For many years, the battle of the Alamo in 1836 has widely been regarded as the turning point in the Texas Revolution. But of all the unknowns regarding that battle, such as how Davy Crockett died or if William B. Travis was placed on the funeral pyre alive, one of the most important mysteries is just why the people of the Alamo chose to stand and fight.
To understand why the people of the Alamo fought, one must first examine the reasons for the Texas Revolution’s occurrence. Texas’ declaration of independence was caused by several things. First, in 1824, Mexico redefined their territories, with Texas being bound to Coahuila and the capital going from San Antonio to Saltillo. Secondly, the liberal constitution of 1824, which guaranteed equal rights to everybody on Mexican soil, was opposed by Santa Anna, who advocated the removal of all foreigners after he seized control of Mexico….
On October 1835, a group of Texans living in Gonzales refused to return a loaned cannon to the Mexican troops stationed in San Antonio, taunting “Come and take it!” While the Texans were completely overwhelmed, their actions inspired other such rebellious actions. On December 5th, 1835, Ben Milam and 200 Texans assaulted the 1200 Mexican soldiers in San Antonio, forcing the troops’ surrender at the cost of 20 Texans. This emboldened Texan revolutionaries and led to a belief that Texas could overcome insurmountable odds. Following this was a series of Mexican advances which displayed Santa Anna’s newest policy, take no prisoners. These new brutal advances led to Texas troops fearing surrender, as even surrender ended in…
