Contents Chair Letter... 2 Introduction... 3 Background and Timeline to the Revolution... 4 Events that caused rising tension... 6 Social and cultural situation... 8 An Expansionist United States... 10 Questions to Consider... 11 Character List... 13 Bibliography... 14 SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 1
Dear Delegates, Greetings all, and welcome to the Texas Revolutionary War at SSUNS 2018! I hope you re all ready to embark on an exciting journey of diplomacy and debate over this weekend. My name is Anuradha Mallik, and I am a Computer Science and Mathematics student in my last year at McGill University. I have held a strong passion for Model United Nations and International Affairs for over a decade, encouraged by having lived in 8 different countries growing up. In the past couple of years, I have served on the SSUNS Secretariat, first as the inaugural Deputy Chargée d Affaires, and then as Chargée d Affaires. When I m not navigating precarious Texan politics in the 1800s or helping to organise a conference, I can be found embarking on programming projects, watching Harry Potter for the 12th time, or playing the piano. I am also a floor fellow at Molson Residence Hall here at McGill, so if you have any questions about life as a student, please don t hesitate to ask me! Charles Madre, your vice chair, is in his third year at McGill, studying the Honours Political Science program with a minor concentration in Economics. Born and raised in Hong Kong of both European and Asian origins, it was while studying at Hong Kong s French International School that he was introduced to Model United Nations. He fulfilled a multitude of roles within MUN including as a delegate and staffing as committee director and vice-chair. We re both looking forward to spending the next few days maneuvering the political and social climate prior to the Texas Revolution, making difficult decisions about the future of our people, and creating fruitful debate with you all! Best Regards, Anuradha Mallik Chair, Texas Revolutionary War SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 2
Introduction It s a new year, and as January of 1835 dawns on us, tensions between groups settled in Texas are beginning to rise. The oppressive Mexican edict of April 1830 has capped further colonization of Texas by Anglo-Americans. Anahuac was disturbed in the battle of Velasco in 1832. Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas who led emigration efforts has been imprisoned in Mexico since 1834. Dissatisfaction with Santa Anna from the Texans side is leading to a buildup that will surely break into skirmishes between groups in Texas. Map of Texas Revolution Battles Source:bnhspine.com Background and Timeline to the Revolution Having won independence from Spain in 1821, the Republic of Mexico struggled to regain control over its northern reaches, which under the Spanish had performed as an expansive, empty initial barrier of defense. The northern region, which later became the region of Coahuila y Tejas under the federal system of the Mexican constitution in 1824 1, was dominated primarily by the Apache and Comanche Native people. Most Mexicans were reluctant to migrate further up north, and so the government continuously encouraged foreign settlement in the northern region of Texas. Mexico also passed the Imperial Colonization Law of January 1823, exempting American settlers from certain tariffs and taxes for seven years, further encouraging settlement. 2 1 Handbook of Texas Online, "COAHUILA AND TEXAS," accessed September 09, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/usc01. 2 Eugene C. Barker. "MEXICAN COLONIZATION LAWS," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed September 09, 2018,http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ugm01. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 3
Moses Austin and Green Dewitt were amongst those who decided to exploit the opportunity that they were given. They had bestowed upon them the title of empresario - they were granted large areas of land to form colonies of hundreds of families of American settlers. Moses Austin died before he was able to complete this - however, his son Stephen Austin, took up the mantle and fought for his cause, later becoming the Father of Texas and one of the more influential Texians of this period of time. In 1826, a militia under Austin suppressed the Fredonian Rebellion (an attempt at gaining independence from Mexico by settlers in the Nacogdoches area) along with the Mexican military that emerged, in part, from a conflict between old settlers and those who arrived under Hayden Edwards, a recent empresario. 3 In 1824, the Mexican government adopted a new constitution. The constitution adopted a federal republic - a federation of states with a republic form of government. The republic took the name of the United Mexican States. Texians were, for the most part, in favour of this new constitution. Texas and Coahuila were then joined as a new, single Mexican state. The Fredonian Rebellion arose in 1826, and in December, Hayden Edwards and 30 settlers declared themselves an independent Republic of Fredonia. In the years that followed, 2 American presidents - John Q Adams and Andrew Jackson - offered to purchase Texas but were refused. In 1830, tensions between the different groups in Texas were rising. Moves were made by the Mexicans to reduce the influx of American settlers. 4 Property taxes and tariffs were brought back - immigrants, who had previously been exempted from paying taxes for seven years, had to once again. 5 Tariffs on goods entering Mexico from the United States were increased, and prices within Mexico rose. Settlement contracts were now federally controlled, rather than under state control, and settlements boasting fewer than 150 inhabitants were disbanded. Lastly, in a large attempt to prevent influx, immigration from the United States was outright prohibited. 6 However, this was largely ignored and by 1834 the number of Anglos far outnumbered the number of Mexicans in Texas: 30,000 Anglos versus only 7,800 Mexicans. 7 Tensions were at an all-time high and had laid the path for skirmishes in Mexican Texas. 3 Paulos, Jon. "The Fredonian Rebellion and the Old Stone Fort." East Texas History. Accessed September 09, 2018. http://easttexashistory.org/items/show/166. 4 Howren, Alleine. "Causes and Origin of the Decree of April 6, 1830." JSTOR. April 1913. Accessed September 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30234570?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Menchaca, Martha. Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black and White Roots of Mexican Americans. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 2006. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 4
Tensions boil over at the Battle of Gonzales. Source: allevents.in Events That Caused Rising Tension Tensions between the Anglo-Texans and Tejanos had been growing significantly following the domestic timeline in the region. While the relationship was initially a comfortable one - with immigration being encouraged in the early 1920s, and settlers being offered exemptions from taxes and tariffs - a series of events occurred that forced the Mexican government to limit immigration and cause skirmishes. In 1829, a report was issued by Mexican General Manuel de Mier y Teran on the outcome of settlement and colonization laws affecting Anglos in Texas. It concluded that there already existed tensions between groups in Texas - Anglo Americans were hugely against naturalization and tried to isolate themselves from the Mexican population in Texas. Anglos living in the Nacogdoches area outnumbered Tejanos 10 to 1 and American influence and presence was evident. 8 Slave reforms were ignored by the Anglo Americans, and the report recommended overseeing Anglo colonists through new garrisons in Texas. It also encouraged Mexicans to resettle in the area. 8 Morton, Ohland. "Life of General Don Manuel De Mier Y Terán: As It Affected Texas-Mexican Relations." JSTOR. October 1943. Accessed September 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30236017?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 5
The most notable, perhaps, in this series of events was in 1830, when several laws were signed by Mexican President Anastasio Bustamante that did not benefit the Anglo-Texans: 1. Firstly, Texas was commanded by law to follow the Mexican emancipation proclamation or be faced with military intervention. Many settlers attempted to circumvent the law, and chose not to truly emancipate their slaves, avoiding legally changing their status. The passing of this in the first place provoked the Anglo-Texans, and their attempt to circumvent undermined the authority of the Mexican government and caused uneasiness amongst Tejanos. 2. The property tax law passed in 1823 was rescinded. This law dictated that immigrants did not have to pay taxes for seven years - this was a massive incentive for settlement in Mexican Texas and encouraged immigration. When Bustamante signed this edict, immigration was discouraged, and it became obvious that Texians were not welcome in Mexican Texas. Tariffs were raised, increasing the prices of imported goods from the United States to Mexico. 3. Colonies smaller than 150 people were immediately disbanded, with settlement contracts being moved under federal rather than state law. This reduced the number of colonies significantly, causing unrest amongst settlers. 4. Immigration was entirely capped from the United States to Texas. There was no more encouragement, but this law was hugely ignored, with the number of Anglos far outweighing Mexicans. This resulted in disturbance from the Mexicans, who wished to retain the identity of Texas as Tejano. Texas was split into significant factions during this time, and foreign pressure was evident. There was discontent growing between these groups, and there was pressure from the United States (who had repeatedly offered to buy Texas) and the Mexican government to create an alignment. This further paved the way for enormous strain and tension. Social and Cultural Situation There were a number of social and cultural factors that caused friction, in addition to the series of events described above. The cultural conflict between these two significantly different groups made a huge different. As evidenced by the report of 1829, the attempt to integrate Anglo-Americans into Texas proved difficult. When the Republic of Mexico began the empresario program, there was a realization that there were low chances of success - the SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 6
cultural changes that would have to be undergone were immense. 9 It was consequently not surprising that it was difficult for the Anglos to make dramatic changes under difficult circumstances in a short period of time. Anglos had agreed to use Spanish as part of the immigration arrangement - however there was major pushback regarding the use of Spanish for official business in Texas. They began pushing for the official language to be made English, causing major dissatisfaction with the local population. Catholicism was another condition which the Anglos had agreed to practice upon their arrival, as the church was the officially recognized religion. If affiliated with the church, the Anglos were often Southern Baptists or Methodists. 10 Relations between these fundamentalist Protestant groups and Roman Catholicism were evidently strained, and many Anglophones continued to practice Protestant faiths. Judicial systems also complicated the settling of Anglos into Texas. The Mexican administration operated under the Napoleonic Code, and Anglos practiced under a system centered upon English Common Law. The Napoleonic Code tended toward the premise that a person is guilty until proven innocent, 11 while common law practice stipulated a person is innocent until proven guilty. So, as skirmishes over disloyalty and tyranny arose on a fairly regular basis, judicial proceedings complicated resolutions to these issues. Hispanic culture also emphasized a more active military - far more so than that in the United States. The military was tied to the state in such a strong way that it was used to collect taxes and carry out the wishes of the church - this was not something that Anglos were used to. This directly countered the ideas of the American revolution of independence, which began when military forces from Britain tried to force payment of tariffs and taxes. On a very day-to-day basis, these cultural differences inevitably created issues between groups in Mexican Texas. 9 "Empresario System." Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America. Accessed September 09, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/empresario-system. 10 "Religion in Early Texas." Texas Almanac. November 29, 2017. Accessed September 09, 2018. https://texasalmanac.com/topics/history/religion-early-texas. 11 "Napoleonic Code." The Free Dictionary. Accessed September 09, 2018. https://legaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/napoleonic Code. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 7
Map of Texas Revolution Battles. Source: canacopegdl.com An Expansionist United States Certainly, one of the most important reasons for Mexico's loss of Texas was the historic expansionism of the United States, which had been growing by leaps and bounds even prior to the American war of independence. British colonists had occupied and developed the Tidewater and Piedmont areas of the Atlantic Seaboard and were occupying the Appalachians when revolution broke out. Americans now, they conquered and peopled the Ohio River Valley, the Transmississippi West of Kentucky and Tennessee, then Florida, and portions of the massive Louisiana Purchase territory. By the time Mexico gained its independence from Spain, Americans were already on the border of the new nation - and in some cases were already over the border. Americans had multiple motives, some sought virgin farmland, others strove to make the United States a transcontinental nation stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and still others wanted to fulfill what they saw as America's divine mission to bring Christianity and civilization to all of North America. Because the United States had been expanding for its entire history, many Americans were determined to see that trend continue - either through purchase, or negotiations, or militarily. They looked upon American acquisition of vast areas of Northern Mexico as an SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 8
inevitability. The policy of the American government for the sale of unoccupied land within its borders to settlers also, unwittingly, encouraged many Americans to migrate to Mexican Texas after 1821. In the decade and a half before the revolution in Texas, the United States government offered unoccupied land within its borders to settlers at the price of $1.25 an acre with an 80-acre minimum tract purchase. 12 This worked well as long as credit was readily available. However, a financial panic swept the United States beginning in 1819. This made money incredibly tight. The government sold land on a cash-only basis and with money now scarce, many Americans found an irresistible offer in the Republic of Mexico's giveaway of large tracts of land to settlers willing to becoming law-abiding citizens of the Republic. However, this is a far cry from proving a premeditated conspiracy by American government officials to "steal" Texas from Mexico. While such allegations were made in both the United States and Mexico during and after the revolution, such a conspiracy - much less that it was responsible for events in Texas - has never been proven. Nonetheless, without a multitude of Anglo-Americans in Texas (who missed their old country, its governmental system and methods) a revolutionary war would not have broken out in Texas in 1835. Questions to Consider What were the catalysts to the buildup of tensions between groups in Texas? What course of action could be taken to align the Texas? What effect did foreign incursion have on the identity of the people residing in Texas? 12 Gist, Christopher. "Land Act of 1820." Ohio History Central. Accessed September 09, 2018. http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/land_act_of_1820. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 9
Character List Tejano/Mexican: 1. Juan Seguin 2. Jose Antonio Navarre 3. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla 4. Juan Bautista de las Casas 5. José Francisco Ruiz 6. Erasmo Seguin 7. José Antonio de la Garza Native American: 1. John Jolly Chief Oolooteka 2. Peta Nocona The Lone Wanderer 3. Buffalo Hump 4. The Bowl Chief Bowles 5. Cynthia Parker Someone Found Anglo Saxons: 1. Sam Houston 2. Davy Crockett 3. Lorenzo de Zavala (Mexican Defector) 4. William B Travis 5. James Bowie 6. Deaf Smith 7. Edward Burleson 8. Haden Edwards 9. Jacob Snively 10. James Bonham 11. Moseley Baker 12. Robert McAlpin Williamson 13. Memucan Hunt Jr. 14. Collin McKinney 15. Susanna Dickinson SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 10
Bibliography Binkley, William C. The Texas Revolution. Austin: Published by the Texas State Historical Asociation in Cooperation with the Center for Studi, 1979. "Causes of the Texas Revolution." Causes of the Texas Revolution. Accessed June 1, 2018. http://www2.austincc.edu/lpatrick/his1693/causes.html. Texas State Historical Association. "COAHUILA AND TEXAS," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed September 09, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/usc01. Eugene C. Barker. "MEXICAN COLONIZATION LAWS" Handbook of Texas Online, accessed September 09, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ugm01. "Empresario System." Gale Library of Daily Life: Slavery in America. Accessed September 09, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-picturesand-press-releases/empresario-system. Gist, Christopher. "Land Act of 1820." Ohio History Central. Accessed September 09, 2018. http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/land_act_of_1820. Howren, Alleine. "Causes and Origin of the Decree of April 6, 1830." JSTOR. April 1913. Accessed September 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30234570?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. Lack, Paul D. The Texas Revolutionary Experience: A Political and Social History, 1835-1836. College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1992. Menchaca, Martha. Recovering History, Constructing Race: The Indian, Black and White Roots of Mexican Americans. Austin: Univ. of Texas Press, 2006. Morton, Ohland. "Life of General Don Manuel De Mier Y Terán: As It Affected Texas- Mexican Relations." JSTOR. October 1943. Accessed September 9, 2018. https://www.jstor.org/stable/30236017?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents. "Napoleonic Code." The Free Dictionary. Accessed September 09, 2018. https://legaldictionary.thefreedictionary.com/napoleonic Code. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 11
Paulos, Jon. "The Fredonian Rebellion and the Old Stone Fort." East Texas History. Accessed September 09, 2018. http://easttexashistory.org/items/show/166. "Religion in Early Texas." Texas Almanac. November 29, 2017. Accessed September 09, 2018. https://texasalmanac.com/topics/history/religion-early-texas. "The Rising Tide of Revolution." Edwards County Texas. Accessed June 1, 2018. http://www.texasescapes.com/jefferyrobenalt/rising-tide-of-revolution.htm. "The Texas Revolutionary War (1835-1836)." The Barbary Wars (1801-1815). Accessed June 1, 2018. https://www.uswars.net/texas-revolutionary-war/. SECONDARY SCHOOLS UNITED NATIONS SYMPOSIUM 2018 PAGE 12