March 2, 1836

the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution

• 1820, Moses Austin, a U.S. citizen, asked the Spanish government in Mexico for permission to settle in sparsely populated Texas
• Austin died, so his son, Stephen F. Austin, took over
• 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain
• Austin negotiated a contract with the new Mexican government that allowed him to lead some 300 families to the Brazos River
• Other U.S. settlers also arrived, and Americans eventually outnumbered the resident Mexicans
• 1826 Fredonian Rebellion, a conflict between Mexican and American settlers
• 1833 Austin sought statehood for Texas in the Mexican federation
• 1834 Santa Anna became dictator of Mexico
  (he sought to crush all rebellions including Texas)
• October 1835 first battle of the Texas Revolution in Gonzales, 50 miles east of San Antonio
• February 23, 1836 Santa Anna and some 3,000 Mexican troops besieged the Alamo, and the former mission was bombarded with cannon and rifle fire for 12 days.
• March 6, 1836 Santa Anna ordered his troops to storm the Alamo. In just over an hour The only survivors of the Alamo were a handful of civilians, mostly women and children.

Texas sought annexation by the United States, but both Mexico and antislavery forces in the United States opposed its admission into the Union.

Texas existed as an independent republic, and Sam Houston was Texas’ first elected president

Dec 29, 1845, Texas joined the Union as the 28th state, leading to the outbreak of the Mexican-American War.