Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution was fought from October 1835 to April 1836 between the Mexican government and settlers, mostly of Anglo-American origin, in the Mexican province of Texas, ending in Texan independence and the creation of the short-lived Republic of Texas. Tensions had grown for years over the Anglo-American colonists' resistance to Mexican centralist policies, including restrictions on slavery, and open fighting began after Mexican president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna moved to suppress Texan autonomy. Santa Anna's forces won early victories, most notoriously overrunning the Alamo mission in San Antonio in March 1836 and killing its garrison, and executing several hundred captured Texan soldiers after the Battle of Coleto in the Goliad Massacre. Texan forces under Sam Houston reversed the campaign decisively at the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, surprising and routing Santa Anna's army and capturing Santa Anna himself, who was forced to sign treaties recognizing Texan independence. The Republic of Texas existed as an independent nation for nearly a decade before its 1845 annexation by the United States helped trigger the Mexican-American War.