until 1824 texas had been a province of mexico, with her capital at san antonio. in that year, however, the general government decreed the union of texas with coahuila; and the capital of the new state was fixed at saltillo (sal-tee′yo), a distant town in mexico. a department chief was the only official stationed at san antonio. the colonists were much displeased at this change. instead of a ride, when necessary, to san antonio, where there were friends and familiar faces, torch-lit plazas, music, and fiestas to welcome the traveler, it meant a long and perilous journey through a strange land, among people who regarded all americans with an eye of sullen distrust.
map of texas
with parts of the adjoining states
compiled by stephen f. austin
published by h. s. tanner philadelphia
1835
high-resolution version
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the mexicans can hardly be blamed for their lack of confidence. they had just shaken off the yoke of spain; and they saw the americans—people of a different race, speaking a different tongue, strong, energetic, and masterful—drawing daily nearer to the rio grande river. they saw this alien people settling upon rich and productive lands, but paying no taxes; giving nominal allegiance to the mexican government, but taking no interest in her political affairs. added to this uneasiness was a growing hatred of the united states, which wished to annex texas and had already offered to buy the province. mexico resolved to crush this rising power.
the americans, on their side, were restless. they did not desire absolute independence; but they wished for a separate state within the mexican republic. they therefore, for political as well as for personal reasons, resented the change of capital.
still further changes were at hand. bustamente (boos-ta-men′tā), a cruel and overbearing man, who became president of mexico in 1830, on taking his seat issued a set of laws forbidding americans either to locate in texas or to trade with her people. in place of colonists from the united states, criminals and disabled soldiers from mexico were to settle the country. the introduction of slaves was prohibited; taxes were put upon almost everything in daily use; customhouses were established for the collection of these duties; armed troops were quartered in different places at the expense of the colonists; and military rules were enforced.
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it is needless to say that these laws were not obeyed. texas was like a nest of angry hornets whose center of action was at san felipe; a buzz of indignation filled the air; meetings were everywhere held to protest against the injustice and tyranny of mexico.
the excitement was increased by the arrest and imprisonment of some texans (1832) by colonel juan davis bradburn, an american in command of the mexican fort anahuac (an-ah′wak) on galveston bay. among these were william b. travis (the future hero of the alamo) and patrick jack. william jack, a brother of the latter, called a meeting at san felipe, where it was determined to resort to arms, if necessary, for the release of the prisoners, whose offense was trifling.
the state of feeling was clearly shown by the number of men who declared themselves ready to join in attacking bradburn in his fort. the affair, however, was settled without bloodshed. colonel piedras, the mexican commandant at nacogdoches, hastened to fort anahuac. there, after an investigation of the case, he released the prisoners and placed bradburn himself under arrest.
in the meantime a fight had taken place between the mexican garrison at fort velasco, at the mouth of the brazos river, and one hundred and twelve texans, who had been aroused by the tyranny of bradburn. not one of these texans had ever before been in a battle; their coolness and bravery under fire gave them the measure of their own power. they were victorious. colonel dominic ugartechea (u-gar-tā-chā′a), the commandant of the fort, whose personal courage won the admiration of the texans, surrendered, with a loss of thirty-five killed and thirteen wounded. of the texans seven were killed and twenty-seven wounded.
these encounters increased the public excitement to frenzy. but the excitement was suddenly allayed by news from mexico. the patriot santa anna had “pronounced” (declared) against bustamente.
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santa anna at this time was looked upon in his own country as a patriot; he had been a leader during the war with the spanish royalists, and active in deposing iturbide (ee-toor-bee′dā) (1822) when that officer had crowned himself emperor of mexico. he had always professed great love for the texas colonists; and now his bold stand against bustamente gave assurance that the rights of the colonists would thenceforth be respected. the texans were wild with enthusiasm, and they gladly pledged their support to santa anna, the “generous and high-minded patriot.”
santa anna was elected president of mexico. his disposition towards texas continued so friendly that it seemed a good time to make an appeal to his government for a separation of the state of texas from coahuila.
a convention met at san felipe in april, 1833. delegates were present from all the districts. the streets of the little town on the brazos echoed under the tread of men who were afterwards to write their names in the republic’s book of gold. sam houston, the future hero of san jacinto, was present as a delegate; david g. burnet, who was to become the first president of the republic of texas; erasmo seguin; william h. wharton; branch t. archer; and stephen f. austin, the father of texas.
a constitution was framed, and a memorial was written to the general government, asking for separation from coahuila and the repeal of bustamente’s odious decrees.
austin carried these papers to the mexican congress. his breast swelled with hope as he drew near the city of mexico and the “high-minded patriot” santa anna.
santa anna.
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but the vice-president, gomez farias, had no time to listen to so trifling a thing as a memorial from texas colonists. as for president santa anna, he was shut up in his country-house (manga de clavo) laying plans for overthrowing the mexican constitution and making himself dictator.
sick at heart over his vain attempts to get a hearing from the government, austin started home. but a letter which he had written to texas, advising the people to organize a separate state without further appeal to mexico, had been sent back to farias as a treasonable document. austin was arrested at saltillo, taken back to the city of mexico, and put in prison, where he remained for nearly two years. a part of that time he was in solitary confinement.
during his imprisonment he kept a diary. he says of himself on one of these loose pencil-written leaves: “in my first exploring trip in texas, in 1821, i had a very good old man with me, who had been raised on the frontier, and was a very good hunter. we had not been many days in the wilderness before he told me: ‘you are too impatient to make a hunter.’ scarce a day passed that he did not say to me: ‘you are too impatient—you wish to go too fast.’ before my trip was ended i saw the benefit of his maxim, and i determined to adopt it as a rule in settling the colony which i was then about to commence in texas.... i believe the greatest error i ever committed was in departing from that rule as i did in the city of mexico in october, 1833. i lost patience at the delays in getting the business of texas dispatched, and in a moment of impatience wrote an imprudent, and perhaps an intemperate, letter to the council at san antonio.” “how happy,” he says in another place, “how happy i could have been on a farm, ... free from all the cares and difficulties that now surround me. but i thought it was my duty to obey the call of the people and go to mexico as their agent.”
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in october, 1834, he was admitted to a conference with santa anna, who promised to “meditate maturely” the repeal of some of bustamente’s laws. he expressed so much love for texas that austin wrote to his people in a burst of thankfulness, “all is going well.” but he was himself still detained, and it was not until september, 1835, that he was allowed to return to texas.
the texans, despite austin’s letter of assurance, knew that all was not going well. they were, in fact, so convinced that all was going ill that they met in the different towns and organized committees of safety for protection against the indians (who had become very troublesome), and to take charge of all public matters. at a meeting held in san felipe october 1, 1834, it was openly proposed to make texas a separate state without the consent of mexico. but this step was for a time postponed.
the next year the situation was still more gloomy. santa anna’s congress passed a decree disarming all texans. general martin perfecto de cos was ordered from mexico to texas with a body of five hundred soldiers to enforce the decree, and to punish those who had refused to obey, not the just laws of the mexican republic, but the tyrannical edicts of bustamente and santa anna.
at the same time a courier was arrested with dispatches from ugartechea at san antonio to the commandant at anahuac. these dispatches were opened and read at san felipe. they stated that a strong force would soon reach anahuac from mexico.
these things caused great uneasiness and indignation. another meeting was held in san felipe. among those who addressed the people there assembled was r. m. williamson (called three-legged willie, because of his carrying a crutch). he counseled resistance. “our country, our property, our liberty, and our lives,” he said, “are all involved in the present contest between the states and the military.”
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in the midst of the excitement austin reached home. he was welcomed almost as one given up by the tomb.
it was determined to hold a general consultation to consider the dangers threatening texas.
the word “consultation” was used instead of “convention” to avoid exciting the jealousy of the government. a convention in mexico was often followed by a revolution.
a call was issued by austin for the election of delegates, and the time and place of meeting were fixed for october 16 at san felipe.
