B.+The+Alamo,+Texas+Revolution,+1836

//__**The Texas Revolution and The Alamo **__//Thesis: The Texas revolution and eventual annexation was a precursor to the Mexican American War. America wished to expand her territory into Mexico, starting with Texas.

**Texas Revolution** The Battle of the Alamo: Significance:
 * Texas declared itself an independent nation and seceded from Mexico
 * America recognized it as the Republic of Texas, Mexico did not
 * Mexico launched a campaign to retake Texas, led by Santa Anna
 * Santa Anna decreed that the revolutionaries were pirates, meaning that no prisoners would be taken, only executed
 * Command was confusing and several different men, including Sam Houston, claimed to be the leader of the Texian forces
 * The Battle of the Alamo was a famous battle during the Texas Revolution
 * The Alamo was originally a missionary settlement and was an awkward place to defend. It was also undermanned, with less than 100 men defending the fort
 * Colonel James C. Neill asked Sam Houston for reinforcements, but Houston could not spare enough men to successfully defend the Alamo and instead sent Colonel James Bowie with 30 men to take the cannons from the Alamo and dismantle the fort
 * Without enough draft animals, Bowie could not take the guns back to Houston and Neill convinced him to stay and defend the Alamo
 * Over the next few days, volunteers and reinforcements would trickle in, including Colonel William C. Travis and Davy Crockett
 * The 200-odd defenders fought off the Mexicans for 3 days until they were overwhelmed by numbers
 * Various accounts of the battle label between 60 and 2000 dead Mexicans. 400-600 is the generally accepted number, with around 300 wounded
 * When Sam Houston was told that the Alamo had fallen, the messengers were arrested as spies, for fear that the news would demoralize the army and cause it to desert
 * Word spread when Susanna Dickinson came to confirm the report, but it had the opposite effect of what Houston feared and volunteers from everywhere joined the cause
 * The final battle of the Revolution, the Battle of San Jacinto resulted in a complete victory for the Texians
 * The Mexicans were taken by surprise by an offensive Texian force
 * Soldiers were screaming "Remember the Alamo!" during the battle
 * It was over in 18 minutes
 * Expansionism

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