Day 1 Road to Revolution

Differences Cause Tension-Language, Religion, and Culture

The opening of Texas to settlement in the early 1820s resulted in major changes. Trade expanded and the population grew. During most of the 1820s, when the Federalists held power in Mexico, the colonists were left alone. Anglo American settlers received land titles, cleared fields, and built their homes. They began to establish their own schools and newspapers. The colonists even brought in slaves, an action the Mexican government opposed.

When the Centralist Party came to power in 1829, it put an end to this independence and issued strict rules. Most of the Anglo American colonists considered these regulations to be unfair. A series of clashes eventually resulted in a revolution..

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Centralist Come into power

An empresario named Haden Edwards was permitted to settle 800 families in the Nacogdoches area. When Edwards arrived in Nacogdoches he found many people already living on his lands. Most of these people did not have titles to the land.  Edwards was told by Mexican authorities to leave the existing settlers alone.

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Trouble Begins in East Texas

Edwards told those without titles to move or buy a title from him.  This angered the settlers because many of them had lived there for years. The Mexican government cancels Edward’s land contract in 1826.

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Trouble begins in
east Texas

Benjamin Edwards, Haden's brother, believed that his only hope for solving the problem was to declare the colony independent from Mexico. Edwards led a small group of 15 to 30 armed settlers and captured the Old Stone Fort in Nacogdoches.

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​Republic of Fredonia

They raised a red and white flag bearing the words "Independence, Liberty, and Justice" and proclaimed the creation of the Republic of Fredonia. Both the U.S. and Stephen F. Austin refused to help Edwards. When Mexican troops from San Antonio approached Nacogdoches, the Fredonian Revolt collapsed. Some of the Fredonians were captured, but most of them fled across the Sabine River into the U.S.

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The Freedonian revolt worried Mexican officials. They thought it was part of an American scheme to acquire Texas. 200 Mexican soldiers, commanded by Colonel José de las Piedras were sent to Nacogdoches to prevent new uprisings.   General Mier y Teran was told to go to Texas and see what could be done to make sure TX remained a part of Mexico

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Mier y Teran Investigates

Mier y Terán observed that the Anglo American influence was strong in East Texas since Anglo American settlers outnumbered the Mexican settlers by at least 10 to 1. In his report, he was worried about the growing American influence in Texas. He believed if the government did not take action right away, Texas would be "lost forever."

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