Texas History: Sam Houston and Lamar

Texas History

Texas Rangers

Sam Houston

Samuel Houston (1793-1863), American statesman and soldier, was the person most responsible for bringing Texas into the Union. Sam Houston's life was controversial and colorful. It exemplified the opportunities that existed on the American frontier: he rose from humble origins to become governor of two states and to represent both in Congress.

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Battle at the Alamo

Biography

Quick Facts

"I know neither North nor South; I know only the Union." —Sam Houston

A summary

Texas Independence Timeline

How did we get here?

1821

April 21, 1836

December 1835

Insurgents take control of the Alamo

Treaty of Córdoba, Mexico gained its independence

Battle of San Jacinto

February 1836

October 1835

1845 and beyond

William Travis sends his letter

Annexation and the consequences

Revolts against Mexico began

Texas History

Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar

Annexation of Texas

Battle of San Jacinto

Lamar, Mirabeau Buonaparte, 1798–1859, president of the Texas republic (1838–41). He went to Texas (1835), joined the revolutionaries, and took part in the battle of San Jacinto (1836). He held a number of offices in Texas before becoming president. During his term he secured foreign recognition of Texas independence and laid the basis for the system of public education in Texas.In 1841 he was replaced by Sam Houston.

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Biography

Declaring Independence

Capturing was not the decisive moment.

In March 1836 the settlers had asserted their separation from Mexico in a document based on the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

The Texans formed a rudimentary government with Houston serving as the first president of the republic.

Quick Facts

Samuel Houston was born in Rockbridge County, Virginia, on March 2, 1793. After his father died in 1807, his mother moved the family to a frontier farm in the Tennessee wilderness. Houston volunteered for duty in the War of 1812, serving under Andrew Jackson against the Creek Indians. In 1818 Houston returned to Tennessee and studied law. He was appointed major general of the Tennessee militia in 1821. Two years later he was elected to Congress and served until 1827, upon which he became governor. In 1829 Houston married, but it soon ended in divorce, causing him to resign his office. Houston established a home in Texas by 1833, and he quickly became one of the settlers’ main leaders. When they rose in rebellion against Mexico in November 1835, he was chosen commander in chief of their army. Houston was elected president of the new republic in 1836. In 1846 Houston was elected one of the new state’s first two senators, serving until 1859, when he became governor. For full information: https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Sam-Houston/274960#

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He planned a national bank in Texas and a comprehensive school system, and he initiated diplomatic contacts with France, England, and the Netherlands. An expansionist, Lamar founded the new capital at Austin, at the farthest reach of settlement. He also tried to win for Texas the allegiance of parts of New Mexico. Lamar’s constant military campaigning against the American Indians and his costly exploits into New Mexico nearly bankrupted Texas. By 1844 Lamar was advocating U.S. annexation of Texas on the basis that it would assure the continuation and safety of slavery. During the Mexican War (1846–48), he again distinguished himself in battle. He joined Zachary Taylor’s forces and fought at Monterrey, Mexico. For more info: https://learn360.infobase.com/titles/EBR0369647?aid=294045

Who were the Texas Rangers?

Texas Rangers, mounted fighting force organized (1835) during the Texas Revolution. During the republic they became established as the guardians of the Texas frontier, particularly against Native Americans.

During his second presidency of Texas, Sam Houston used 150 rangers under the command of Captain John Coffee Hays to protect the frontier from Indian raids, and the rangers gained a reputation for toughness and dedication to duty.

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Mexican Independence

Why is it related to Texas?

At the time Mexico's population was insufficient to occupy the entire territory—only the central regions were heavily populated. To prevent foreign powers from infringing on its territory, Mexico invited U.S. settlers to move into the isolated northern parts of the country.

• In 1830, Mexico became worried about Anglo-American settlers
• In 1833 the new Mexican president, Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876) replaced regional and local leaders with appointed governors. He also sent additional military forces to the Texas region.
• Conflicts between the settlers and Mexican militia escalated between 1833 and 1835, setting the stage for civil war.

Battle at the Alamo

How it went down (Click Here)

• A force of 145 Texans, under the joint command of colonels William B. Travis (1809–1836) and James Bowie (1796–1836), prepared to defend the Alamo.
• The siege at the Alamo lasted for several weeks and resulted in the deaths of one hundred eighty settlers and native supporters, including famed American folk heroes David "Davy" Crockett (1786-1836) and James "Jim" Bowie.

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The main argument

A cannon and the road to the Alamo

• Santa Anna dispatched a military detachment to the Anglo settlement of Gonzalez to remove the town's cannon
• The settlers prevented Mexican troops from taking the cannon and, during the following week, gathered additional supporters into an ad hoc militia, known as the Army of the People.

Sam Houston was the first president of the Independent Republic of Texas, and he later served as governor of the state of Texas.

Click here for the Full Biography

Benson, S., Brannen, D. E., Jr., & Valentine, R. (2009). Houston, Sam. In UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History (Vol. 4, pp. 723-725). UXL. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3048900289/MSIC?u=j071909050&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=72d667c6

Houston was born on March 2, 1793, and had little, if any, formal schooling. His family moved from Virginia to Tennessee in 1806, and there Houston grew to adulthood. He served in the War of 1812 (1812–15) as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army , commanded by General Andrew Jackson (1767–1845). After the war, Houston returned to Tennessee, studied law, and became an attorney. Houston took an active role with those in Texas who wanted more selfrule and less interference from Mexico City. He signed the Texas Declaration of Independence and was selected commanding general of the Texan army on March 4, 1836

Houston's spectacular victory in the Battle of San Jacinto ended the war and assured Texan independence. It also led to Houston's election as president of the Independent Republic of Texas in the summer of 1836. As president, Houston's main goal was to arrange for the United States to annex, or add, Texas to the Union as quickly as possible. American politics in the years leading to the American Civil War (1861–65) were divided, and delayed Texas's entry into the Union. Texas finally became a state in 1845, and Houston was elected to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.

Victory or Death

Travis Letter (Click Here)

On February 24, 1836, with the garrison surrounded and the Texan Army at the Alamo outnumbered, one of the most famous letters in American history was written by William B. Travis. It was addressed, “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.”

Separate or together?

A majority of Texans favored annexation by the United States.

In favor or against slavery made the difference

The official transfer was concluded in December 1845.

A majority of Texans favored annexation by the United States.

The annexation of Texas exacerbated tensions between Northern and Southern factions in the United States and brought about the Mexican-American War.

Though the Compromise of 1850 temporarily relieved tensions over slavery, both the annexation of Texas and the Mexican-American War contributed to the rancor that led ultimately to the Civil War.

The Life and Times of Sam Houston (1793-1863)

His Life Timeline

• 1807 Moved from Virginia to Tennessee
• 1836 Fall of the Alamo
• 1836 Houston victorious at San Jacinto
• 1836 Became president of Texas
• 1841 Re-elected president of Texas
• 1845 Texas annexed into Union
• 1859—61 Elected governor of Texas

At the time of Houston's birth: George Washington was president of the United States Spain warred against France J. P. Blanchard flew the first human-piloted balloon in the United States Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were beheaded Louvre Palace opened in Paris to the public as a museum At the time of Houston's death: President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation Jean Henri Durant founded the International Red Cross World's first underground railway opened in London Dome placed on U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC

Want the full information? Sam Houston. (2003). In DISCovering Biography. Gale. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ2102100865/MSIC?u=j071909050&sid=bookmark-MSIC&xid=62da2e1d

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The final battle of the Texas revolution, the Battle of San Jacinto was fought on April 21, 1836. In a surprise attack, Texas forces defeated a Mexican army, thereby ensuring the success of American settlers in Texas in their war for independence from Mexico.

Battle of San Jacinto

The battle lasted less than half an hour. The Texans killed about 600 Mexicans and wounded 200 more. Within 24 hours, Houston’s men had captured 700 more Mexicans, including Santa Anna.

The second president of the Republic of Texas was Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, a politician, soldier, and poet.

Lamar became involved in the fight for Texas independence. In 1836 Mexican troops defeated and then executed Texan forces at the Alamo and at Goliad. Fannin, who had led the Texans at Goliad, was among those killed. Lamar joined the Texas revolutionary army as a private and soon distinguished himself. In April 1836, just before the start of the Battle of San Jacinto, he was appointed commander of the cavalry. After the battle, Lamar became secretary of war in the provisional government of the Republic of Texas. Later in 1836 he was elected vice president of Texas under President Sam Houston. In 1838 Lamar himself won a three-year term as president of the republic.

Click here for the Full Biography

Encyclopædia Britannica. (n.d.). Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar. Britannica School. Retrieved September 19, 2023, from https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Mirabeau-Buonaparte-Lamar/314466#

During his presidency, Lamar sought to strengthen the republic’s independence in order to avoid the United States making Texas part of that country. He planned a national bank in Texas and a comprehensive school system, and he initiated diplomatic contacts with France, England, and the Netherlands. When he left office in 1841, the republic’s debt stood at more than $7,000,000.