--- title: "Texas Revolution & Battle of the Alamo" year: 1836 country: "Mexico" canonical: "https://recap.at/1836/texas-revolution" slug: "texas-revolution" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1836-01-01" --- # Texas Revolution & Battle of the Alamo > Texas Revolution & Battle of the Alamo In 1836, American settlers in Mexican Texas launched a revolution to break away from Mexico, culminating in a siege at the Alamo in San Antonio where roughly 200 Texian defenders were killed by Mexican forces under General Antonio López de Santa Anna. The conflict lasted months and ultimately resulted in Texas gaining independence, setting the stage for its later annexation by the United States. ## Summary The Texas Revolution were an American professional indoor football team and a founding member of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). The Revolution were based in Allen and Frisco, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. ## Key facts - **Alamo garrison**: Approximately 200 Texian defenders - **Siege duration**: 13 days (February 23 – March 6, 1836) - **Mexican commander**: General Antonio López de Santa Anna - **Alamo deaths**: All ~200 defenders killed; Mexican casualties estimated 400-600 - **Battle of San Jacinto**: April 21, 1836; decisive Texian victory under Sam Houston - **Texas independence declared**: March 2, 1836 (during the Alamo siege) - **Republic of Texas duration**: 9 years (1836-1845) before U.S. annexation - **Mexican troops at San Jacinto**: Approximately 1,400; Texian forces approximately 900 ## Timeline - **1835-10-02** - Battle of Gonzales First military engagement of the Texas Revolution; Texian militia defeats Mexican cavalry near Gonzales, Texas. - **1836-02-23** - Siege of the Alamo begins General Santa Anna arrives at San Antonio with approximately 2,400 troops and begins 13-day siege of 200 Texian defenders in the Alamo mission. - **1836-03-02** - Texas Declaration of Independence Texas formally declares independence from Mexico at Washington-on-Brazos; occurs during the ongoing Alamo siege. - **1836-03-06** - Fall of the Alamo Mexican forces breach the Alamo; all defenders killed. Crockett, Bowie, and Travis among those who die in the final assault. - **1836-03-27** - Massacre at Goliad Mexican forces execute approximately 400 captured Texian troops under Colonel James Fannin after the Battle of Coleto Creek. - **1836-04-21** - Battle of San Jacinto Sam Houston leads 900 Texians to decisive victory over Santa Anna's 1,400-strong army near present-day Houston; Santa Anna captured the following day. - **1836-05-14** - Treaty of Velasco signed Santa Anna signs treaties recognizing Texas independence and establishing the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico. - **1836-09-05** - First Texas election Sam Houston elected president of the Republic of Texas with overwhelming majority. ## Consequences - **1836 - Establishment of the Republic of Texas**: Texas declared independence in March 1836 and operated as a sovereign nation until 1845, with Sam Houston as its first elected president. It maintained diplomatic relations with the U.S., France, and Britain, and negotiated territorial boundaries with Mexico and Native American nations. - **1836 - Mexican loss of northern territory**: Mexico ceded roughly 390,000 square miles of territory through the aftermath of the revolution and the subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). The loss represented nearly 55% of Mexico's national territory and shifted the balance of power in North America irreversibly toward the United States. - **1845 - U.S. annexation of Texas**: Congress admitted Texas as the 28th state on December 29, 1845, nine years after independence. The annexation inflamed sectional tensions over slavery (Texas joined as a slave state) and directly triggered the Mexican-American War in 1846. - **1846 - Mexican-American War**: Tensions from the Texas Revolution and U.S. annexation escalated into a two-year conflict (1846-1848) that further reduced Mexican territory and cemented American dominance of the continent. Mexico lost California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of New Mexico and Colorado. - **1836 - Acceleration of Manifest Destiny**: The successful Texas Revolution demonstrated that American settlers could establish sovereignty in Mexican territory, legitimizing and accelerating westward expansion. The event became a historical precedent invoked to justify American continental expansion throughout the 1840s and beyond. ## Then vs now - **Estimated population of Texas territory**: 1836: ~30,000 settlers → 2024: ~30 million - Roughly 1,000-fold increase; 1836 figure includes Anglo-American settlers and enslaved people, excluding indigenous populations - **Alamo garrison size at final assault**: 1836: ~200 defenders → 2024: Museum with 1.5+ million annual visitors - The mission now operates as a State Historic Site, one of Texas's most visited attractions - **Political status of Texas**: 1836: Breakaway Mexican province → 1845: U.S. state (28th admitted) - Republic lasted 9 years; annexed by U.S. Congress on December 29, 1845 ## Impact The Texas Revolution redrew the map of North America. By defeating Mexico's central government and establishing the Republic of Texas, American settlers gained a foothold that would expand U.S. territory to the Pacific within a decade and directly precipitate the Mexican-American War. ## Sources - [Texas Revolution (indoor football)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Revolution_(indoor_football)) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1836/texas-revolution