Name: ______Date:______
9-3 Document Worksheet
Document 1In the early 1800s, Mexico’s northernprovinces included present-day Texas,New Mexico, and California. Texas hadfew settlers. Although its land was goodfor farming, people feared attacks byNative Americans.
Mexico won its independence fromSpain in 1821. In the years that followed,Mexico sought to improve its economy.As a result, Mexico loosened its traderestrictions between its northern provincesand the United States.
Mexico also encouraged Americanfarmers to settle in Texas. In the early1820s, Mexico offered huge land
grants to American settlers. Underthese land grants, Americans boughtland in Mexico for a low price. Inexchange, they promised to obeyMexican laws and practice RomanCatholicism. Many Americans rushed atthe chance. The same restlessdetermination that produced newinventions and manufactured goods fedthe American urge to settle the west.American settlers in Texas werecalled Anglos. They soon outnumberedthe Tejanos, or Spanish-speakingTexans.
The Americans in Texas eventuallyestablished a colony in Texas. TheAmerican Stephen F. Austin was the
colony’s leader. The number of Anglos inTexas steadily grew and their colonythrived. As a result, many people in theUnited States considered making Texaspart of their country.
President John Quincy Adams had offeredto buy Texas for $1 million. PresidentAndrew Jackson later offered $5 million.Mexico refused to sell Texas. Soon theMexicans also began to have second thoughtsabout inviting in so many Americans.
Document 2:
Tensions soon erupted betweenTexas’s Anglo population and Mexico.First, the Anglo settlers spoke English
instead of Spanish. Second, the Anglostended to be Protestant instead ofCatholic. Third, many of the settlers
were Southerners who had brought theirslaves with them. Mexico had outlawedslavery in 1829.
In 1830, Mexico banned moreAmerican settlers from coming to Texas.In 1834, Stephen Austin convinced
Mexican leaders to drop the ban. Onceagain, large numbers of Americans beganstreaming into Texas.
As the American colony grew, Austinwent to Mexico City to visit the Mexicanpresident, Antonio López de Santa
Anna. Austin asked Santa Anna forgreater self-government for Texas.Santa Anna responded by throwingAustin in jail.
Austin eventually was freed. Hereturned to Texas and called for Texans toarm themselves. Soon afterward, SantaAnna led an army to San Antonio to forcethe Texans to obey Mexican law. As aresult, war broke out between the twosides in 1835. The war became known asthe Texas Revolution. One of the most famous battles ofwar occurred at the Alamo, a mission inSan Antonio. In February of 1836, asmall group of American forces tried todefend the Alamo from Mexican troops.
For 12 days, Santa Anna and histroops attacked the rebels in the Alamo.The Mexicans finally captured the
mission after killing all 187 of theAmericans.Even as the battle for the Alamo raged,Texans met and declared independencefrom Mexico. “Remember the Alamo!”became a rallying cry for Texas rebels todefeat the Mexicans. Under theircommander, Sam Houston, the Texanscaptured Santa Anna and won theirindependence. Houston was electedpresident of the new Republic of Texasin 1836.
The Mexican government refused toacknowledge Texas’s independence.However, France and Great Britain
recognized Texas’s new status. Texascertainly acted like a new nation. Itestablished an army and a navy. It also
created its own flag.
Many Texans hoped that the UnitedStates would annex, or incorporate, Texasas part of the country. The nation wasdivided on the issue. Southernerswelcomed another slave state to theUnion. Northerners, however, did notwant another slave state.In 1838, Sam Houston invited theUnited States to annex Texas.Antislavery Northerners, however,blocked any action on the matter. In1844, James Polk was electedpresident. Polk, a slaveholder, favoredthe annexation of Texas. In 1845, Texas finally was admitted into theunion. This angered the Mexicangovernment.
Document 1 Question(s):
- Why did Mexico allow US settlers into Texas? What were their conditions?
Document 2 Question(s):
- Why were there problems between the settlers and the Mexicans?
- What happened at the Alamo?
- Why was the admission of Texas as a state controversial?
Writing Assignment:
Directions: On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following question in the form of a short essay (of at least one paragraph) using the question answers, documents, claims and evidence from above:
- Inquiry Question: What is the main idea, issue or theme that ties these documents together? What evidence can you offer to support this idea, issue or theme?(What is one thing that all the documents have in common? How do you know this?)