6 CAUSES OF THE SEPARATION OF TEXAS FROM MEXICO - HISTORY - 2025

The main cause of the separation of Texas from Mexico occurred when Texas rebel groups shot some Mexican soldiers in the city of Gonzáles on October 2, 1835. Today it is considered the first armed confrontation of what would have been become the war for the independence of Texas from the Mexican state.

However, the conflicts between the Mexican state and Texas went back many years. The battle of Gonzáles was only the trigger that started an armed conflict.

"American Progress" by Jonh Gast

Texas formally declared its independence on March 2, 1836. This statement was based on the writings of Thomas Jefferson and John Locke.

Through this text, the acts of oppression and tyranny carried out by the Mexican authorities were criticized and it was declared that Texas and Mexico were culturally different, so there were no elements that united these two entities.

There were many causes that led to this decision. Among these are: the abolition of the Mexican constitution of 1824, the ties between Texas and the United States, the problem of slavery, among others.

Texas Declaration of Independence

Causes of the process of independence of Texas from the State of Mexico

1- The abolition of the Mexican constitution of 1824

In 1824, Mexico sanctioned a constitution that favored the independence of federal entities from the government. This constitution gave Texans freedom of action.

This constitution was abolished and replaced by another that gave more control to the government and less freedom to federal entities.

This constitution generated the displeasure of not only the citizens of Texas but of other parts of Mexico, since with it the beginning of a dictatorial government was evidenced.

With the new constitution, the State of Mexico ceased to be federal and was organized around a centralist model, led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna.

In the months leading up to the Texas Revolution, citizens clamored for the reinstatement of the old constitution. When this did not happen, the only possible alternative was rebellion.

2- Citizens felt more American than Mexican

When Mexico obtained its independence in 1821, the Mexican State encouraged the Americans to occupy the territory of the entity of Coahuila and Texas.

The State granted these individuals a territory that had not been previously occupied and Mexican nationality. In return, these individuals had to transform themselves into proper Mexican citizens: they had to learn the Spanish language and accept Catholicism as the official religion.

However, these individuals never became "Mexican." They kept English as the official language and preferred to be practitioners of the Anglican Church than of the Catholic Church.

In this sense, the population of Texas was culturally American and they felt more affinity towards the United States than towards Mexico.

3- Economic relations between Texas and the United States

Geographically, Texas and Mexico are separated by a wide desert. At that time, there were few transportation systems that connected the federal entity of Coahuila and Texas with the State of Mexico.

For this reason, Texans who were responsible for the production of cotton and other export goods preferred to send their products to the southern city of New Orleans, United States.

For its part, selling Texan products in Mexican ports was extremely difficult and, at times, impossible. This only strengthened existing relations between the United States and Texas, while relations between Texas and Mexico deteriorated.

4- Manifest destiny

Battle of San Jacinto, one of the key points of the Independence of Texas

"Manifest Destiny" is an American belief that it was the duty of the United States to expand beyond the limits of the nation.

The name of this doctrine derives from the fact that it was considered as obvious that the United States should expand (hence its manifest quality) because the will of God wanted it to (hence it is "destiny").

In this sense, the United States, learning that there were tensions between Mexico and Texas, took the opportunity to strengthen relations with this city.

This was done in order to guarantee the independence of Texas to later annex it to the United States and thus fulfill Manifest Destiny.

5- slavery

In the southern United States, slavery continued to be legal in the 1830s. Most of the American settlers who occupied Texas, beginning in 1821, came from the southern states, so they were used to the practice of slavery. slavery.

However, these practices were illegal in Mexico, so the colonists were forced to hide the fact that they had slaves.

In most cases, slaves were impersonated servants to avoid sanctions by the Mexican state.

The problem arose when the slaves escaped, which alerted the Mexican authorities. Because the settlers lived in constant fear of losing their slaves, they saw the independence of Texas conducive.

6- Problems in the government of Mexico

From left to right: Antonio López de Santa Anna, Stephen Austin, Samuel Houston, proper names of Texas Independence

Because Mexico had achieved its independence a few years before, the State presented certain political conflicts, among which the struggle between liberals and conservatives, the desire for the separation of the State and Church, social revolts in Mexico City, among others, stand out..

These and other problems made the government of the State of Mexico weak and unable to meet the demands of the citizens. Added to this, governments followed one another quickly, causing decisions made by one to be reversed by the other.

For this reason, Texas was unable to resolve the existing differences with the central government, and the citizens preferred to follow the path of independence.

References

1. Texas Declaration of Independence. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
2. Texas declare independence. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from history.com.
3. Texas and War with Mexico. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from eduplace.com.
4. Texas Revolution. War between Mexico and Texas. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from britannica.com.
5. Christopher Minster (2017). Why did Texas want independece from Mexico? Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from thoughtco.com.
6. Texas Revolution. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from en.wikipedia.org.
7. Texas declaration of independence. Retrieved on July 24, 2017, from tshaonline.org.