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Stephen Austin establishes a colony in Texas
It provided that the colonists should be Roman catholics, or agree to become so before they entered the Spanish territory -
Mexico places restrictions on American immigration
Mexico adopted a new constitution which defined the country as a federal republic with nineteen states and four territories. -
Stephen Austin meets with Mexican President Santa Anna
He set out shortly after the adjournment of the convention, and reached the capitol in time to see it the scene of confusion and intrigue. -
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Battle of the Alamo
The entire siege lasted 13 days. The siege and final battle of the Alamo in 1836 constitute the most celebrated military engagement in Texas history. -
Treaty of Velasco grants Texas Independence
Texas officials had Santa Anna sign two treaties, one public and one secret. The public treaty ended hostilities and restored private property. -
Battle of San Jacinto
Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen minutes. About 630 of the Mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured, while only nine Texans died, -
U.S. annexes Texas
Admitted it to the Union as the 28th state. The U.S. thus inherited Texas's border dispute with Mexico -
General Taylor marches troops across Rio Grande
Mexico laid claim to the Nueces River—about 150 mi (240 km) north of the Rio Grande—as its border with Texas. -
Slidell's Rejection
Polk asked Congress to declare war on Mexico of the basis of unpaid claims and Slidell's rejection of the purchasing of California. -
U.S. declares war on Mexico
On May 13, 1846, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly votes in favor of President James K. Polk's request to declare war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas. -
Gold discovered at Sutter's Mill, California
Marshall found several flakes of gold that began the transformation of California from a sleepy outpost to a bustling center of activity. Sutter and Marshall tried to keep the discovery secret, but eventually the word got out. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends war with Mexico
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an official end to the Mexican-American War. -
Zachary Taylor elected president
Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass. Taylor was the last President to hold slaves while in office, and the second and also last Whig to win a presidential election. -
California applies for statehood
It was formally admitted to the Union as a free state. California's application for admission thus signaled a change in the balance of pro and anti-slavery states. -
Gadsden Purchase
Region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that was purchased by the United States in a treaty signed by James Gadsden, the American ambassador to Mexico at the time