashed with Mexican officials over issues such as slavery, tariffs, immigration and land titles.

– **The Rebellion of 1832**: In 1832, a group of Texians and Tejanos rebelled against the Mexican government in support of a federalist faction that opposed Santa Anna. The rebels captured several forts and towns, but were eventually defeated by Mexican troops. The rebellion exposed the growing rift between Texas and Mexico, and prompted some Texians to call for independence.

– **The Consultation of 1835**: In October 1835, after a minor skirmish at Gonzales over a cannon that the Mexican army wanted to reclaim from the Texians, a provisional government was formed by a convention of delegates from various settlements. The convention, known as the Consultation, declared loyalty to Mexico but also affirmed the right to resist tyranny. The Consultation also authorized a volunteer army to fight against Santa Anna’s forces.

– **The Siege of Béxar and the Alamo**: In November and December 1835, the Texian army besieged and captured San Antonio de Béxar (now San Antonio), where a large Mexican garrison was stationed. However, in February 1836, Santa Anna arrived with a large army and laid siege to the Alamo, a former mission that served as a fort for about 200 Texian defenders. After a 13-day siege, Santa Anna ordered a final assault on March 6, 1836, and killed all the defenders, including famous frontiersmen such as James Bowie and Davy Crockett. The Alamo became a symbol of heroic resistance and a rallying cry for Texian independence.

– **The Goliad Massacre**: On March 27, 1836, Santa Anna ordered the execution of about 350 Texian prisoners who had surrendered after the Battle of Coleto Creek. The massacre outraged public opinion in Texas and the United States, and increased support for the Texian cause.

– **The Declaration of Independence**: On March 2, 1836, while the Alamo was under siege, a convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos declared Texas to be an independent republic. The declaration listed several grievances against Mexico and asserted the right of self-government. The convention also adopted a constitution that legalized slavery and banned free African Americans from living in Texas.

– **The Battle of San Jacinto**: On April 21, 1836, General Sam Houston led about 900 Texian soldiers against Santa Anna’s army of about 1,500 men near the San Jacinto River. The battle lasted only 18 minutes, but resulted in a decisive victory for the Texians, who killed or captured most of the Mexican soldiers, including Santa Anna himself. The next day,
Santa Anna signed a treaty that recognized Texas’ independence and agreed to withdraw his troops from Texas.

## The Causes of the Texas Secession

The Texas Secession was motivated by several factors, including:

– **The Annexation of Texas**: After winning its independence, Texas sought to join the United States as a slave state. However, the annexation was opposed by many Northerners, who feared that it would upset the balance of power between free and slave states in Congress and lead to war with Mexico. After several years of diplomatic negotiations, Texas was finally admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845, as the 28th state.

– **The Mexican-American War**: The annexation of Texas triggered a war between the United States and Mexico, which lasted from 1846 to 1848. The war resulted in the cession of a large territory by Mexico to the United States, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. The war also intensified the sectional conflict over slavery, as both sides debated whether slavery should be allowed in the newly acquired lands.

– **The Compromise of 1850**: To ease the tensions over slavery, Congress passed a series of laws in 1850 that admitted California as a free state, abolished the slave trade in Washington, D.C., enacted a stricter fugitive slave law, and allowed the territories of Utah and New Mexico to decide on slavery by popular sovereignty. The compromise also settled the boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico, by which Texas gave up some land in exchange for $10 million from the federal government. The compromise was supported by most Texans, who hoped that it would preserve the Union and protect their rights as slaveholders.

– **The Kansas-Nebraska Act**: In 1854, Congress passed a law that repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery north of latitude 36°30′ in the Louisiana Purchase. The law allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide on slavery by popular sovereignty. The law sparked a violent conflict in Kansas, where pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed over the fate of the territory. The law also divided the nation along sectional lines, as many Northerners saw it as a violation of the Compromise of 1850 and a conspiracy to extend slavery.

– **The Dred Scott Decision**: In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott, an enslaved man who had lived in free territory with his owner, was not a citizen and had no right to sue for his freedom. The court also declared that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in any territory, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. The decision outraged many Northerners, who viewed it as a threat to their free soil principles and a victory for the slave power. The decision also alarmed many Southerners, who feared that it would provoke more Northern resistance to slavery.

– **The John Brown Raid**: In 1859, John Brown, an abolitionist who had participated in the violence in Kansas, led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), with the intention of arming enslaved people and sparking a slave rebellion. The raid was quickly suppressed by federal troops led by Colonel Robert E. Lee, and Brown was captured and hanged for treason. The raid inflamed public opinion in both sections, as many Northerners hailed Brown as a martyr and many Southerners saw him as a terrorist.

– **The Election of Abraham Lincoln**: In 1860,
Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election as the candidate of the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories. Lincoln did not receive any electoral votes from any Southern state, and only about 40 percent of the popular vote nationwide. His election convinced many Southerners that they had lost their voice and influence in the federal government, and that their rights and interests were endangered by a hostile Northern majority.

– **The Secession Movement**: Following Lincoln’s election,
several Southern states decided to secede from the Union and form their own confederation. South Carolina was the first to secede on December 20, 1860, followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas in January and February 1861. These states formed the Confederate States of America on February 4, 1861, with Jefferson Davis as their president. Four more states—Virginia,
North Carolina,
Tennessee
and Arkansas—joined them after
the outbreak of
the Civil War
in April
1861.

– **The Texas Secession Convention.

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