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Marqués de Rubí
Rubí, who had achieved the high rank of field marshall and knight commander in the Order of Alcántara, arrived at Veracruz on November 1, 1764, as part of the expedition of Juan de Villabla, who had been sent to New Spain to organize regular army and colonial militia units. On August 7 of the following year, King Carlos III appointed Rubí inspector of frontier presidios and commissioned him to remedy economic abuses and other urgent matters. He crossed the Rio Grande in July 1767 and travelled -
Philip Nolan
Nolan came to Texas during the 1790s. He spent a great deal of time exploring and making maps in addition to capturing mustangs for which he was later arrested. Nolan was killed in a fight with Spanish soldiers near present Waco, Texas and the men accompanying him were captured. The men then were marched to Mexico, and there condemned for violations of Spanish law. As for Nolan, we can credit him and men like him with "making news" in the Untied States. -
Father Miguel Hidalgo
Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is known as the father of Mexican independence. He ordered the arrest of the native Spaniards in Dolores on September 16, 1810 and made a speech known as the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores), where he called for a rebellion so that Mexicans, rather than Spaniards, could govern Mexico. Mexico did not officially become independent from Spain until 1821, however Mexicans celebrate September 16 as Independence Day because this is the day that the movement towards in -
Jose Gutierrez de Lara
Gutiérrez and his brother were successful in fomenting revolution in Nuevo Santander, and Gutiérrez was sent by Hidalgo to recruit along the Rio Grande.Gutiérrez and his brother were successful in fomenting revolution in Nuevo Santander, and Gutiérrez was sent by Hidalgo to recruit along the Rio Grande. -
Augustus Magee
He was an army officer.Being credited with being one of the best young officers.Magee left Natchitoches on August 2, 1812, crossed the Sabine River on August 8, was joined by Gutiérrez two days later, and with the loot of Juan José Manuel Vicente Zambrano's convoy, entered Nacogdoches on August 12. About the middle of September the force occupied Trinidad on the Trinity River, and became ill. -
Battle of Medina
The battle of Medina was fought on August 18, 1813 between the republican forces of the Gutiérrez-Magee expedition and a Spanish royalist army. It was the bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil. It took place twenty miles south of San Antonio. The battle of Medina affected the destinies of Spain, Mexico, the United States, England, and France. -
Jean Lafitte
The Mexican Manuel de Herrera had commissioned a Frenchman named Loius d'Aury to occupy the island of Galveston. After returning from a raid in the Gulf, he was shocked to find Lafitte had sailed in and taken over on May 14, 1817. Lafitte was a an agent for Spain. He was given money to start a rival base against d'Aury but turned against Spain and supported Mexico. He ran d'Aury out of Galveston. Texas was claimed by both Mexico and Spain, however Lafitte's ships flew under the flag of Mexico. -
Dr. James Long
James Long was the leader of the Long expidition. The Long expedition was an attempt by Anglo-Americans to conquer Texas which was under Spanish rule. After the expedition, Long was captured, was put on trial and on April 8, 1822 was killend by a guard. Some evidence shows that the guard may have been hired by José Félix Trespalacios. -
Constitution of 1824
Constitutional government in Texas began with the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824. In some ways it was patterned after the United States Constitution but more like the Spanish Constitution of 1812. Congress was made the final interpreter of the document. Stephen F. Austin worked with the Mexican leaders who framed the Constitution of 1824, and Juan José María Erasmo Seguín represented Texas in the constituent assembly. However not all Texans were represented and it was never ratified. -
Merger of Coahuila y Texas
The National Colonization Law of August 18, 1824, determined how Texas would be peopled. Government officials in Coahuila would define the course of immigration by determining whether those receiving contracts would be Anglos, Europeans, or Mexicans. On March 24, 1825, the Federalist constituent legislature passed the State Colonization Law which attempted to bring about the peopling of Coahuila and Texas, encourage the tilling of the soil and the growth of ranches, and facilitate commerce. -
State Colonization Law
On August 18, 1824, Mexico adopted a federal system similar to that of the United States, and the federal Congress passed the national colonization law. This law and the state law of Coahuila and Texas of March 25, 1825, became the basis of all colonization contracts affecting Texas. Under certain guidelines, the law gave to the states authority to set up regulations to dispose of unappropriated lands within their limits for colonization. -
Constitution of Coahuila and Texas
The Constitution of 1824 of the Republic of Mexico provided that each state in the republic create its own constitution. The state of Coahuila and the Spanish province of Texas were combined as the state of Coahuila and Texas. More than two years were spent on the constitution, which was published on March 11, 1827. Citizens were guaranteed liberty, security, property and equality.
