Andrew Jackson, Part 8

VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English about the
history of the United States.

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In the early eighteen-thirties,
the territory of Texas belonged to Mexico. Many Americans had moved
to Texas, because they could buy a lot of land with little money.
The government of Mexico expected the settlers to speak Spanish, to
become Roman Catholics, and to accept Mexican traditions. The
settlers did not. And the situation became tense.

Andrew Jackson was president of the United States at that time.
For the most part, he could do little to influence the situation in
Texas. The United States had a treaty of friendship with Mexico. It
was to remain neutral during the conflict.

VOICE TWO:

Americans in Texas held a convention in April,
eighteen-thirty-three. They prepared a list of appeals to the leader
of Mexico, General Santa Ana.

The Texas settlers asked Santa Ana to end a tax on goods imported
into the territory. They asked him to lift a ban on new settlers
from the United States. And they asked that Texas be organized as a
separate state of Mexico.

One of the Americans, Stephen Austin, carried the appeals to
Mexico City. He spent six months negotiating with the Mexican
government. General Santa Ana promised to honor all the requests
except one. He would not make Texas a separate state, although he
said that might be possible someday. Stephen Austin was satisfied.
He left the Mexican capital to return to Texas.

On his way home, to his surprise, Austin was arrested. He was
arrested because of a letter he wrote earlier, when his negotiations
with Mexican officials seemed to be failing. He had said it might be
best if the people declared Texas a separate state. Austin was put
in prison in Mexico City for a year and a half.

VOICE ONE:

Austin urged the people of Texas to remain loyal to Mexico. But
talk of rebellion already had begun. The settlers already were
calling themselves "Texans."

Minor hostilities broke out between Texans and local Mexican
officials. The Mexican army threatened action. When Austin returned
from prison, he was chosen to negotiate with the commander of
Mexican forces. The commander refused to negotiate. It appeared that
war would come. The Texans began to organize their own army.

VOICE TWO:

In November, eighteen-thirty-five, representatives from all parts
of Texas held a convention to discuss the situation. They had no
plans to take Texas out of the Mexican Republic. In fact, a proposal
to do that was defeated by a large vote.

However, the Texans took action to protect themselves against
Santa Ana, who had declared himself dictator. They organized a
temporary state government. They organized a state army. And they
made plans for another convention to begin on March first.

VOICE ONE:

Before the Texans could meet again, Santa Ana led an army of
seven-thousand men across the Rio Grande River into Texas. The first
soldiers reached San Antonio on February twenty-third. The Texas
forces withdrew to an old Spanish mission church called the Alamo.

On March first, the second Texas convention opened. This time,
the representatives voted to declare Texas a free, independent and
sovereign republic. They wrote a constitution based on the
constitution of the United States. They created a government. David
Burnet was named president. And Sam Houston was to continue as
commander of Texas forces.

VOICE TWO:

On the second day of the convention, a letter came from the Alamo
in San Antonio. The letter was addressed to the people of Texas and
all Americans. The commander of Texas forces at the Alamo wrote:

"I have been under an artillery attack for twenty-four hours and
have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded our surrender.
Otherwise, he said, he will kill every one of us. I have answered
his demand with a cannon shot. Our flag still waves proudly from the
walls. I shall never surrender or

retreat.

"I call on you -- in the name of liberty, of patriotism, and
everything dear to the American character -- to come to our aid with
all speed. If my appeal is not answered, I will fight as long as
possible, and die like a soldier who never forgets what he owes his
own honor and that of his country."

The letter from the Alamo closed with the words: "Victory or
Death. "

VOICE ONE:

Representatives at the convention wanted to leave immediately to
go to the aid of the Texans in San Antonio. But Sam Houston told
them it was their duty to remain and create a government for Texas.
Houston would go there himself with a small force.

The help came too late for the one-hundred eighty-eight men at
the Alamo. Santa Ana's forces captured the Spanish mission on March
sixth. When the battle ended, not a Texan was left alive.

Sam Houston ordered all Texas forces to withdraw northeast --
away from the Mexican army.

VOICE TWO:

One group of Texans did not move fast enough. Santa Ana trapped
them. He said the Texans would not be harmed if they surrendered.
They did. One week later, they were marched to a field and shot.
Only a few escaped to tell the story.

Santa Ana then moved against Sam Houston. He was sure his large
army could defeat the remaining Texas force.

President Andrew Jackson and Sam Houston were close friends. When
told of Houston's retreat, the president pointed to a map of Texas.
He said: "If Sam Houston is worth anything, he will make his stand
here.

Jackson pointed to the mouth of the San Jacinto River.

VOICE ONE:

The battle of San Jacinto began at four o'clock in the afternoon.
There were about eight-hundred Texans. There were two times that
many Mexicans. The Mexicans did not expect the retreating Texans to
turn and fight. But they did.

Shouting "Remember the Alamo!" the Texans ran at the Mexican
soldiers. Eighteen minutes later, the battle was over. Santa Ana's
army was destroyed.

About half of the Mexicans were killed or wounded. The other half
were captured. Only two Texans were killed. Twenty-three, including
Sam Houston, were wounded.

VOICE TWO:

The Texans found Santa Ana the next day, wearing the clothes of a
simple Mexican soldier. Santa Ana begged for mercy. Houston told
him: "You might have shown some at the Alamo."

Many of the Texans wanted to shoot the Mexican general. But
Houston said he was worth more alive than dead.

On May fourteenth, eighteen-thirty-six, Texas President Burnet
and General Santa Ana signed a treaty. The treaty made Texas
independent.

VOICE ONE:

Eighteen-thirty-six was a presidential election year in the
United States. Andrew Jackson had served for eight years. He did not
want another term. He supported his vice president, Martin Van
Buren.

Jackson's opposition to the demands for more states' rights, and
his attack on the Bank of the United States, had created problems
for his Democratic Party. Texas also was a problem.

Slavery was legal in the new Republic of Texas. Most northerners
in the United States opposed slavery anywhere. Jackson felt that if
he recognized Texas, the Democrats would lose votes in the
presidential election. So Jackson decided not to act on Texas until
after the election.

VOICE TWO:

Opposition to the Democrats came from a coalition political
party. Members of the party called themselves Whigs. Three Whigs ran
for president in eighteen-thirty-six against Martin Van Buren.

The Whigs did not expect any of their candidates to win. But they
hoped to get enough votes to prevent Van Buren from gaining a
majority. Then the House of Representatives would have to decide the
election. And a Whig might have a better chance. The plan failed.
Van Buren won.

VOICE ONE:

Andrew Jackson had only a few months left as president. It seemed
that much of his time was occupied with one question. That was the
request by the Republic of Texas to become a state of the union.

Jackson wanted to make Texas a state. But more important was the
union itself. The issue of slavery in Texas was critical. Jackson
said:

"To give statehood to Texas now, or to recognize its
independence, would increase the bitterness between the north and
south. Nothing is worth this price."

Then Jackson thought of a way in which statehood for Texas could
bring the nation together, instead of splitting it apart. That will
be our story next week.

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VOICE TWO:

You have been listening to the Special English Program, THE
MAKING OF A NATION. Your narrators were Steve Ember and Gwen Outen.
Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. Join us again next week
at this time for another report about the history of the United
States.

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