SECTION 2: Texas and the Mexican-American War
▲ Texans defend the Alamo
Texas “Lone Star” flag ►
WITNESS HISTORY 
AUDIO
A Child at the Alamo
In March 1836, Mexican troops attacked the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Among those inside the old mission was eight-year-old Enrique Esparza. His father, Gregorio, was one of a group of Texans engaged in a struggle to win independence from Mexico. Some 70 years later, Esparza recalled hearing sounds of shooting at two in the morning:
“I heard my mother say: ‘Gregorio, the soldiers have jumped the wall. The fight’s begun.’ He got up and picked up his arms and went into the fight. I never saw him again…. It was so dark that we couldn’t see anything, and the families that were in the quarters just huddled up in the corners. My mother’s children were near her. Finally they began shooting through the dark into the room where we were. A boy who was wrapped in a blanket in one corner was hit and killed.”
—Enrique Esparza, San Antonio Express, 1907
Objectives
- Explain how Texas won independence from Mexico.
- Analyze the goals of President Polk.
- Trace the causes and outcome of the Mexican-American War.
Terms and People
- Stephen F. Austin
- Antonio López de Santa Anna
- autonomy
- Lone Star Republic
- Alamo
- Sam Houston
- James K. Polk
- Zachary Taylor
- Winfield Scott
NoteTaking
Reading Skill: Recognize Sequence Look for the steps that led to war with Mexico.
Mexico encourages Americans to settle in Texas.
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Why It Matters With American expansionists seeking new territory and Mexico in control of most of the land to the south and west, conflict between the two nations seemed almost inevitable. The flashpoint for conflict became Texas. In time, that conflict would lead to a war that would vastly increase the size of the United States. Section Focus Question: How did the revolution in Texas lead to war with Mexico?
Texas Wins Independence
Of all the Mexican provinces, Texas was most vulnerable to U.S. expansion. Offering abundant, fertile land, Texas lay closest to the United States. And it had only a small Hispanic population, known as Tejanos (teh HAH nohs), to defend the province. In 1821, only about 4,000 Tejanos lived in Texas.
Americans Migrate to Texas
To develop and defend the province, Mexico adopted a risky strategy: It agreed to allow Americans to settle in Texas. In return for cheap land grants, Americans had to agree to become Mexican citizens, to worship as Roman Catholics, and to accept the Mexican constitution, which banned slavery. Mexico hoped this strategy would convert American settlers from a potential threat to an economic asset.
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