The Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution

Texas is known for being the largest state in America, but it is also remembered for its fascinating history. Texans fought against Mexico to make Texas a part of the United States of America. Texas is recognized by both Mexico and the U.S. as a strong independent state.
In 1821, before Mexico earned its independence from Spain, Mexico and Texas were both colonized as territory of Spain. Texas had a low population of Indians, Mexicans, and Americans, but after the Mexican War for Independence, Texas became a part of the Mexico Empire in 1821. The Mexican Empire came to an agreement to let 300 Americans settle in the territory of Texas. The Mexican government encouraged settlers to populate Texas so that the Indian raids would lessen, but the Mexican government grew worried since they were outnumbered by the immigrating settlers. The President of Mexico realized this, and announced that no more immigration from America was allowed. The Empresarios, which were the names of the governors, held the Convention of 1832, which was the first step to the Texas Revolution. At this time there were 30,000 American Texans, and 7,800 Mexican Texans, and by 1834 the country was almost at war with itself.
In October of 1835 the first violence broke out. The Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna sent his brother-in-law, General Cos, to make sure the thought of rebellion would come to an end. Before Cos could meet with Texans, one of the Mexican forts demanded a cannon to be returned that the Texans had borrowed, but the Texans rejected their request. Due to this rejection, the Battle of Gonzales began when a group of 100 dragoons came to reclaim the cannon. The group of dragoons could not cross the river to retrieve the cannon because the water level was too high, and while this was happening, other Texans heard of this battle brewing and wanted to join in. This battle resulted in 3 casualties, and inspired Texans to become a separate state.
The most recognized battle of the Texas Revolution was the Battle of the Alamo. There were no significant battles that took place until February 1836, and during this time the Texans had already declared their independence, but Santa Anna would not allow them to secede. The Alamo was an old Catholic church near San Antonio, and there the Texans cleared most of the Mexicans resistance. Santa Anna arrived there on February 23 with 1,500 men and camped outside the Alamo, to make sure no Texans could escape. The siege continued on for 13 days while the Texans sent a couple messengers and waited for reinforcements. Finally on March 6, the Mexicans advanced and fought the Texans in the Alamo. The Texans knew they did not have a chance, but they still fought with great strength and bravery. The battle ended with between 125 and 250 dead Texans and 400-600 dead Mexicans. Several popular brave heroes were remembered for their deaths in the Alamo: Davy Crockett, Sam Bowie, and William Travis. The Alamo can still be seen today.
The Alamo was hard on Santa Anna’s mission to conquer Texas. This battle inspired the Texan Army and provided it with new recruits. The popular saying “Remember the Alamo” became the army’s war cry. Santa Anna heard of Houston’s developing army and set out to face the Texans. They arrived at San Jacinto River on April 20, and waited for reinforcements. The Texans were about to attack, but they were interrupted by General Cos and his soldiers. The Texans decided to attack on April 21, catching the Mexicans off guard. The battle lasted 18 minutes overwhelming the Mexican defense, leading to the capture of Santa Anna. Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty with Sam Houston, and the Battle of San Jacinto ended with two treaties. The First treaty was an agreement between both sides to return prisoners of war, and the second granted that Mexico would never again fight the Texans in exchange for the sparing of Santa Anna’s life. In 1845, Texas was accepted as a U.S. state.
The Texans were strong and brave individuals, who never gave up fighting for their independence. They are a large part of American history, and gave birth to several influential people. Texas is remembered by Americans today as a strong and independent state.

The Trail of Tears

The Trail of Tears

The Native Americans were the first occupants of some of the land in the United States. They were forced to migrate off American land, and several people died during these migrations. Settlers tried to teach the Native Americans their culture, but there was a lot of confusion leading to the migration of the Natives.
During the time of John Smith and the founding of Jamestown in 1607, Native Americans were being pushed around. These English settlers believed that they had the right to this land, and they frequently mistreated the Native Americans. Due to this treatment, by 1776 there was a small amount of Native Americans along the Eastern Seaboard. After George Washington was elected president, he tried to stop these culture wars and suggested that the Native Americans should adopt the European culture. The Native Americans were often confused and did not understand concepts, like private property, due to their totally different culture. Settlers began to overrun the Native Americans in Ohio and Indiana, but the Indians held a large portion of land in the Deep South. Since the Native Americans had control of the Deep South, Georgia called for a new location for the Indians.
There were 5 tribes in the Deep South: the Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, Muscogee, and the Chickasaw. These Indians stopped settlers who were invading their land, and adopted American customs as well. Although most of the presidents after Washington supported his idea for the Indians to adopt American customs, Andrew Jackson had other thoughts. In 1829, President Andrew Jackson made a speech saying that the Native Americans should be relocated, and a year later the Indian Removal Act was passed. This act reported that all Native Americans were to be moved to the west of the Mississippi River. This act was voluntary, but the tribes were pressured by the settlers, so most of them agreed to move.
It was a difficult process for the Indians, because thousands of them were traveling hundreds of miles. The first to agree to migrate were the Choctaw tribe, and in 1831 they moved from Mississippi to the Arkansas territory. One of the tribe’s chiefs was the first to call this migration “the trail of tears and death.” The Cherokee were the next tribe to relocate, and their migration showed an example of the abuse that took place. This tribe resisted their migration, but after 3 years they were forced to relocate in the west. Sixteen thousand Cherokee people migrated and there were several deaths. The Seminole tribe refused to leave their land leading to the Second Seminole War. The Seminoles were led by their chief, Osceola, who used guerilla like combat to defeat the settlers frequently. After 7 years of battle, many lives were lost on both sides, and the Seminoles were forced to relocate or hide in the Everglades. The Muscogee had lost most of their land even before the Indian Removal Act was passed, so they agreed to migrate westward in 1832. The Chickasaw tribe agreed to move westward, but negotiated to sell their land for $3,000,000, instead of just trading their land and being granted a new one. The Chickasaws were moved westward in 1837, and did not get their money until 30 years later. In 1842, about 75,000 Indians and slaves were forced to relocate west of the Mississippi, and the land they received was west of the Arkansas Territory. Their land was called the Indian Territory, and it was governed and controlled by the Indians, without any interference from Congress during that time. In 1907, the Oklahoma Enabling Act had the Indian Territory combined with the Oklahoma Territory, which is now known as Oklahoma.
Although the Native Americans had this land first, they were not strong enough to hold back the development of the United States. The Indians did help with the creation of the state of Oklahoma, and were cooperative with relocating. Although this is not the Native American’s land, their history can still be seen today.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson served as an important leader and president. He was an influential leader in the War of 1812, and also played an important part in the Revolutionary War. He is remembered as a people’s man and a strong, stubborn president.
Jackson was born in 1776 to immigrated Scots-Irish farmers. Shortly after Jackson’s birth, his father died, and he was raised by his two uncles. As Jackson grew up, he did not attend school that often, but he did work at a saddle- maker’s shop. When Jackson was 13 he helped the local militia, where his brothers served, as a courier. During this time Jackson and his brother Robert were both captured and nearly starved to death. While captured Jackson received a sword wound which left a scar for the rest of his life. Their mother worked for their release, and finally they were set free, but Robert died shortly after they were freed. During that same year, Jackson’s mother also pasted away leaving him with no family.
As an independent man, he studied law in Salisbury, North Carolina and began practicing in Jonesborough. During 1788 through 1804, Jackson served as Congressman and Senator for the newly added state, Tennessee. He owned his own land outside the city of Nashville, and this land grew to be one of the most valuable plantations in this area. Jackson returned to active service in the War of 1812, where he would earn the nickname “Old Hickory” for his stubbornness, bravery, and success during the war. He was the lead commander in the last battle of the war, the Battle of New Orleans, and he successfully defeated the British.
After the War of 1812, Jackson was elected to the Senate in 1822, and was nominated for president as well. Jackson lost to John Quincy Adams when the election was decided by the House of Representatives. Jackson spent the next four years preparing to defeat Adams in the next presidential election, and when it finally arrived he won the election in 1829. Andrew Jackson held a party at the White House ball, which was an unusual act for a politician, but Jackson was not like most presidents. He was the first president to use the veto power a lot, and he used it to block all spending and special interest bills. Jackson made several poor decisions for the cabinet members, leading to all but the Postmaster General being replaced in the first two years of his presidency. Jackson firmly reduced the federal deficit and payed it all off in 1835, and 1836 was the last time the United States had no federal debt.
Jackson and his followers were part of the Jacksonian democracy, which was referred to as the Second Party System, a democratic spirit. The Jacksonian democracy expanded the power of the executive branch and developed public involvement in the government. The Jacksonians had a large part in geographic expansion, but did not provide more rights to all people. Jackson worked to make the presidency a tool for the people, and he expanded the power of the executive branch greatly. Andrew Jackson’s presidency ended in 1837 and he passed away on June 8, 1845.
Andrew Jackson was an influential general and president, and is an important part of American history. He fought for our nation’s freedom with great bravery and strength. He fought for his beliefs, and is respected for all the hard work he put into the development of the United States.

The Habit of Complaining

The Habit of Complaining

Sadly, people suffer from the habit of complaining too much to get what they want. We should not complain to get what we want because it’s a bad habit to form which will continue for life. This tantrum throwing can lead to a lazy, unproductive life.
Parents today refuse to discipline their children. Although it is the child who is misbehaving and complaining or crying to get what they want, it is the parents who are giving into their demands. Today, even adults complain to get what they want. Adults complain for a raise at work, even if they’re a lazy worker, and it is often given to them. People find that complaining is the only way to get what they desire, but they can work or even ask how else they can earn their wants. There is always a way to achieve the things we desire. We need not look for the easy way out, by simply complaining until we get what we want.
People don’t need to complain to get what they want. This bad habit only feeds the desires of the flesh. Life is not supposed to be easy and we need not complain when things get tough. Hard work and a good attitude will provide us with a great future.