Battle of the Alamo 1836 - Research Paper Example

and Number Battle of the Alamo 1836 BRIEF OVERVIEW The battle of the Alamo in 1836 is a part of the Americanhistory and so is the famous statement, “Remember the Alamo!” Three people of Western American history are famous for being part of this battle: David Crockett, a Tennessee Congressman, James Bowie, an adventurer and entrepreneur for whom the Bowie knife was named, and Mexico’s president at that time, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna who led the Centralist army. William Barret Travis was the commander at the Alamo, and many streets in various Texan cities are named after him, Bowie, Crockett, General Sam Houston and James Walker Fannin, Jr. Travis, Crockett and Bowie died in a bloody battle at the Alamo when it was finally overrun by Santa Anna on March 6, 1836 (Hardin). The battle of the Alamo has been the subject of many books and movies, but to really understand the battle fully, it is important to also review the Texas Revolution as well. THE TEXAS REVOLUTION Texas, before it became an American state, was part of the Mexican territories and in the 1820’s, more Americans began moving into the area to take advantage of the cheap pricing on lands in that region. Stephen Austin had received a huge land grant which he inherited from his father who had received it from Spanish authorities. He built the first colony on his land and brought in 2,000 Southern farmers by 1824, interested in the cotton farming industry. By 1830, there were over 20,000 white settlers and 1,000 slaves working the cotton fields and it was at this point, with only 5,000 Mexicans living in that region, that the Mexican government began to get nervous about the rapid influx of white settlers (Tindall and Shi 337-338). By 1830, there were over 30,000 settlers and the Mexican army was moved to the border to stop settlers from crossing into the area. However, this did little to stop the influx of new people and when the Americans decided to organize conventions in 1832 and 1833 to get more representation in working with the Mexican government. A Constitution for approval was proposed to Congress. Santa Anna, who was now in power as a dictator, dissolved the national congress and federal system in 1834, and brought his army to overrun the settlers. The settlers rose up, determined to fight for independence instead of being run off of their lands. Up to this point, the settlers had not want a war with the Mexicans but with Santa Anna on the war path, the settlers chose to declare independence (Tindall and Shi 338). Clashes between the Mexican army and settlers had already occurred before this point in October of 1835, but the first battle in the Texas revolution was at Gonzales and the last one occurred at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836 (Hardin). BATTLE AT THE ALAMO In March of 1836, Santa Anna attacked a garrison at San Antonio, which was the Alamo mission fort. There were 188 Texans and American volunteers in the fort, including Crockett, Bowie and Travis, the garrison commander. Crockett was known for his feisty behavior and statements and for being an accurate shot with his rifle, ‘Old Betsy’ (Tindall and Shi 338). One of his most memorable statements was the following: “Pierce the heart of the enemy as you would a feller that spit in your face, knocked down your wife, burnt up your houses, and called your dog a skunk! Cram his pesky carcass full of thunder and lightning like a stuffed sassidge … and bite his nose off in the bargain” (Tindall and Shi 339). When Santa Anna demanded that the Alamo garrison surrender, he received a defiant cannon shot back in response, beginning the 12-day assault by the Mexican army which was 4,000 strong. During one of the lulls in fighting, Commander Travis informed his men that it was a hopeless cause and that they would most likely die because no help had come from other regions, despite repeated requests for help. He drew a line in the sand and his words were: “Those prepared to give their lives in freedom’s cause, come over to me” (Tindall and Shi 339). Every man crossed that line, including Bowie, who had become very ill with pneumonia and was now confined to a bed, had the men drag his bed over the line. Early on March 6th, in the early morning hours, Santa Anna began his final attack, and after two failed assaults, was able to overrun the fort on the third one. Travis was shot in the head almost immediately, Crockett and the other men fought to the last, using their rifles as clubs when the ammunition ran out, and Bowie fought from his own bed but was finally shot as well. Any wounded found were also executed and all the bodies were grouped together and burned (Tindall and Shi 339). Only 30 women, children and blacks survived the battle, and they were spared and allowed to leave the fort and tell the tale of the battle (Hardin). The events of this battle spread to the other settlers and American fighters, and it only made them more determined to win the battle and run the Mexican army out of the territory. Sam Houston, who was now commander-in-chief of the Texas forces, began moving his forces to the San Jacinto River, gathering supporters along the way, and on April 12, 1836, surprised Santa Anna there, overwhelming the Mexican forces. It was at this battle that the cry of “Remember the Alamo!” was shouted. About 630 Mexicans died while only 9 out of 800 Texan Americans died. Santa Anna, now a prisoner, obtained his freedom by signing a treaty that declared Texas independent from Mexico. The Mexican congress refused to recognize the treaty but it did end the war of independence for Texas (Tindall and Shi 340). Why Did the Alamo Happen? As readers of the history of the Alamo and for the Texas Revolution, the question regarding historical text refers to a time period when settlers had carved out a place to settle down and work the land. The initial influx of farmers got along fairly well with the Mexicans until such a time as the Mexicans saw that there were far too many people moving into their territory and actions were taken to prevent more people from moving in. Tensions had arisen because the Mexicans viewed the Americans as attempting to take control over the territories which, to some degree, was true. The Americans, through their various conventions, were asking for certain privileges and reforms, namely one regarding the expiration of a tarrif’s exemption, enforced for seven years, which had now expired. This was one of the causes of dissension between the farmers and Mexican government (Hardin). Another issue was the Law in 1830 that forbid further immigration of settlers into the territories, and Texans saw this as a potential problem for continued development in the region. Along with this, Santa Anna had taken over Mexico as president, and this spelled trouble to the settlers, foreseeing that they might be overrun and forced out of their lands. With Mexico experiencing its own turmoil within its infrastructures, particularly in an attempted reform of separating church from state (Connor 99), Santa Anna was playing his own game up until the point where he took over as dictator. The Americans, seeing the indecisiveness of the Mexican government, attempted to initiate its own Constitution, which was shot down and instead, precipitated an invasion by Santa Anna. The war for independence began because of these and other incidents, which caused a vote of no confidence from the Americans who then sought their own independence from Mexico. The causes of the battle for independence can be laid ultimately to the initial problem of the tariffs as a starting point, along with the Mexican governmental instability and the subsequent attack by the Mexicans upon the Americans. The Alamo became a rallying point for the American armies as it was, basically, an atrocious bloody murder and, if anything, it only confirmed to the Americans that it was time to sever connections with the Mexicans and become an independent state, Texas. In effect, those at the Alamo had not anticipated Santa Anna showing up early which also meant there was now no route of escape (Connor 110). For Travis to let his men know that they were fighting to the death for their independence, it was a moment where each made a choice, even though they knew they were going to die. It was important for them to make this last stand in the name of freedom from tyranny of the Mexicans and to do it as well as they could manage. What is amazing is that the story of the battle did get out so that it did become a rallying cry, otherwise it would have been lost to history if none had been able to tell the story. Works Cited Connor, Seymour V. Texas: A History. New York: Harlan Davidson, Inc. Print. Hardin, Stephen L. “Battle of the Alamo.” Texas State Historical Association. Texas State Historical Association, 2013. Web. 14 April 2013. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qea02 Tindall, George B. and David E. Shi. America: A Narrative History, 2nd ed., Vol I. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. 1989. Print. Read More