Texas History - Quick Review

Texas History - Quick Review

Let's walk through the Texas history we've learned so far this school year.

The Earliest Texans

We started our study of early Texans by learning about 5 of the Native tribes of Texas. Next, we learned about the Jumano and Apache tribes of the Mountains and Basins region. We studied the Caddo and Karankawa tribes of the Coastal plains region. We also studied the Comanche tribes of the Great Plains region.

We discussed ways people lived, based on the areas where they lived. For example, the Karankawa tribes were fishers because they lived near the ocean (the Gulf of Mexico).

The Caddo tribe used wood from the pine trees where they lived. This helped them build their shelters. However, Jumano tribes lived in adobe shelters to stay cool in the hot environment of the mountains and basins region.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is not one of the 5 tribes we studied?

• Karankawa

• Kiowa

• Caddo

• Lipan Apache

Early European Explorers

We learned about a few of the first European explorers to visit Texas. It's hard to say they discovered Texas because there were already people living here. However, their exploration made Texas and the New World known to the people of Europe.

First!

The first known European Explorer was a Spaniard named Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1530. His expedition encountered several setbacks, including being shipwrecked off the coast of Texas. Was it worth it to be able to say you are the first European in Texas? Who knows!

Multiple Choice

Where was Cabeza de Vaca from?

• Mexico

• France

• Spain

• Texas

Francisco Vázquez de Coronado

Coranado was another Spanish explorer to see Texas. His expedition in the 1540s took him through what would become New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas in search of gold (which he never found).

Multiple Choice

What was Coronado looking for?

• Boats

• Gold

• Missions

• Cabeza de Vaca

La Salle

We learned that his name is not actually La Salle. It's just part of his title. :) In 1682, the French explorer, René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, explored the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. 

Two years later, he returned with four ships and enough colonists to establish France's claim. He missed his goal and ended up with his ship, La Belle, being shipwrecked off the coast of Matagorda Bay (part of Texas). Later, his men got tired of following his lead and killed him. Yikes!

Multiple Choice

Which of these is NOT one of the bad things that happened to La Salle?

• He was killed.

• His ship wrecked.

• He missed the place he was aiming for.

• He ended up in Canada.

Spanish Missions of Texas

Spain created several missions in New Mexico and Texas to convert the Native Americans in the area to Catholicism.

Let's take a look at a few of them.

Mission Espada

The first mission established within the boundaries of Spanish Texas was San Francisco de la Espada. In 1689, Spanish authorities met representatives of the Caddo people. They wanted to learn about Christianity, so Alonso De León helped establish a mission in East Texas. It was completed in late May, and the first church service was conducted on June 1, 1690.

Mission San Antonio de Valero

This mission is San Antonio served the Coahuiltecan tribe until 1793 when mission activities ended. The buildings later served as a home for a Mexican army unit before becoming a military hospital in 1806.

During the Texas Revolution, the buildings served as the site of the Battle of the Alamo where the Texan army was massacred by General Santa Anna and his troops. Later, during the Mexican-American War, US Army supplies were stored there.

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of Spanish missions?

• to go on adventurous missions

• to convert Native tribes to Catholicism

• to take over all of Spain

Spanish Rule (including Texas)

Does it look different than you expected?

The Mexican War for Independence

• From 1810-1821, the people of New Spain fought small battles because the people of New Spain no longer wanted to be ruled by a King across the world.

• Due to invasions by Napolean, Spain was no longer able to focus on keeping their stronghold over New Spain, so the area became Mexico, and they declared independence from Spain.

Multiple Choice

Who did Mexico declare independence from?

• Texas

• Spain

• The United States

• England

Empresarios

• An empresario was a person who had been granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of Coahuila y Texas in the early 1800s.

• Mexico's goal was to have more people settled in order to maintain their claim on Texas.

Stephen F. Austin

One of the most famous empresarios was Stephen F. Austin.

He brought "The Old 300" families to settle in Texas.

Originally, his father was supposed to be the empresario, but he passed away. Austin also had to ask the Mexican government for permission to settle because the grant had originally been given by New Spain.

Multiple Choice

How many families came with Stephen F. Austin to Texas?

• 100

• 200

• 300

• 400

Multiple Choice

What was an empresarios job?

• Tell people where they can and can't live

• Bring people to settle in an area

• Start a revolution for a state or country

Texas Revolution

The Texan settlers didn't last long under Mexican rule before they decided they wanted to govern themselves.

Unrest between Texas and Mexico

After Mexico gained their independence from Spain, they started allowing Anglo-American settlers to move to the northern parts of Coahuila y Texas (a Mexican state). This worked great for everyone for a few years.

Texians Rebel

• Worried by the large number of Anglo-American immigrants moving to Texas, the Mexican government imposed new laws against the settlers.

• This caused unrest between the Mexican government, the Mexican citizens living in Coahuila y Texas, and the Texians (new settlers to Texas.

Battle of Gonzales

• On Oct. 2, 1835, a small skirmish broke out between the residents of Gonzales, Texas, and some Mexican soldiers.

• The town had been given a cannon to protect itself from Native Americans in the region, with the agreement that the Mexican government could have it back.

• In September of 1835, a handful of Mexican soldiers were sent to do just that.

• During the battle, two young women from Gonzales — Caroline Zumwalt and Eveline DeWitt — crafted this flag that was raised above the city during the battle.

• The flag was later carried along with the cannon to San Antonio and the Alamo. But the flag was eventually lost to history.

Multiple Choice

Why were the settlers originally given the cannon?

• to protect themselves from the Mexican army

• to protect themselves against the Anglo-American settlers

• to protect themselves from the Native American tribes

Major Battles

• There were many battles between October 1835 and March 1836.

• Oct. 10 First Battle of Goliad

• Oct. 28 - Battle of Concepción

• March 2 - Texas Declares Independence from Mexico

Multiple Choice

When did Texas first declare independence from Mexico?

• January 1, 1836

• February 3, 1836

• March 2, 1836

• April 5, 1836

Major Battles

• March 6, 1836 - Battle of the Alamo - Almost all Texan defenders are killed

• March 27 - Battle of Goliad (The Goliad Massacre - most Texan defenders are killed)

• April 21 - Battle of San Jacinto - General Santa Anna is captured

• May 14 - Treaty of Velasco - Texas is independent and becomes the Republic of Texas )its own COUNTRY!)

Multiple Choice

During which battle was Santa Anna captured?

• Goliad

• Alamo

• Gonzales

• San Jacinto

Multiple Choice

With the Treaty of Velasco, Texas became...

• A new state in Mexico

• A new state in the United States

• Its own state

• Its own country