I live in Texas and was trying to better understand how it came to be. And if we truly stole it from Mexico or if it was a bit less cut and dry than that. Learned about it as you do, in school 15 years ago but wanted to brush up on it.
So I read the Texas Revolution wiki top to bottom, lol.
Someone let me know if this is basically correct or where I’m getting it wrong:
- Aztec/Mayan Indians etc live in what is now Mexico
- Spain comes in and “colonizes”
- Early 1800’s Spain owns what is now Mexico, Texas, New México, Utah and California (prob Oregon etc)
- Louisiana Purchase happens, US “claims” land west of Mississippi (Texas) but it’s not really recognized by anybody — This is where it’s cloudy for me. Obviously Spain still owned it but we kinda claimed it too anyways? Or what?
- “Mexicans” revolt against Spain, have the Mexican War of Independence. Now they are Mexico and basically own all of what Spain owned.
- Due to more and more settlers coming down to the Texas territory (northern Mexico at the time), they knowingly settle in what is a territory of Mexico under Mexican rule. Or do they consider it kind of disputed territory and just don’t give a **** and move in? Very unclear here for me.
- Texians (white settlers) eventually outnumber Tejanos. Racism happens.
- Texians decide they don’t like Mexico’s rules, and aren’t gonna follow them and if Mexico won’t do everything they want (including slavery), then it’s time for them to revolt. But they could have been happy under Mexican Rule if all terms were met, right?
- Santa Anna says all of the Texas people will basically be treated as “pirates” as they’re not under a recognized flag. And executed as such if captured.
- Texas Revolution happens. Both Texians and Tejanos fight against Mexico.
Little cloudy on Federalist vs Centralist stuff
- Sam Houston defeats Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Gives up Texas up to the Nueces River. The sort of square looking patch becomes Republic of Texas, not the big Texas shape we know today. Santa Anna is sent to US then back to Mexico
- Santa Anna and the Mexican Army gets caught up in civil unrest in Mexico and basically forget about Texas and eventually do officially recognize the Republic of Texas.
- James Polk marches American troops into territory we say is disputed but is really Mexico’s no question and incite the Mexican-American War. (And we don’t really know who shot first) Then asks Congress to go to war with Mexico. Then we “acquire” everything that is the US today.
In closing, my real questions/statements are:
So, Texians weren’t complete assholes in creating the Republic of Texas, which had just been won from Spain, and because everyone was so close and bunched up together in vaguely disputed territory, it was practically inevitable, and not so much that we “stole” it?
The real stealing and travesty is James Polk inciting the Mexican American War, “stealing” (despite a pat on the head payment of 15M + 3M debt payoff afterwards to Mexico) of the rest of Texas (south and northwest), New Mexico, Utah, California, what would become Oregon etc and then of course the genocide of the American Indian/Native Americans that would follow directly after the Civil War.
So I read the Texas Revolution wiki top to bottom, lol.
Someone let me know if this is basically correct or where I’m getting it wrong:
- Aztec/Mayan Indians etc live in what is now Mexico
- Spain comes in and “colonizes”
- Early 1800’s Spain owns what is now Mexico, Texas, New México, Utah and California (prob Oregon etc)
- Louisiana Purchase happens, US “claims” land west of Mississippi (Texas) but it’s not really recognized by anybody — This is where it’s cloudy for me. Obviously Spain still owned it but we kinda claimed it too anyways? Or what?
- “Mexicans” revolt against Spain, have the Mexican War of Independence. Now they are Mexico and basically own all of what Spain owned.
- Due to more and more settlers coming down to the Texas territory (northern Mexico at the time), they knowingly settle in what is a territory of Mexico under Mexican rule. Or do they consider it kind of disputed territory and just don’t give a **** and move in? Very unclear here for me.
- Texians (white settlers) eventually outnumber Tejanos. Racism happens.
- Texians decide they don’t like Mexico’s rules, and aren’t gonna follow them and if Mexico won’t do everything they want (including slavery), then it’s time for them to revolt. But they could have been happy under Mexican Rule if all terms were met, right?
- Santa Anna says all of the Texas people will basically be treated as “pirates” as they’re not under a recognized flag. And executed as such if captured.
- Texas Revolution happens. Both Texians and Tejanos fight against Mexico.
Little cloudy on Federalist vs Centralist stuff
- Sam Houston defeats Santa Anna at San Jacinto. Gives up Texas up to the Nueces River. The sort of square looking patch becomes Republic of Texas, not the big Texas shape we know today. Santa Anna is sent to US then back to Mexico
- Santa Anna and the Mexican Army gets caught up in civil unrest in Mexico and basically forget about Texas and eventually do officially recognize the Republic of Texas.
- James Polk marches American troops into territory we say is disputed but is really Mexico’s no question and incite the Mexican-American War. (And we don’t really know who shot first) Then asks Congress to go to war with Mexico. Then we “acquire” everything that is the US today.
In closing, my real questions/statements are:
So, Texians weren’t complete assholes in creating the Republic of Texas, which had just been won from Spain, and because everyone was so close and bunched up together in vaguely disputed territory, it was practically inevitable, and not so much that we “stole” it?
The real stealing and travesty is James Polk inciting the Mexican American War, “stealing” (despite a pat on the head payment of 15M + 3M debt payoff afterwards to Mexico) of the rest of Texas (south and northwest), New Mexico, Utah, California, what would become Oregon etc and then of course the genocide of the American Indian/Native Americans that would follow directly after the Civil War.