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Stephen F. Austin
The Most Successful Of All Texans Empresarios, Stephen F. Austin Became A Influential Political Leader In Texas. He Did Not Support Independence At First, And His Misgivings Restrained Any Major Move Towards Independence Among The Texan People. However, Once He Threw His Support Behind The Texas Rebellion In 1835, It Benefited Greatly From His Leadership & Support -
Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna
Santa Anna, The President Of Mexico, Organized A Mass Purge Of Mexican Liberals From His Government In 1834. This Accomplished, He Began To Place Restrictions On The Governments Of The Mexican Territories To The North. Fearing Tyrannical Rule, Stephen F. Austin & Other America Settlers In Texas Sparked The Texas Rebellion & Forced To Sign A Treaty Giving Texas Its Independence, And Was Shortly Ousted From The Mexican Government. -
James K. Polk
Polk Was President Of The United States From 1845 To 1849. He Oversaw The Annexation Of Oregon & Of The Texas, & Is Credited With Beginning The Mexican In The Nearest. Polk Was A Firm Believer In Expansion & Pursued His Goals With Vigor. However, Many Northerners Saw Him As An Agent Of Southern Will, Expanding The Nation As Part Of Plan To Extend Slavery In The West. -
Panic Of 1819
Panic Of 1819. In 1819, The Impressive Post-War Of 1812 Economic Expansion Ended. Banks Throughout The Country Failed; Mortgages Were Foreclosed, Forcing People Out Of Their Homes And Of Their Farms. Falling Prices Impaired Agriculture And Manufacturing, Triggering Widespread Unemployment. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act, Passed In 1830. Granted President Andrew Jackson Funds & Authority To Remove The Indians By Force If Necessary. He Pursued A Determined Effort To Coerce The Indian's Into Expulsion. -
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Texas Rebellion
On This Day On 1835, The Growing Tensions Between Mexico & Texas Erupt Into Violence When Mexican Soldiers Attempt To Disarm The People Of Gonzales, Sparking The Texan War For Independence. -
Alamo
During The Texas Rebellion, Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna's Mexican Force Of 4,000 Troops Laid Siege To The Town Of San Antonio, Where 200 Texans Resisted, Retreating To An Abandoned Mission, The Alamo. After Inflicting Over 1,500 Casualties On Santa Anna's Men, The Defenders Of The Alamo Were Wiped Out On March 6, 1836. The Alamo Became A Symbol Of The Texan's Determination To Win Independence. -
Donner Party
The Exploits Of The Donner Party Exemplified The Difficulties Of The Overland Journey To The Far West. Led Astray By The Erred Advice Of A Guidebook. The Donner Party Found Itself Snowbound In The Sierra Nevada Mountains, And Arrived At Its Destination In California Only After Turning To Cannibalism. -
The Compromise Of 1850
The Compromise Of 1850 Was A Major Effect At Quieting Sectional Conflict In Pre-Civil War American Politics. In Terms Of Expansion, Its Most Important Clauses Were Those Admitting California To Statehood As A Free State & Dividing The Remainder Of The Mexican Cession After The Mexican War Into Two Sections, New Mexico & Utah. Neither Of Which Would Be Subject To Restrictions On Slavery. -
Wounded Knee
After An Exited Native American Fired A Rifle Shot In A Non-combat Situation, US Army Troops Massacred 300 Indians, Including Seven Children. The Massacre Was The Symbolic Final Step For The West, & After The Wounded Knee The Indians Succumbed To The Wishes & Of The Federal Government, Resigning Themselves To Reservation Life.