Texas - Mexican view?

[allen ives]

As per, the only perspectives readily available on the net regarding the 'Texas Revolution' of 1836 are from the American settlers view.

Does anyone here know how the Mexicans saw things? And did General Houston really defeat thousands of Mexican troops with a few hundred soldiers?

[allen ives]

Re-reading John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley after a gap of 25 years, I found the answer for myself. At the time, Texas was a province of Mexico, who wanted to raise taxes in Texas. Also, in 1829, Mexico had abolished slavery, freeing all its slaves. Now, the Texans neither wanted to pay tax to anybody, nor, probably more importantly, did they want to free their slaves.

So, they raised a revolt against Mexico, their legitimate rulers, and the Mexicans responded by sending an army to put down the rebellion. At the Alamo, the Mexican general did indeed give the defenders (the Texans) the chance to disperse, but this was refused, and only a few people survived the battle.

Subsequently, Houston really did defeat thousands of Mexican troops with a few hundred soldiers, by a combination of luck and strategy. A few years later, the Texans decided that membership of the United States was in their interest, so they joined the US, keeping (to this day, or so Steinbeck says) the right to cecede from the Union as and when they chose.

So, the Texan/American battle-cry 'Remember the Alamo' has some very dodgy connotations, as the Alamo was a revolt to KEEP slavery, not to free anyone.

Mind you, hasn't this continued through much American folk-lore? How about 'This land is my land', written (unbelievably) by Woodie Guthrie. No Woodie, this land ain't your land, it only belongs to you and me 'cos your recent ancestors wiped out the original owners....

Or am I just an old cynic.