Texas Independence

Texas Declares Independence 

by Martha Rogers

March and April are important months for Texas. She declared independence on March 2, went down to defeat at the Alamo on March 6, and defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto on April 21. All happened in the year 1836. Between 1836 and 1845 when she attained statehood, Texas was an independent Republic with her own laws and governing body.

Her fight for independence actually began in December of 1835 when Texas military volunteers, with Ben Milan at their lead, drove Mexican troops out of Alamo mission in San Antonio. The men realized they needed more help to defend the mission when Santa Anna arrived. They were joined by Colonel James Bowie and later Colonel William Travis brought in his cavalry of thirty men. By mid-February, the troops were entrenched, ready to do battle with Santa Anna whenever he decided to attack. Travis and Bowie were joined by the frontiersman Davy Crockett and his contingent of fourteen Tennessee Mounted Volunteers.

When Santa Anna attacked on February 23, the men fought and held them off for 12 days. On March 1, reinforcements from nearby Gonzales broke through enemy lines and joined the men in the Alamo.

Meanwhile, fifty-nine men met in the town of Washington in Washington County, about seventy miles northwest of Houston.  This is the building where they met and a picture of the inside. The third is a painting of the convention.

Forty-one delegates met with Richard Ellis as president of the group and George Childress as chairman of the

committee to draft a Declaration of Independence. On March 2, the committee submitted the draft to the convention and it was approved with no debate. This declaration officially established the Republic of Texas with Washington as capitol.

Thus began the work on a new Constitution which would be based on the United States Constitution including a Bill of Rights. While they were working on the Constitution on the morning of March 6, the convention received word from Travis that they were grossly under equipped at the Alamo and needed reinforcements. Although the men wanted to immediately adjourn and join the men at the Alamo, Sam Houston persuaded them to remain in Washington and finish their business. Then they learned the Alamo had been lost and all the Texans killed with the exception of Susanna Dickinson and Colonel Travis’ slave Joe. They had been sent away shortly before the fall.    

The convention concluded its business and organized an ad-interim government. On March 17, they elected David Burnet as provisional president and Sam

Houston as the commander in chief of the Texan forces. Burnett’s first act was to move the capitol from Washington to Harrisburg to be closer to the Texas Navy at Galveston. They then learned that Santa Anna was within 60 miles of the town, so they quickly adjourned and fled.

At that time, Texas was even larger than it is today. As seen on the map, the state’s “pan handle” extended far north to Wyoming. Most of the west and northwestern parts of the state were disputed, but Texas declared it all to be a part of her Republic.

For nine years she remained a Republic, and in 1845 was admitted to the Union as a State. As territories to the west and north were formed, Texas eventually became the well-known and easily-recognizable shape she is today.

Today, Washington-on-the-Brazos, is a state park on Highway 105 about 70 miles from Houston. It’s a 293-acre historic site on the land of the original town. The park includes a Visitor Center, Star of the Republic Museum, Barrington Living History Farm, Independence Hall, Fanthrop Inn State Historic Site, and a Six Flags Over Texas Monument. Visitors will find ongoing events year round on the site. It’s a beautiful place to visit, especially in the Spring when the bluebonnets are in bloom.


Do you know the history of your state and when it became a part of the United States? Each state has its own fascinating history, some more interesting than others, but they all had a road to statehood.

Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.  A former English and Home Economics teacher, Martha loves to cook and experimenting with recipes and loves scrapbooking when she has time. She is the Director of the Houston Christian Writers Conference held in August each year, a member of ACFW WOTS chapter in Houston, and a member of the writers’ group, Inspirational Writers Alive.

Find Martha at:  www.marthawrogers.com

Chewing Gum, thanks to Mexican General Santa Anna

General Santa Anna

The Gum-Chewing General

Susan Page Davis here. Most of us recognize the name of Mexican General Santa Anna (that’s Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna) because he won the battle of the Alamo. He’s usually cast as the villain in our movies and textbooks. But we have something we can thank him for—chewing gum!

The Alamo, where the famous battle took place in 1836

General Sam Houston took Santa Anna prisoner, and over the years he was captured, returned to power, recaptured, and exiled several times. While he was in exile, he chewed gum. That is, he chewed chicle, the dried sap of the sapodilla tree that grows wild in Mexico, Central and South America. Reportedly, chomping on chicle calmed the ex-dictator’s nerves.

He was exiled in several places of over the years, including Cuba, Jamaica, Columbia, the then-Danish island of St. Thomas, and the United States.

While he was living in exile in Staten Island for part of his final exile, he had chicle sent to him from Mexico so that he could continue chewing.

Circa 1917, bleeding a tree for chicle

Santa Anna’s personal secretary and interpreter reportedly showed some of the rubbery, chewy substance to Thomas Adams, a friend and amateur inventor. Adams thought he might use chicle to produce a rubber substitute, possibly replacing the rubber in carriage tires. He is said to have bought a ton of the stuff from Santa Anna. The rubber replacement idea failed, but Adams started selling it as gum balls. Later adding flavors and sweetening, Adams created “rubber chewing gum.”

 

The first flavors of chewing gum came from Adams: sassafras and licorice. The licorice flavor, which he called “Black Jack,” is the oldest flavored gum on the market. The gum was sold as Adam’s New York Gum.

 

Santa Anna returned to Mexico under a general amnesty offer in 1874, and he died two years later, but the idea had already taken off.

By 1880, lots of companies were producing chewing gum. Edward Beeman, a druggist, came up with a peppermint flavored chicle gum that was very popular.  William White also produced a peppermint gum called "Yucatan" that became a bestseller. Adams’s gum company became and remained one of the largest in the country, but it was William Wrigley Jr. who developed “Chiclets.”

Gen. Santa Anna in his later years

Bubble gum was first developed by Frank Fleer. He started making gum around 1885. The first attempts were disappointing. The bubbles were so sticky they were hard to scrub off a child’s face. By 1928 he had mastered it and produced a gum that stayed together when chewed and blown, and also snapped back. The drier bubble was not so hard to scrub off. He called it Dubble Bubble, and it is still the largest selling brand of bubble gum in the world.

It wasn’t long before companies were producing synthetic gum bases that were more uniform than chicle, easier to control, and harmless if swallowed. 

Remember Black Jack?

After World War II, chicle was not used much anymore. Today we chew mostly polyvinyl acetate, a synthetic plastic. But we can still thank the erstwhile brilliant general and cruel dictator, who brought us the idea of chewing gum.

 

Want Texas romance? Leave a comment with your contact info and you will be entered in a drawing for one of Susan’s Texas novels:

Captive Trail, Cowgirl Trail, The Outlaw Takes a Bride, Heartof a Cowboy, or Seven Brides for Seven Texans. The winner can choose!

Susan Page Davis is the author of more than sixty published novels. She’s always interested in the unusual happenings of the past. Her newest books include Seven Brides for Seven Texans, Mountain Christmas Brides, and River Rest. She’s a two-time winner of the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award, and also a winner of the Carol Award, two Will Rogers Medallions, and a finalist in the WILLA Literary Awards and the More Than Magic Contest. Visit her website at: www.susanpagedavis.com .

Texas Independence

The Battle of San Jacinto

by Martha Rogers

Ten days from now, Texas will celebrate her independence from Mexico won at a hard fought battle now know as the “Battle of San Jacinto.” It is the birthplace of Texas liberty and was one of the world’s most decisive battles. Sam Houston and his ragged group of about 900 Texan pioneers attacked Santa Anna and changed the map of North American.

The story of the battle has thrilled Texas for well over a century and a half as it was a story of desperate valor and high adventure, hardship, romance, as well as tragedy. That battle established Texas, the Lone Star Republic.

Almost two months before, the Mexican Army, led by Santa Anna, had defeated the men at the Alamo.Texas heroes like William B. Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett lost their lives in the futile attempt to defend the mission in San Antonio. Even after more troops arrived from Gonzales, on March 6, 1836, after thirteen days of battle, the Texans and Tejanos at the Alamo went down in defeat. 

“Remember the Alamo” became the battle cry of the Texas army as they headed for the battlefield near the coast where the Mexican army and Santa Anna were headed.  

Although six years in the planning, the actual battle of San Jacinto lasted less than twenty minutes. Besides the Alamo, disturbances at Anahuac and the battle of Velasco set Texans on the road for independence. The imprisonment of Stephen F. Austin in 1834 and the capture of Goliad in 1836 all preceded the Alamo and created a fierce determination in the Texans to fight to the death.

The Texas Declaration of Independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos came into being on March 2, 1836 and officially signaled the revolution was to begin.

At dawn, April 20, the Texans resumed their trek down the bayou to intercept the Mexicans. At Lynch's ferry, near the juncture of Buffalo Bayou and San Jacinto River, they captured a boat laden with supplies for Santa Anna. This probably was some of the plunder of Harrisburg or New Washington. Ascertaining that none of the enemy forces had crossed, the Texans drew back about a mile on the Harrisburg road, and encamped in a skirt of timber protected by a rising ground.

Because of the premature actions of Colonel Sidney Sherman who attacked a small group of the infantry with his cavalry, a major battle almost ensued. As it was, one Texan was killed and another wounded. The actions of one Mirabeau B. Lamar helped avert tragedy and on the next day he was placed in charge of the cavalry.

On April 20, both sides made camp and set up barricades to protect themselves as they prepared for the conflict sure to come the next day. On Thursday, April 21, the Texans awakened to a clear day. They were eager to attack as they could see Santa Anna’s flags flying over the enemy camp, and  they heard the Mexican bugle calls.

General Houston had his own plan and kept the men occupied until the middle of the afternoon. About 3:30, the Mexican side lay quiet and still as the soldiers enjoyed their customary siesta. The Texans' movements were screened by the trees and the rising ground, and evidently Santa Anna had no lookouts posted. Big, shaggy and commanding in his mud-stained non-military garb, Houston rode his horse up and down the line. "Now hold your fire, men," he warned in his deep voice, "until you get the order!"

At the command, "Advance," the patriots, 910 strong, moved quickly out of the woods and over the rise. Bearded and ragged from forty days in the field, they were a fierce-looking band, but their long rifles were clean and well oiled.

Only one group of men belonging to Sidney Sherman wore uniforms. Edward Burleson, George Hockley and Henry Millard fought along with Sherman and Lamar.

The Mexicans were so caught by surprise that they were soundly defeated in twenty minutes or so. Sam Houston became the great hero of San Jacinto, and on that day, April 21, 1836, Texas won not only the battle but also her independence. 

On May 14, 1836, Santa Anna signed the Treaties of Velasco. The treaty insured him safe travel back to Mexico on his agreement o withdraw his troops from Texan soil. There, he promised to lobby for recognition of the new republic. Two treaties were signed that day, a private treaty and a public treaty. In the private treaty, Santa Anna pledged to try to persuade Mexico to acknowledge Texas' independence, in return for an escort back to Mexico. The treaty also set the Texas/Mexico boundary at the Rio Grande River. This was one of the issues later contributing to the 1846 Mexican War. After being held for six months in prison by the United States, he was finally taken to Washington, D.C. where he met with President Andrew Jackson. He finally returned in disgrace to Mexico in early 1837.

The independent Republic of Texas now received diplomatic recognition from the United States, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Yucatan, all sovereign nations recognizing the new nation and its independence from Mexico. Even after the Republic joined the United States in 1845, Mexico maintained claims on Texas to the mid-19th century, until it was defeated in another war with the U.S. and was forced to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

Sam Houston was the man chosen to be the first President of the Republic of Texas. 

Today, a 67 foot tall statue of the hero of San Jacinto stands at the edge of Interstate 45 in Sam Houston State Forest between Conroe and Huntsville. Because it was once the Lone Star Republic, a recognized country, Texas could withdraw from the United States today and become its own country once again if the governor and the people voted for it.

One interesting tidbit I remember from studying Texas history in the seventh grade is the story of the “Twin Sisters.” One key element missing for the Texas army was artillery. Funds were raised to build two cannons, and a foundry in Ohio built them then shipped them to New Orleans and from there they sailed on a schooner to Galveston. One Dr. Charles Rice and his family were on the boat and presented the cannons to Texas authorities under the sponsorship of his twin daughters, Elizabeth and Eleanor. Someone in the audience noted the fact of two sisters and two cannons and the cannons from then on were called the “Twin Sisters.” They fired the first volley into the Mexican camp. Where those cannons could be today remains a mystery because Dr. Rice died without revealing where they had been buried. Replicas were made from the memory of those who had actually seen the cannons before they disappeared because the foundry that made them had no descriptions of the cannons. These replicas can be seen on the site of the battle field where the San Jacinto Monument now stands.

Every year on April 21, the battle is re-enacted on the grounds where it took place. The monument houses a museum containing murals and relics saved from the battle. 

Texas has a rich and colorful history and I'm proud to be a fifth generation Texan with roots that go back to the early 19th century.

Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers Conference in 2009 and writes a weekly devotional for ACFW. Martha and her husband Rex live in Houston where they enjoy spending time with their grandchildren.  A former English and Home Economics teacher, Martha loves to cook and experimenting with recipes and loves scrapbooking when she has time. She has written three series, Winds Across the Prairie and Seasons of the Heart and The Homeward Journey. Book three in that series, Love Never Fails, released in November, 2014.