The Western Experience History Research Assignment Paper (Essay Sample)

The Western Experience
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Institutional Affiliation
The Battle of Alamo
The battle of Alamo in 1836 literally changed the political power of both the United States and Mexico because of the vast territory Texas had occupied and the influence the state had on the US. The battle lasted for 13 days despite the fact that the Texan army was outnumbered they displayed a show of courage and resilience to defend the fort and its people from oppression from Mexican commanders (Hansen 2003). However, the Texan people volunteered to join the army in order to reclaim their territory from the Mexican army which was under the leadership of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. In this paper, the description of the social, economic and political environment during the Alamo battle as well as the acquisition of Texas and the impact it had to both Mexicans and Texans will be discussed in first person.
I was living in Texas at the time the US had given Spain the state of Texas in 1819. However, in 1821, Mexico got its independence from Spain which meant that Texas was under Mexican rule and governance. As a Texan citizen, I noted the massive migration of Americans from other states such as Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana who brought with them their slaves and property to settle down in Texas (Gunderson 2004). Most of them were able to own land at no expense but they were obliged to join the Roman Catholic Church by the Mexican authorities. The migration of American settlers into Texas made the entire region look more American than Mexican (O'Hern, Riehecky & McHargue 2006). My Mexican neighbors were afraid of the number of Americans settling in Texas and soon enough we started to feel that Texas was slowly being transformed into an American territory. The war started as a result of the second convention whereby the Americans declared Texas an independent state. The political situation between the US and Mexico was rather friendly because they has signed a treaty which stated that the US would not interfere or invade Texas or any other Mexican territory. At the same time millions of American immigrants have refused to embrace the Mexican culture and religion which stirred a lot of tensions among Texans. There was widespread revolt among federalists in Texas because of the overwhelming dictatorial policies the Mexican government had imposed on the people (Hansen 2003).
As Mexicans we were forced to accept all policies and legislations enforced by our government because it was considered treason if Mexican citizens refused to obey all laws and regulation enforced by our President. The society in Texas was highly unstable because more than 91% of the population was of American origin and we were only a few Mexicans living in the state (Wade 1991). As a Mexican soldier I was forced to monitor the movement and plans of Americans who were planning to secede from Mexico. However, the unpleasant political and economic state of Texas, most Mexican...