The Alamo - Research Paper Example

THE ALAMO Introduction In 1519, Alonso Alvarez de Pineda was the first Spanish explorer to reach Texas. Spanish soldiers and missionaries set upthe Mission San Antonio de Valero near the San Antonio River. The native Indians who were the original inhabitants of the place had to confront harsh treatment at the hands of the European settlers. The Apaches raided the mission often, after which it was abandoned by the missionaries. Spanish soldiers from the Mexican village of El Alamo moved into the mission, which became known as The Alamo. In 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain and granted permission for white, non-Spanish settlers to be brought into Texas. However, in 1830, worried that European-American settlers outnumbered Mexicans in Texas, the Mexican government banned further Anglo settlement1. The Anglos in Texas complained of unfair treatment by the Mexican government. In 1834 the elected president of the Republic of Mexico, General Santa Anna decided to abolish democratic rule in Mexico, and became the dictator. However, in 1835 Anglo settlers drove Mexican soldiers from the Alamo, leaving Texas under the control of the American colonists. In 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico. The Mexican army defeated the settlers at the Battle of the Alamo, which was a significant turning point in the United States history. “Remember the Alamo” became the rallying cry of the Texas revolution. Texas won its independence when it defeated Mexican forces at the Battle of San Jacinto and captured the dictator General Santa Anna. It became the Republic of Texas. In 1841, the Republic of Texas returned control of the Alamo to the Catholic Church, followed by tourists beginning to visit the site. In 1846 Texas became a state in the United States, and in 1883 the state of Texas bought the Alamo from the Catholic Church and made San Antonio responsible for its care. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas became responsible for the care of the Alamo in 19052. Thesis statement: The purpose of this paper is to present a research paper on The Alamo which formed a significant link in the chain of events forming early American history. Discussion The origins of American history began long before the first Europeans came to North America, when Native Americans inhabited the land that is now the state of Texas. The Apache arrived sometime between the years AD 1000 and 1400; the Comanche were there by the early 1700s; groups that were less known such as the Caddo, Tonkawa, and Karankawa also lived in the region. The first European to reach the area was the Spanish captain Alonso Alvarez de Pineda, who sailed along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in 1519; and he was followed by the shipwrecked Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca. The Mission San Antonio de Valero set up by Spanish soldiers and missionaries was taken over by Spanish soldiers from the Mexican village of El Alamo, driving away the missionaries, and naming the mission The Alamo3. Background to the Battle of The Alamo Long before Texas became the twenty-eighth state the flag of Spain flew over the region. Spain claimed Texas for three centuries starting in the early 1500s. The Spaniards built Church settlements which they called Missions where they taught Indians about Christianity. They also built presidios or forts near the missions. The missions and forts marked the beginning of Texas towns. For example, the Spaniards began San Antonio de Valero in 1718. This mission became known as The Alamo, which is Spanish for “cottonwool”, and was the start of the city of San Antonio. Spanish settlers moved to Mexico, a Spanish possession just South of Texas. Many of the settlers in Texas built cattle ranches. Meanwhile, in 1776 a new nation had been created, the United States of America which consisted of the thirteen states on the East Coast, far to the east of Texas. However for acquiring more land, American pioneers gradually fanned out westward4. In John Myers’ recounting of the tale of The Alamo, he states that it is “one of the mightiest tales that the history of this or any other nation” had to offer5. The story of the siege of Alamo includes a great deal of folly in the beginning and an equal amount of magnificence in the end. From all aspects, it is a master tale of the American frontier. It took a century and a half to prepare a minor religious structure for winning international fame as a fortress. Going backwards from 1838, the logic of events can be traced back to Columbus. Going forwards from 1838, the failure of Spanish missions in the Mexican province of Texas are some of the landmarks on the way leading to the battle of The Alamo. To understand why the siege took place, firstly, for “mission” the word “colonization” can be substituted, since both were interconnected. Along with the mission, was the garrison to see that the native Indians gave a minimum of trouble while undergoing the rigours of conversion. When the tribes had been sufficiently softened by these two agencies a town could be started and a new region opened to Spanish trade. Thus practicality was mixed with idealism6. It was still the only system of colonizing America which made a place for the Indian in the New World being built. Following the brutal excesses of the Conquistadors, the rulers of New Spain faced the fact that there never would be enough Spanish immigrants to inhabit the vast region their country claimed as their own. The simplest way to supplement was to include the native population, but they could be assimilated only after they were taught to submit to the European disciplines of labour, law and religion. The important work of creating new citizens was entrusted after some trials to missionary specialists with subordinates provided by the regular army. Great nations were colonized by this method and in all of them a substantial part of the population form the native Indians. The system was well on the way to proving itself in New Mexico, Arizona and California when annexation by the United States intervened7. The system of colonization never worked satisfactorily in the United States because no interest in exploiting Texas was shown by the Spaniards until word was passed that La Salle had put the French flag on the Gulf coast. The expedition sent to re-establish Spain’s claim were keen to save the savages from infidelity. Supported by only a few soldiers they would go among warrior tribes in the confident expectation that they could not only win them to Christianity, but persuade them to settle permanently. From warriors they were reduced to a docile group of farmers who went on the warpath only when drafted for the good of New Spain8. The friars became such experts in their work that they were legally allowed only ten years with a given set of Indians. At the end of this period the missionaries were supposed to leave their converts to the care of the secular church while they moved to the next tribe for reduction. Thus, with a confidence justified by experience, the Franciscans planted their first Texas mission in 1693. Even when they were chased back into Mexico a short time later, they were not discouraged. Twenty-three years later they were back again, and made preparations for occupation on a much larger scale. However, in Texas they failed to dominate any of the tribes, and use of force was as great a failure as use attempts at religious conversion9. The diary of John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States proved that in 1819, General Jackson, the confederate general of the American civil war was willing to see the United States relinquish her vague claims to Texas in return for the definite advantages of the Floridas. Later when he reversed his views, the treaty of 1819 appeared to be an egregious blunder, and he tried to rectify the outcomes. Research evidence from Barker (1907) study reveals that President Jackson made several attempts to purchase Texas, he was connected with an alleged plot to revolutionize the country, there were charges made against the government about breach of neutrality during the Texas revolution, in the contribution of men, money and supplies to the rebels, and in the occupation of Nacogdoches by General Gaines. However, to Adams the treaty was always a blunder. Within twenty days of his inauguration as president he had taken steps to regain as much of Texas that could be induced to surrender10. Of the many heroes who died in the battle of the Alamo, three well-known ones were Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Barrett Travis. A less known personality was Susannah Dickinson, the woman of quiet courage and unwavering resolve who survived the massacre to tell its story. If it were not for Susannah, the Alamo might have been forgotten, in the passage of time. Mexico’s General Santa Anna spared Susannah from death so that she could bear witness of his might to Sam Houston’s rebel Texas army. But Susannah scorned the General’s attempt to make her his emissary. Instead, her chilling story evoked a memory and inspired a rage that fired the strength of Houston’s badly outnumbered Texans. They decisively defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto, and this victory was instrumental in assuring Texas independence from Mexico11. The Battle of The Alamo In the year 1835, Sam Houston took charge of the Texas forces, and after the defeat of the Mexican General Martin Perfecto de Cos, ordered Colonel Jim Bowie to destroy the Alamo lest it become occupied and fortified by Mexican forces. But research reveals that Bowie who wanted to carry out the old mission, declared that he would rather die in those ditches than give them up to the enemy; he refused to destroy the Alamo fortress. Soon, Lieutenant Colonel William Barrett Travis and Bowie assumed joint command of the Alamo, and were joined by David Crockett and his dozen or so volunteers from Tennessee. There were about one hundred and fifty men in the Alamo, few of whom were trained soldiers. The majority of these men were from outside Texas, several of them from European countries who had come to support the revolution. The defenders received outside help only in the form of thirty-two men from Gonsalez, Texas, who were steadfast in their opposition to tyranny12. On 22nd February, under the ruthless rule of the dictator, Santa Anna’s cavalry arrived. The dictator ordered the men in the Alamo to surrender. Travis, determined to defend the fortress answered with a canon shot aimed at the Mexican forces. The one hundred and fifty valiant volunteers pitted themselves against the dictator’s trained brigades. The siege had begun. The men at the Alamo began the battle alone. Though they requested for help, they did not get any fresh reinforcements, and the battle carried on for thirteen days. Being sick and bed-ridden, Bowie passed on the full command of the Alamo forces to Travis. According to legend, Travis drew a line on the ground with his sword, offering every man a choice to remain or save his life. It is recorded that only one man fled, and the remaining 187 remained to die. After twelve days of fighting, Santa Anna, on the morning of 6th March, sounded the deguello, the Mexican bugle melody announcing that no prisoners will be taken, and no quarter will be given13. When the Mexicans began their attack, Travis gave the order to start fighting. The Texans fought bravely, pushing back two assaults on the Alamo. The third assault broke the Texans’ forces and the Mexicans soon reached the inner fortress of the old mission. Travis fell holding his sword, Crockett died fighting in the plaza, and Bowie, still bedridden, fought with his pistol and knife in his hand. All the defenders were killed; however, the battle of the Alamo was not in vain since Santa Anna’s army was tattered and needed weeks to recuperate from this victory. Within a period of six weeks, Sam Houston’s army defeated Santa Anna’s forces at San Jacinto, while screaming “Remember the Alamo! The Alamo! The Alamo! The Alamo!”14 Several factors are important in this historical portrait. First, the initial dispute in Texas stemmed from both Mexicans and Anglo-Americans seeking to restore a federalist government in Mexico. Mexicans also tired of Santa Anna’s exploits and of the tedious political circumstances affiliated with their distance from the provincial and national capitals in Coahuila and Mexico City. Santa Anna’s actions can be seen as an attempt to control an internal uprising in his own country15. Conclusion This paper has highlighted the events in American history related to The Alamo, the famous siege of the fortress The Alamo in Texas, by the Spanish attackers and the resistance valiantly put up by Texan defenders of the Alamo. All the Texans were eliminated in the battle. Those who died defending the Alamo did so for a borrowed cause, believe historians. The majority had only recently come from the United States to fight for Texas independence. They included Scots, Welsh, Danes and English, as well as United States citizens. Few of the real Texans were there. But there is no doubt that news of the defeat and the death of all of the Alamo defenders fuelled the already increasing independence movement, empowering Texans to gain independence16. References Barker, Eugene C. “President Jackson and the Texas revolution”. The American Historical Review, 12 (4), (1907): pp.788-809. Flores, Richard R. (“Memory-place, meaning, and the Alamo”, American Literary History, 10 (3), (1998): pp. 428-445. Fradin, Dennis B. The Alamo. The United States of America: Marshall Cavendish. 2006. Jakes, John & Bacon, Paul. Susanna of the Alamo. New York: Harcourt Trade. 1990. Levy, Janey. The Alamo: a primary source history of the legendary Texas mission. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group. 2003. Myers, John M. The Alamo. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. 1973. Read More