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Stephen F. Austin received a grant from the Mexican government to lead roughly 300 families to the Brazos River to begin colonization in the region. -
Texans drove back troops of the Mexican cavalry at the Battle of Gonzales. The revolution began. -
The Texas Declaration of Independence was signed by members of the Convention of 1836. An ad interim government was formed for the newly created Republic of Texas. -
Texans under Col. William B. Travis were overwhelmed by the Mexican army after a two-week siege at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio. The Runaway Scrape began. -
In what may be the most important event in Texas history, Texans under Sam Houston routed the Mexican forces of Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto. Thus, independence was won in one of the most decisive battles in history. -
In a plan to settle boundary disputes and pay her public debt, Texas relinquished about one-third of her territory in the Compromise of 1850, in exchange for $10,000,000 from the United States. -
Texas seceded from the Federal Union following a 171 to 6 vote by the Secession Convention. Governor Sam Houston was one of a small minority opposed to secession. -
After several weeks of Federal occupation of Texas’ most important seaport, the Battle of Galveston restored the island to Texas control for the remainder of the Civil War. -
The dedication of the present state capital in Austin ended seven years of planning and construction. The building was funded with 3,000,000 acres of land in north Texas. -
The discovery of “black gold” at the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont launched Texas into a century of oil exploration, electronics, and manned space travel.