The_Alamo

The legendary Bowie is claimed to have wrote to the Texas government, “The salvation of Texas depends in great measure in keeping Bejar [San Antonio] out of the hands of the enemy… Colonel Neill and myself have come to the solemn resolution that we will rather die in these ditches than give up this post to the enemy.”(Sorrels 8)The determination of the brave men who fought in San Antonio has forever left a mark in their nation’s history. The Battle of the Alamo was a symbolic event in Texas history and significantly affected both United States and Mexican history. The Battle of the Alamo happened due to the Mexican president, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, creating a more centralized government rather than a federalist one. He also made more increasingly dictatorial policies which angered the federalist and American immigrants living in the Texas area (Sorrels 119). The new policies that angered the immigrants included: ending slavery, accept Mexican customs, and stop new Americans from settling on their land. These immigrants showed a complete distaste for the new government because they were accustomed to having a more federalist government with extensive individual rights. Mexican authorities were already eerie of Americans because of Dougherty 2 their attempts to purchase Texas, so they blamed the political problems on them, most of who had not tried to embrace the Mexican culture. The Alamo before the battle used to be and old Mexican mission which was settled to secure their land (Cleave). As Americans started to expand westward, the Mexican government started to encourage religious missionaries and soldiers to expand north as a way to declare their land. In 1835, a group of Texan volunteers had ousted Mexican troops from the Alamo which they had made into a fortress to prepare for a defensive war (Sorrels 119). This fortress became the main fighting ground for one of the most important battles of the Texas war for independence, known as the Battle of the Alamo. The leaders of the battle, William Travis and James Bowie, hoped to be able to slow the general’s advance long enough to allow auxiliary troops to arrive. Travis’s commitment to defending can be portrayed in his statement, “I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible and die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor and that of his country”(Sorrels 65). They were able to defend the fort for thirteen days inflicting around four thousand Mexican casualties but losing an estimated 180 to 252 defenders in the siege (Sorrels 87). During the ninth day of the siege, delegates met at the Convention of 1836 to declare Texan independence, forming the Republic of Texas (Sorrels 119). On March 6, 1836, shortly before dawn, the Mexican Army launched an assault which overwhelmed the Texan defenders causing the battle to be over by 6:30 A.M. (Sorrels 119). Their orders were to leave no prisoners and caused 180 Texans to die, including Travis Bowie, and the legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett. The Mexican general did allow women and children Dougherty 3 to live but also Travis’s slave so that he could convince other slaves in Texas to support the Mexican government over the Texan rebellion (“Battle of the Alamo”). After the Alamo fell the martyrdom of its defenders provided Texan volunteers to come join forces with General Sam Houston, who began to flee east. Knowing that he had to make a stand, Houston rallied his troops to attack the Mexican army at their camp in San Jacinto (Hancock). As the Texans lunged into the enemy camp with bowie knives and clubbed rifles, they shouted their battle cry, “Remember the Alamo!”(“Great American West” 133). This battle, that came to be known as the Battle of San Jacinto, was a victory for Texans and only lasted eighteen minutes (Hancock). Santa Anna having been captured, reportedly told Houston: “That man may consider himself born to no common destiny who has conquered the Napoleon of the West. And now it remains for him to be generous to the vanquished.” Houston replied, “You should have remembered that at the Alamo.” Although Santa Anna wasn’t killed, He was forced to order his troops out of Texas, ending Mexican control of the province and giving some legitimacy to the new republic (“Battle of the Alamo”). Before the Battle of San Jacinto, Santa Anna was alternately viewed as a national hero or a pariah but after his defeat, he was disgraced (“Battle of the Alamo”). Even though The Mexican dictator pledged to Texan independence, Mexican officials ignored the agreement but made no further serious effort to conquer Texas (“Great American West” 133). In Mexican history, the Battle of the Alamo was a reminder of a main reason for losing Dougherty 4 the Texan War for Independence but was however overshadowed by the Mexican-American War of the 1840s (“Battle of the Alamo”). In San Antonio de Bexar, the Tejano population viewed the Alamo complex as more than a battle site; it represented decades of assistance—as a mission, a hospital, or a military post. Since more English-speaking people came to the region in search of land and a better life, the complex became best known for the battle however they were primarily centered on the Texan defenders than the Tejano soldiers (“Battle of the Alamo”). With the war brought to an end, Texas became the Lone Star Republic with Sam Houston as their first president. Most Texans expected annexation with the United States to come soon but once the war was won, Jackson refused the request. Some people feared that annexation would bring on a bloody all-out war with Mexico. Having rebuilt their image, the United States was interested in Texas and all the land they would receive by annexing it into their nation. Though through much debating, on December 29,1845, Texas officially became part of the United States (“Great American West” 141). The Battle of the Alamo had a lasting effect on the United States. One reason is that due to its part it the war, the United States gained many country like Texas, California, Arizona, and New Mexico, which dramatically increased their territory. The Alamo is now an official state shrine and is known to most people as “the most popular tourist site in Texas” (“Battle of the Alamo”). Due to the symbolism of the battle, “people worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds — a place Dougherty 5 where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason, the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the Shrine of Texas Liberty” (Cleave). The Battle of the Alamo is one of the greatest battles in both United States and Mexican history because of the way it changed the countries both physically and symbolically. The way in which the battle is depicted on both sides reflects a changing point in both countries; one expands and one loses two thirds of their land. The three words that can sum up the symbolic meaning of this battle are, “Remember the Alamo!”