Mexican Independence from Spain FATHER MIGUEL HIDALGO Y

Mexican Independence from Spain

FATHER MIGUEL HIDALGO Y COSTILLA ● the priest known as the "father of Mexican independence” ● After Napoleon invaded Spain, many Spaniards would not accept a French ruler and declared King Ferdinand the VII as the king. ● These people formed groups and swore loyalty to Spain. ● French authorities arrested one of Hidalgo’s friends as a warning. ● He then took several hundred parishioners and seized the prison at Dolores(grito de Dolores) ● This began the Mexican War for Independence. ● He had some success at first but then his troops began deserting. He was eventually captured. ● He was executed as a rebel on July 31, 1811

Gutierrez de Lara ● Gutiérrez was sent by Hidalgo to recruit along the Rio Grande. ● He was sent by the rebels to the United States to try to get the US to help. He told them they were going to set up a republican government in Texas. ● He learned of Hidalgo’s capture and he decided to continue on. ● In Washington DC, he met with foreign leaders. He returned to Louisiana and joined up with the Gutierrez-Magee expedition. He was named president of the provisional government set up for Texas but was later asked to resign. ● He later fought in the Battle of New Orleans ● He continued efforts to further Mexico's independence. He eventually returned to Mexico and was governor of Tamaulipas until he resigned in 1826. He went to live with his son and on the way to visit his daughter he became ill and died at her home in 1841.

GUTIÉRREZ-MAGEE EXPEDITION 1812 -1813 ● was an early joint filibustering expedition between anitroyalists and the United States against Spanish Texas. Led by Gutierrez and Augustus Magee. ● Formed a force of about 130 men in Louisiana, increased to about 300 when they crossed into Texas. ● Made their way to La Bahia(Goliad) where they easily took over the Mission. Spanish Governor had him surrounded with 800 men for four months. ● Magee had considered surrendering but decided to fight. Magee’s men had lost confidence and he died from a long illness. ● The expedition was taken over by Samuel Kemper who successfully fought off the Spanish who retreated to San Antonio ● The expedition would grow and win some battles, but was crushed at the Battle of Medina on August 18, 1813

Agustín de Iturbide ● ● ● ● In 1810 he refused a post in Miguel Hidalgo’s revolutionary forces and joined the Royalists He was made a commander of the Royal Spanish forces, but charges of extortion and violence led to him being removed from the position. Joined the revolutionary movement against the liberal constitution of 1812. After Mexico gained independence in the Treaty of Cordoba, he was made Emperor of Mexico. On January 4, 1823, Iturbide signed the first permit for the settlement of Anglo-Americans in Texas for Stephen F. Austin's colony. December 1822 Antonio López de Santa Anna led a revolt against him, Iturbide gave up his throne and sailed to Italy. He returned, not knowing he had a death sentence waiting, he was arrested and shot. In 1838 his remains were moved to Mexico City, where they are enshrined in the national cathedral.

Battle of Medina ● August 18, 1813, between the republican forces of the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition and a Spanish royalist army under Gen. Joaquín de Arredondo. ● Republican Army of the North crossed from the Neutral Ground in Louisiana into Texas on August 7, 1812, and soon captured Nacogdoches, Trinidad de Salcedo, La Bahía, and San Antonio. ● Joaquín de Arredondo, commandant-general of the Provincias Internas, organized an army of 1, 830 men and marched them early in August from Laredo toward San Antonio to quell the rebellion. ● In the final battle, the republican army was exhausted and were led into an ambush. The republican army was decimated. ● based on archival records and maps, as well as various artifacts found by landowners, the Medina battlefield and burial sites were estimated to be in northern Atascosa County and near old Pleasanton Road. This is where Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana learned brutality. He would return 20 years later with his own army….

Merger of Coahuila y Tejas ● In 1824, a new constitution restructured Mexico as a federal republic with nineteen states and four territories. One of the new states was Coahuila y Tejas, which combined the sparsely populated Spanish provinces of Texas and Coahuila. The poorest state in the Mexican federation. ● Leaders of Coahuila and Texas knew their regions were not prepared to be independent due to no economy and sparse populations. ● Ramos Arizpe wrote ayuntamiento to warn the leaders they would lose their land holdings to the federal government if they didn’t merge with Coahuila. ● Since there was no money in Mexico for an army to defend Coahuila y Tejas, they were allowed their own militias. ● Mexico didn’t allow slaves at this time, and many Anglos had brought slaves with them, this caused tensions. ● Mexico was worried about the number of Anglo Texans growing, Santa Ana dissolved all state governments and replaced them. Texas settlers revolted….

Imperial Colonization Law ● January 3, 1823 This law invited Catholic immigrants to settle in Mexico; provided for the employment of agents, called empresarios, to introduce families in units of 200 ● Promised them land to farm and raise cattle, exempted them from tithing for six years, and half payments after that. ● families might import "merchandise" free of duty and tools and materials for their own use to the value of $2, 000; and settlers became automatically naturalized citizens upon residence of three years, if married and selfsupporting. ● Law was annulled by Iturbide, but the contracts already in place(Moses Austin) were honored.

Colonization law of 1825 ● In 1825, the Mexican legislature passed the State Colonization Law, providing incentives for Anglo colonists to settle Texas and Coahuila. ● In exchange for a small fee, settlers were given up to 4, 428 acres of pasture land 177 acres of farmland. ● New settlers had to promise to follow Mexican law, convert to Catholicism and “to display sound moral principles and good conduct. ” ● After accepting these terms and settling in Texas, immigrants earned the standing of naturalized Mexicans. Empresarios Stephen F. Austin and Green De. Witt, among others, started their colonies under this law.

Slavery ● Few slaves in Texas while it was under Spanish colonial rule ● Numbers began increasing when empresarios began settling Texas. ● Slaves were allowed as a way to boost economic production in the territory. Slave owners were given 80 acres for each slave they brought to Texas. ● 1827 Constitution of the State of Coahuila and Texas prohibited the further introduction of slaves and declared all children born thereafter to slaves already in the state to be free at birth. ● In 1829, President Vicente Guerrero issued a decree abolishing slavery in all of Mexico, but within months he exempted Texas from that order.