The Spanish Era

1. Early Spanish Exploration
2. French Exploration
3. Expansion of the Mission Frontier
4. Mexican Independence

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Early Spanish Exploration

1. Who commanded the first Spanish expedition to reach Texas and when did it occur?
       In 1519, Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda led a naval expedition that mapped the Gulf Coast from Florida to Vera Cruz. Among other adventures, the expedition landed at the mouth of a river that they named Rio de las Palmas, which is almost certainly today�s Rio Grande.
2. Who were Alvar Nunez Cabza de Vaca  and Estevanico? What did they tell Spanish authorities about Texas?
       Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and the Spanish Moor Estevanico (or "Little Stephen") were among the survivors of an expedition led by Paniflo de Narvaez that shipwrecked  on the Texas coast near the mouth of the Brazos River. Coastal Indians enslaved the group, but de Vaca and Estevanico, along with two others, escaped in 1534.
       Indians that de Vaca contacted during the trip told him of great cities full of silver and gold that existed to the north. De Vaca told such tales to Spanish authorities.
3. Who were Coronado and De Soto? Why did they come to Texas?
       Coronado and De Soto were Spanish explorers that came to Texas looking for cities with gold and silver.
4. Why did Spain lose interest in exploring Texas?
       Because both the Coronado and De Soto expeditions found no riches, they were regarded as failures. Such failures caused Spain to lose interest in Texas and other lands to the north.

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1. Who was Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle?(7.2:B)
       He was a French frontiersman and fur trader who floated down the Mississippi River in 1682 and claimed much of the interior of the present United States for the king of France. In 1684 he returned to the New World to found a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi but missed it. His party was shipwrecked on the Texas coast. In 1687 he was trying to lead a party to the Great Lakes/Illinois country but was killed by his men.
2. Where was the French Fort Saint-Louis? What happened to the fort?
       Fort Saint-Louis was in Victoria County, on Garcitas Creek. It was destroyed by Indians.
3. Who were Alonso de Leon and Father Damian Massanet? What did t hey do?(7.2:B)
       Alonso de Leon was a Spanish officer. He led several expeditions looking for La Salle until he found the ruins of Fort Saint-Louis. In 1690, he led another expedition that went further north and made contact with the Caddo Indians. Father Damian Massanet was a priest who was with de Leon in 1690. Massanet founded two missions in Caddo country.
4. Why did the Caddo Indians turn against the Spaniards?
       The Caddos turned against the Spaniards because the Spaniards did not respect the Caddo way of life, the Caddo religion, and the Caddo traditions.
5. Who was Louis Juchereau Saint-Denis? What did he do?
       Saint-Denis was a French trader who reached the Caddos in 1713. Later, he made contact with Spanish authorities near today�s Eagle Pass. Then, he helped a Spanish expedition that founded more missions and forts in East Texas.
6. What mission was established in 1718? What was the significance of this mission?(7.1:C)
       Mission San Antonio de Valero was established in. 1718. The city of San Antonio would grow from this mission.
7. What impact did the Catholic missions have on Texas?
       The missions had a tremendous influence on the culture of early Texas. The Catholic church became the dominant religion in the region. This dominance lasted until the 1820s and the Mexican revolution.

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Expansion of the Mission Frontier

1. What was filibustering? Who led an American filibuster into Texas in 1800? Was he successful?
       Filibustering was armed invasions into Texas by groups of private citizens from the United States. Phillip Nolan led the filibuster but he was not successful. Spaniards caught him and executed him.
2. Why did Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla lead a revolution against Spain?
       Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla led a revolution against Spain because Indians, Creoles (Spaniards born in Mexico) and Mestizos (people of mixed Indian-Spanish heritage ) were being discriminated against by "pure" Spaniards born in Spain.
3. Who were Bernardo Gutierrrez and Augustus Magee and what did they do?
       Mexican revolutionary Bernardo Gutierrrez joined forces with former United States Army officer Augustus Magee. The two created the Republican Army of the North. They gained control of the settlements of Nacogdoches, Goliad and San Antonio. Then they declared Texas independence and adopted a republican constitution.
4. What did Dr. James Long do? What happened to him?
       Dr. James Long led an expedition into Texas and took Nacogdoches. He established a republic with himself as president. He was later captured by the Spaniards and was killed while in prison by a guard.
5. Who is called the "Mother" of Texas? Why?
       Dr. James Long�s wife, Jane Long, is called the "Mother of Texas" because she gave birth to the first white American baby born in Texas in 1821.

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Mexican Independence and American Immigration

1. What occurred in 1821?(7.1:C)
       In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain.
2. Who were Moses and Stephen F. Austin?(7.2:C)
       Moses Austin, founder of the American lead industry, was the first man to obtain permission to bring American settlers into Spanish Texas. However, he died before he could carry out his plans. Stephen F. Austin, his son, followed through on those plans and established the first American colony in Texas.
3. Why did the Mexican Constitution of 1824 result in future turmoil between the central government and the Texas province?(7.2:D)
       It failed to adequately define many of the rights of the states within the republic, including Texas. This would later cause problems between the central Mexican government and the people living in Texas.
4. Who was Juan Seguin? What role did he have in the development of the Mexican Constitution of 1824?(7.2:C)
       Juan Seguin, postmaster of San Antonio, represented Texas at the constitutional convention of 1824. Seguin worked to have provisions included in the constitution that were beneficial to his native San Antonio and Anglo Americans living in Texas. These included allowing Texas to petition for separate statehood at a future date, a loose interpretation of the requirement that settlers be Catholic and against the complete abolition of slavery in Texas. As a member of the colonization committee, Seguin also worked on the National Colonization Laws, which left most issues of immigration and land distribution in the hands of the state governments.
5. What was the Fredonia Rebellion? How did the Mexican Government respond to this rebellion? (Fredonia Rebellion)
       The Fredonian Rebellion was a dispute between the Mexican government and the Edwards brothers, Haden and Benjamin. Haden Edwards received a grant on April 14, 1825 that entitled him to settle as many as 800 families in a broad area around Nacogdoches in eastern Texas. He posted notices on street corners to all previous landowners that they would have to present evidence of their claims or forfeit to new settlers. This naturally offended the older settlers. Eventually, the Mexican government cancelled his grant. Edwards followers attempted to form their own republic and the Mexican government had to forcibly put down the uprising.
       The Mexican government responded to the rebellion by passing a law that limited immigration of Americans to Texas.
6. What was the Law of 1830?(7.2:E)
       It was a law to limit further immigration from the United States to Mexico. 
7. What were the Turtle Bayou Resolutions?(7.2:E)
       The Turtle Bayou resolutions condemned the Centralist government for violating the 1824 constitution and urged all Texans to support the Federalist cause.
8. Who was Santa Anna? What role did in play in Mexican politics?(7.3:A)
       Santa Anna was a military leader of the anti-government Federalist army. He was elected president of Mexico in 1833. In 1835, he overthrew the Mexican government, annulled the Mexican constitution and declared himself dictator.
9. What was the San Felipe Convention of 1833?
       Anglo-Americans in Texas framed a constitution for the proposed state of Texas at the San Felipe Convention in 1833. Stephen Austin took it to Mexico City, along with a list of other demands. Austin had mixed success with the Mexican government. Santa Anna agreed to repeal the 1830 law against further American immigration, but he refused to grant the request for statehood. He also had Austin imprisoned for a time on suspicion of inciting an insurrection.
10. Why did Stephen F. Austin go to Mexico City in 1833? What happened to him there?(7.2:E)
        Stephen Austin took a constitution for the state of Texas and a list of demands to Mexico City. Austin had mixed success with the Mexican government. Santa Anna agreed to repeal the 1830 law against further American immigration, but he refused to grant the request for statehood. He also had Austin imprisoned for a time on suspicion of inciting an insurrection.

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