E and H periods your entry is due Friday Nov. 15th
F period your entry is due Saturday Nov. 16th.
1. Compare the attitude of James Polk to that of Abraham Lincoln in regards to war with Mexico in 1846? Which of these American leaders reflected the feelings of most United States citizens at the time?
2. Why do Americans "Remember the Alamo" and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas war for
independence??
In 1845, President Polk annexed Texas. However, Mexico considered the annexation as an act of war by the U.S., and it warned U.S to back off from Texas. Also, U.S and Mexico had dissents over the boundary of Texas. U.S offered $30 million for New Mexico and California, and promised to assume all claims of its citizens against Mexico if Mexico accepted the Rio Grande as the border of Texas. Infuriated by America’s aggressive acts, Mexico refused the demand and cut off diplomatic relationship with U.S..
ReplyDeletePresident Polk soon sent General Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande. Unsurprisingly, Mexicans attacked Taylor’s troop. Immediately, President Polk announced a declaration of war against Mexico. Not all people agreed with Polk’s action. Abraham Lincoln stated that if the boundary was under dispute, America should negotiate with Mexico instead of declaring war against it. He deemed the ruthless expansion and War against Mexico as disordered forms of patriotism.
However, under the zealot of patriotism and expansionism, little people considered Lincoln’s rational remarks about ethics. Most people agreed with President Polk on having the war.
The first reason for the cult of expansion was the belief of “manifest destiny” raised by journalist John O’Sullivan. This idea gave credit to the virtue of the democratic society of America. Therefore, the “manifest destiny” said that it was destiny under God to spread American institution of democracy around the world. The vision of a continental “Enpire for Liberty” justified expansionists’ acts of aggression and turned many people’s supports to declaring the War with Mexico.
Of course, slave-holding states strongly supported the war because it would bring them even more alliances. Since Texas was a huge territory, several states could be cut from it. Settlers in Texas were mostly slave-owners, so these new states would be for slavery. The creation of several slavery states could drastically increase Southern power in the Congress.
At first, Northerners were against the war. Yet President Polk promised to annex the vast Oregon Territory as free territory. The promise satisfied many Northerners, thus they agreed with the war too.
Therefore, Polk represented the voice of most people at that time.
Delete the "cut off diplomatic relationship with U.S." ...(chronological error)
ReplyDeleteThe Battle of the Alamo was a crucial moment in the Texas Revolution. People were beginning to migrate and settle in Texas. American’s went to Texas in order to find cheap land and complete Manifest Destiny. They felt it was there God given duty to expand from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1836, during the war for Texas independence, around 200 Texans fought against 1,300 Mexican soldiers. General Santa Anna of Mexico announced a siege of the fortress called the Alamo. General Travis of Texas gave his soldiers the option of staying to fight or surrendering. They elected to fight, and for thirteen days they held off the Mexican soldiers, until all Texan’s who defended the Alamo were killed.
ReplyDeleteAbout twenty days after the Battle of the Alamo, the Goliad Massacre occurs. The people of Goliad knew that Santa Anna was on route with overwhelming numbers. They decide to retreat; however, the Mexican soldiers were much faster and knew escape was useless. The Texans decide to surrender to Santa Anna and are killed as a result.
Americans “Remember the Alamo” in todays world because of how we define courage and heroics. At the Battle of the Alamo their decision to fight is said to be brave. Against all odds they still believed they could defeat the Mexicans. Although they did not achieve the desired result, they did not back down. The actions of the people at Goliad could be viewed as cowardice or intelligent. They knew their death was imminent and felt that surrendering would be the best chance for survival. Again, although they were killed in the end, they may have had a better chance of survival then if they fought back. These “heroic” actions are why people “Remember the Alamo” and not the Goliad Massacre.
Henry Manley
In 1836, two major altercations between Texas and Mexico were the Battle of the Alamo on March 6th and the Goliad Massacre on March 27th. Texas had just declared independence on March 2nd. Though both of the confrontations were Mexican victories they are remembered very differently and occurred differently as well. The Battle of the Alamo is remembered and very famous because it was a bunch of Americans who called themselves residents of Texas fighting for a newly established nation. The Texans were trapped in the Alamo for several days. Colonel William Travis commanded the Texas forces, his first move was to get women, children and the elderly to safety, then he offered everyone the opportunity to leave and not fight. However, nobody left, they stood tall and fought for what they believed. The battle is remembered as patriotic because of how the Americans lost their lives for a cause; they went out honorably and courageously. The Goliad Massacre, however, was a completely different fight. The Mexicans pushed Texans back until the reached the city of Goliad. The Texans thought that if they surrendered they would be spared, but that was not the case. Every single person was executed. An example of the cruelty was the death of Colonel Fannin who was the last to die. He simply asked for his belongings to be sent to his family, to be shot in the heart rather than the face and to have a Christian burial. Instead of giving him his final requests, the Mexicans took everything he had, shot him in the face and burned his corpse along with everyone else. Years later, it is easy to see why the Battle of the Alamo is remembered because it is considered an act of courage and patriotism. The Goliad Massacre was just a sad loss of people who gave up to save their own lives. They did not die a dishonorable death, but they did not die a death to be proud of, whereas the lost people at the Alamo were leaders who inspired many people to try to help Texas fight against Mexico.
ReplyDeleteCredit: Mr. Gulotta’s slides for information. Wikipedia for the story about Colonel Fannin.
Andre Bogdanovics
From 1820 to 1836, the territory that is modern day Texas was owned by Mexico. In 1835, Stephen Austin, with permission from Mexico, had successfully brought 30,000 Americans to the Texas territory. The dictator of Mexico, Antonio de Santa Anna, did not like the Americans in Texas because they did not believe in Catholicism and they brought slaves, which were outlawed in Mexico. In order to gain control over the Americans, Santa Anna wanted to disarm them; the settlers would not stand for this and proceeded to declare Texas as independent. This resulted in two altercations between Mexico and Texas, The Alamo and Goliad. Chances are that you have at least heard the phrase “Remember the Alamo,” but nothing of Goliad. Even though both events were loses on the Texans part The Alamo is remembered by people today. The reason was what occurred at The Alamo in comparison to Goliad. At the Alamo William Travis, a Lieutenant stayed with a small force of militia and defended the fort in which the settlement resided in against Santa Anna and his army. His small force was only able to take down a small amount of the Mexican army, but it was the first shots of the battle for independence. This battle though lost was courageous and spread a feeling of patriotism throughout the Texans. Goliad was not valiant at all, if it were to be remembered, it would be out of sadness. Goliad was another fort that Santa Anna attacked. Before the attack the men surrendered and were told that they would be taken as prisoners of war; the men of the fort were marched out and executed, 350 men, after a peaceful surrender, were killed there on the spot. It is a shamed that the execution of 350 men is still not remembered, but the reason for this is because valiant battles are remembered for more extensive periods of time than relatively small-scale executions.
ReplyDeleteCredit: Mr. Gulotta's slides, Andre Bogdanovics
Hayden Graham
James Polk would gain his presidency after President Tyler dies. He would take immediate action in securing the “manifest destiny.” Like the majority of the United States population, Polk would stop at nothing to expand the empire to its finest boarders. After Texas had very unofficially declared its independence from Mexico, they would ask that the United States annex them. Before President Polk the decision to make Texas part of the states was controversial, however, with Polk now in charge Texas would get immediate recognition. Polk would make Texas part of the union. Mexico, infuriated and disgusted at the sight of this, would tell Polk that all communication will be cut off from the United States. Ignoring Mexico’s demands, Polk would send John Slidell to offer Mexico 30 million dollars for all the land from Texas to the Pacific Ocean. Mexico would not comply with the offer set forth by Polk. President Polk and the majority of the citizens of the United States would see this land as theirs. They would want war against Mexico; the manifest destiny said it was their land, it had always been their land to gain.
ReplyDeleteUnlike Polk Abraham Lincoln saw war as a terrible decision. Polk wanted war and Lincoln wanted piece. The war would decrease friendships with the Middle East, thought Lincoln. The United States should be more focused on trade and national democracy more than expansion of their empire, for they already had vast chunks of land lacking colonization. The main difference between Polk and Lincoln was that Polk would make decisions for the near future, and Lincoln would make decisions that would affect the long term stance of the United States.
By Daniel Ives
Prompt 1: James Polk and Abraham Lincoln had radically different opinions with regards to the war with Mexico in 1846. Before the election, Polk campaigned on an expansionist platform, demanding that a stretch of Oregon that reached all the way up to the borders of Alaska. He was a sole believer of Manifest Destiny- the belief that Americans were destined by God to conquer the continent to the Pacific Ocean. The annexation of Texas brought on war with Mexico, leading Polk to decide not to wage war with Great Britain. Two countries agreed that the Oregon boundary with Britain would be set at 49 degrees north, far south from the initial demands. Many western expansionists were outraged and thought that Polk broke his campaign promise.
ReplyDeleteNegotiations might have been possible if Polk had tried a different approach. Mexico considered the annexation of Texas an act of war on the United States. Polk sent an agent to Mexico to offer as much as $30 million dollars for New Mexico and United States. Mexico was on the brink of a revolution, and responded by refusing to meet Polk’s agent. Polk needed an excuse to declare war. The general commanding Mexican troops on the Rio Grande ambushed a detachment of Americans and killed or captured them. Taking aggressive measures, Polk sent General Zachary Taylor with his 2000 troops to the Rio Grande. Polk had already drafted a message to congress for declaration of war against Mexico. Receiving message upon the first attack of Taylor’s troops, Polk wrote a second draft stating that despite their efforts to bring peace, war had already begun by the “act of Mexico”. In 1848, Mexico signed the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with Mexico dropping all its claims to Texas and agreed that Texas began to US.
Abraham Lincoln was a new Whig congressman from Illinois during the U.S Mexican war. He became a vocal critic of President Polk and his war policy. As President Polk ordered General Taylor to Rio Grande, Lincoln opposed the resulting war because he thought that Polk was just trying to get votes. Lincoln thought that the disputed territory between the Nueces River and Rio Grande did not extend to Rio Grande. In Lincoln’s Spot Resolutions of 1847, Lincoln called on Polk for proof of the president’s claim that the war began when Mexicans shed American blood on American soil. He also voted a resolution declaring the war unnecessary and unconstitutional. However, Lincoln voted to support the American army and did not support legislation that would have prohibited acquiring territory from Mexico as part of the peace settlement.
Most citizens connected to James Polk’s idea of manifest destiny; after all, it was the platform he won on (beating Henry Clay) during the election of 1844. Many Southerners supported the Mexican-American war because they desired more land for cotton production. Northerners believed that the expansion would relieve the population pressures that were crowded around urban areas in the Northeast. However, some Americans were opposed to manifest destiny because they felt that the nation would be too large to govern. Abolitionist feared that the new territory would expand slavery.
William Pang
While Texas hoped to become an independent nation, the Mexican government tried to stop their movements in order to claim back the land that was once theirs. Santa Anna, Mexico’s president and army leader, looked to make American colonists in Texas obey Mexican law. Since Texans refused to comply with Mexican demands and proclaimed independence, Santa Anna ordered attacks on two major garrisons in the Texan territory. The first Mexican attack led by Santa Anna was an assault on the Alamo mission, near San Antonio, were Santa Anna confronted troops under Lt. Col. William Travis; the second Mexican attack was in Presidio la Bahia, Goliad, where Santa Anna’s troops slaughtered the people under William B. Travis’ command. Although both the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of Goliad were battles that occurred while Texas looked for independence, the Battle of Alamo is much more appreciated than the Battle of Goliad.
ReplyDeleteDuring the Battle of Alamo, the Texan forces held about 200 people, while Santa Anna’s troops included about 6000 fighters. Even though the Colonists had a clear disadvantage, their order was to defend their base as much as they could withstand, and so they did. When the battle culminated there were no Texans standing, with about 250 casualties, whereas the Mexicans had lost about 600 of their soldiers. The Texans in the Battle of Alamo fought regardless their disadvantage displaying their outstanding patriotism towards their new country.
Unlike the Battle of Alamo, the Battle of Goliad was more of a massacre than a fight. When Santa Anna approached the people of Goliad, they surrendered immediately. Even though Santa Anna’s 6000 troops outnumbered Goliad’s 350, the people of Goliad, preferred to become prisoners of war, than to fight honorably for their country. Even though surrendering to the Mexican army could be considered a rational action, it displayed no sort of patriotism towards Texas. To make matters worse, after surrendering to the Mexican forces, all the individuals from Goliad were executed. Thus not only did the people from Goliad display an appearance of weakness, they died having done nothing to protect their nation.
Since the Texans that fought in the Battle of Alamo displayed courage and gave their lives for the independence of their country, people remember the Battle of Alamo when it comes to the independence of Texas, while the Battle of Goliad is usually forgotten.
-Milton M.
Sources:
Andre B.
The recently annexed country of Texas by the United States, were still in disputes and arguments with its southern neighbor, Mexico. As usual for a fairly new country that was becoming very powerful, the U.S. wanted more land. They wanted land all the way down to the Rio Grande River that borders Mexico. The U.S. also wanted California, so they offered for all the land from Texas to the Pacific, 30 million dollars. Mexico did not accept this offer and was angered by the way the U.S. was coming in to take over parts of their land.
ReplyDeleteAt the time President Polk had just won an election on the promise of creating a state out of Texas and Oregon territories. Soon enough he was in the white house conducting his first act to reason with the angered Mexicans, he first was to send John Slidell and when that didn’t work he waited even though he wanted war. When Polk sends Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande River, which they believed was the border while Mexico thought it was Nueces River, it began arguments and startled the Mexicans. Polk wants to begin fighting and claim the borders he wants and all the land with it. Polk believed the only way to get past the Mexicans were to fight until they get the Mexicans to surrender.
On the other hand, a man named Abraham Lincoln was convinced there was a way to go about this dispute without starting a war with one of the U.S.’s neighbors. Lincoln did not think war was going to be the answer because then the U.S. would lose a potentially reliable neighbor that could help them in the future. Lincoln said that if a boundary was not agreed upon then war should not be the answer. Lincoln thought that declaring war over something that could have been negotiated without a battle was wrong.
The people of the United States had thoughts and opinions on this matter too, the greater part of the population sided with Polk. The people wanted the war because it first of all boosted its country pride and they wanted to expand their powerful country as far as possible, to discover new lands and settle new towns all the way to the Pacific.
Credit: Mr. Gulotta’s notes and Christine Qi
Dan Driscoll
In 1836, two major battles were fought between Mexico and Texas in the Texan Revolution, the battle of Goliad, and the battle of the Alamo. These two battles were strikingly similar; in both of them an army of a few hundred Texans fought a much larger Mexican army of a few thousand. However, the battle of the Alamo is an extremely famous battle, while the battle of Goliad is forgotten. The reason for this disparity between these two battles is most likely due to the outcome of each. In the battle of the Alamo, Mexican General Santa Anna brought an army of 5000 troops to attack the Alamo in San Antonio Texas. On the other side, William B Travis decided to stand up to this army with his own militia force of 187 Texan soldiers. The Texans knew that they were severely outnumbered by the Mexican army, and still chose to fight back. Despite this great disadvantage going into the battle, Travis’ forces were able to kill between four to six hundred of the Mexican soldiers before they were all eliminated. The reason that this battle is so famous is because of the bravery that the Texan soldiers showed going into this battle. On the other hand, the battle of Goliad had a completely different outcome. Again General Santa Anna took a large army to attack Texan forces, this time at the Goliad, Texas. However the settlers at the Goliad took a different approach. When they learned the news that General Santa Anna was coming for them with a force of thousands of soldiers, they decided to surrender. However, Santa Anna wanted to make an example of these Texans after having lost hundreds of men to the rebels at the Alamo just a few weeks before. Instead of deciding to take these men prisoner, Santa Anna had all three hundred and fifty of them executed. This enraged the Texans, and helped them to fight harder in the war, but soon after it was forgotten while the legend of the Alamo lived on. This is due to the different types of behavior that was exhibited by the Texans in each battle. The brave actions of the soldiers that fought in the Alamo, was a better story than what was perceived as cowardly actions of those that surrendered in the Battle of the Goliad. Therefore, after the war, the inspiring underdog story of the Alamo outlived the pusillanimous actions of the Battle of the Goliad despite their strong similarities.
ReplyDeleteBy,
Chris Bower
Sources:
Mr. Gulotta's Class Notes
As Americans were expanding their territory Moses Austin was given a charter to start an American colony in Texas. His son Stephen Austin was granted permission by Mexico to bring around 300 American into Texas. To the Mexicans surprise more than thirty thousand Americans had settled in Texas by 1835. As American believed in freedom and self-rule they did not obey many of the Mexican laws. The by then president/ dictator of Mexico Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna viewed the growing population American’s and their disobedience of Mexican laws as Americans as a threat. Santa Anna believed that the Americans were holding weapons in the Alamo mission so he decided to attack the Americans. Santa Anna with around 6000 man attacked the Alamo mission and fought against the Americans which were under the command of lieutenant colonel William Travis. The Americans were trapped inside the mission and all them were killed in this battle. Americans view this battle as an act of bravery and patriotism and for this reason they find the Alamo worth remembering and celebrating.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand The Goliad Massacre was fought in the town of Goliad on March 27, 1836.the Americans who were under the command of James Fannin were attacked by Santa Anna and his troops. The Americans surrendered hoping to save their lives but in the end they were all executed by Colonel José Nicolás de la Portilder the command of the Mexican dictator Santa Anna. Although more people were killed the Goliad massacre that the Battle of Alamo American remember rather than the Goliad A because it exemplifies the spirit of patriotism and brevity unlike the Goliad which represent cowardice because the Americans surrendered.
Another Kushaina
Credit: Mr. Gulotta's slides
During the 1930s Americans were heading west in great numbers to find new opportunity and new land. Manifest destiny was in full effect at this point in history, Americans believed that it was their destiny to expand the United States from the Atlantic to the Pacific. There were many challenges for these settlers in the west. Weather it was Native Americans, harsh terrain or in Texas, Mexican government. By 1935 Texas was home to 30,000 Americans. Stephan Austin led the way in the Americans occupying Texas as he was granted permission from Mexico. These Americans began to break Mexican law. Slaves were brought to Texas and the religion being practiced in Texas was not accepted by Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Santa Anna became angered by the disregard Texans had for Mexican law. He wanted to force the Texans to comply with Mexican law. He decided to disarm Texas and attack the Alamo. The Alamo was the main arsenal for Texas. He sent 6,000 troops to fight the brave 250 Texans that protected the Alamo. Lt. Col. William Travis led these 250 Texans. Travis could have retreated or not fight at all, being completely outnumbered. He decided to be a hero and stay and defend the Alamo with his 250 soldiers. These 250 soldiers knew a massive attack was going to bare down on them but they were courageous and fought till the end. The Texans managed to hold off Santa Anna’s troops for a short time and killed about 600 Mexicans. All of the Texans were killed. This fight deserves to be remembered due to the bravery and courage of the American troops.
ReplyDeleteThe Goliad Massacre was another killing of Texans by Mexico in 1836. The massacre was of 350 prisoners of war. The prisoners of war were from the short Battle of Coleto. The Texan prisoners were brought back to the their fort in Goliad which would now be used as their prison. Dictator Santa Anna ordered General Jose Urrea to surround the fort and kill all 350 American prisoners. This was a gruesome killing that is not nearly as famous as the Alamo stand. This massacre is not remembered because there was no bravery or heroism displayed by the 350 Texans. They could not do anything about the killing, they did not fight back they rolled over and died. It feels awful saying this but the courage shown by the 250 Americans outshines the 350 POW’s immensely. Also the 350 at Goliad would not be prisoners if they had not surrendered at the Battle of Coleto.
Sources: Mr. Gulotta’s slides, Wikipedia
Spencer Cookson
Even though Mexico had broken its diplomatic relations with the United States in 1845, President Polk sent John Slidell there to offer the Mexicans $30 millions for all the lands from Texas to the Pacific, ignoring Mexico’s reactions. The Mexican government refused to meet with American agents. In response to this, President Polk decided to take on hostile actions. He sent Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande, the disputed territory between the US and Mexico. Then sixteen American soldiers were killed. Polk seemed to want a war right from the start of the tension with Mexico. Despite having drafted a message to ask Congress for permission to declare war on Mexico, he changed his address after hearing about the attack on Taylor’s troops to draw on patriotic feelings from Americans, saying that American blood was shed on American land. Moreover, he claimed that the US had tried to sustain peace but Mexico insisted on starting a war despite the fact that he himself declared war first by sending his American troops to Mexican territory. President Polk ignored objections towards the war, stating that war had already existed and the US needed to fight for the sake of the sacred Manifest Destiny.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the President’s actions, Northerners were afraid that the success of the war would lead to even more slave states. Nevertheless, after the fighting had commenced, the fear of additional slave states was outweighed by the strong and passionate patriotism. As a result, in the end, people from the North agreed to join the fight. On the other side of the country, the Southerners, of course, wanted to expand the borders and their trading business. In this manner, national pride and the desire to fulfill the Manifest Destiny, combined with President Polk’s aggressiveness, led the war between the US and Mexico in 1846.
On the contrary to Polk’s eagerness to fight, Lincoln strongly protested against the war. He came up with the Spot Resolutions, essentially demanding proof for President Polk’s assertion that the initial battle had occurred on American land. Lincoln stated that the war would be unnecessary, unconstitutional and immoral. Considering the cause and the cost of the war, Lincoln was right. However, he was critically opposed by not only most of the Congressmen but also a majority of Americans. He was denounced as the “miserable man of spots” and “the Benedict Arnold of the district”. He wasn’t in the favor of the people at all. In fact, he lost his next election and had to return to law practice before becoming the President of the United States. Lincoln did everything he could to avoid an unethical war; yet Americans were blindfolded by the Manifest Destiny, ending up killing thousands of Mexicans and, in a way, imposing imperialism upon Mexican territory.
- Son Nguyen -
On March 6th, 1836, William Travis, a 26-year old American Lawyer and Lieutenant Colonel, led the Texas forces at the Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. The tiny village fought bravely in an extremely outnumbered battle: less than 300 untrained civilians defended themselves from an army of 6,000 Mexican troops, and all for a country less than two weeks old! The aftermath of the combat resulted in death for every Alamo civilian whom took up arms. However, even though Santa Anna’s army defeated the Texans, the Alamo’s people weren’t forgotten. Supporters cried, “Remember the Alamo!” at rallies. The men received well-deserved respect and honor for their sacrifice. Still, in a similar event, the victims of the Goliad massacre were forgotten. On March 27, 1836 (not even a month after the Battle of the Alamo), about 390 Texans surrendered themselves and were taken custody of by Mexico. Although the soldiers were promised to be spared, Mexico tried the Texans as pirates and about 350 of the prisoners were executed.
ReplyDeleteThe Battle of the Alamo was and still is well known; yet the Goliad Massacre, although resulting in the same number of deaths, was quickly forgotten. This is because the Goliad Massacre did not represent a sacrifice as great as the Battle of the Alamo had. The soldiers involved in the Goliad Massacre exchanged their chance of fighting for a chance to preserve their life, while at the Alamo, a few hundred civilians fought against impossible odds. Legend holds that, with a great chance of defeat and death, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over it. All but one did. To go to battle knowing that death would be inevitable requires a great deal of bravery. The Alamo’s Texans didn’t decide to save themselves; they fought courageously. To the Texan’s, the Battle of the Alamo represented the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. The Goliad Massacre, on the other hand, did not represent anything extraordinary.
--Sarah Kinney
Citation:
• Slideshows
• "WFG." : Expanding Southwest. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. .
• "Texas Revolution: Goliad Massacre." About.com Military History. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. .
Between the years of 1820 and 1836, the United States was trying to expand their territory and create a new colony where current day Texas is. A man names Moses Austin was granted a charter in which allowed him bring Americans into this new land. Still owned by Mexico however, Moses Austin’s son, Stephen Austin was granted permission to be able to bring around three hundred Americans into the land. However, by 1835 there were far more then three hundred Americans in this area. Because this land was still owned by Mexico at the time, the Mexicans had laws and rules they expected the Americans to obey; however, this was not the case. The Mexican “President”, Mr. Santa Anna, believed that the Americans were hiding weapons in Fort Alamo. In reactions to this, Santa Anna sent around six thousand men to attack the fort. The Lieutenant Colonel William Travis, the commander of the Army at Fort Alamo, knew a lot out numbered him, but this did not stop him. The reason, in which the Battle of the Alamo is remember so well, is because it was a significant display of bravery and voluntary sacrifice for our country. William Travis said, “Victory or Death!” and all the men in the Alamo would fight to the death before the would surrender; this is different from the Goliad however. In the town of Goliad, Santa Anna attacked Commander James Fanning and his troops on March 27, 1836. Instead of fighting like the soldiers at the Battle of Alamo, the troops surrendered, and Santa Anna promised them they would be taken prisoners of war; however, this was not the case. Even though the men tried to save their lives by becoming prisoners of war instead of fighting, they were all massacred in command of Santa Anna. These two battles are very different; The Battle of the Alamo symbolizes great pride and sacrifice for our country and the Battle of Goliad represents cowardice, selfishness, and the act of quitting. That is why The Battle of Alamo is remember by many people, unlike the Goliad.
ReplyDelete- Haleigh Sullivan
Citation: Andre Bogdanovics, Another Kusiana, Hayden Graham, Mr.Gulotta's Slideshows
In 1845, President James Polk’s belief in the manifest destiny initiated a war with Mexico. The manifest destiny was a doctrine or belief, through God, that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was inevitable; thus, Polk’s campaign was based of expansion, particularity in lands towards the Pacific Ocean. This desire for expansion led to Polk annexing Texas. Threatened by this, Mexico considered the annexation of Texas as an act of war. President Polk sent an agent, John Slidell, to offer a proposal of$30 millions to Mexico for the lands from Texas to the Pacific; however, Mexico refused to meet Polk’s agent.
ReplyDeleteSeemingly an advocate for war, Polk sent General Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande, which at the time was the disputed territory amongst US and Mexico. When the Mexicans killed the General’s troops, Polk saw no reason as to why the United States should not fight; thus, Polk changed his earlier message to congress of declaring war on Mexico. Instead, to create more war advocates, he created a sense of nationalism by stating that the United States always wanted peace with Mexico; however, Mexico started the war by killing American troops. This was contrary to the truth because it was Polk’s bold, assertive decision to send troops to Mexican territories, or the Rio Grande, that sparked the war.
This sense of nationalism however did not influence all citizens. Unlike Polk, Abraham Lincoln thought the war was a terrible idea and merely unconstitutional. Protesting against Polk, during Lincoln’s Spot Resolutions of 1847, he asked Polk for proof on his claim that the war was started on American lands. Lincoln believed there was no just cause to the war, and that it world be too costly for the United States. Additionally, there were other lands that had yet to be colonized; thus, the United States had no business trying to colonize in land that was not theirs.
Nationalism won over the citizens; thus, creating a strong support for Polk. They believed in his manifest destiny, and believed the war was impartial. Southerners saw this as an opportunity to expand slavery and cotton production. Northerner’s were swayed by patriotism and believed that this would disperse the clustered population in the urban areas of the North; thus, Polk was able to receive support on a national level.
Molly Crabtree
Citations: Son Nguyen, Mr.Gulotta's Slideshows
How can can one death be more important or celebrated than another? In 1836, William Travis, led the Texas forces in the the Alamo in San Antonio. This was a key area of defense for Texas due to the large weapons storage at the Alamo and Travis needed to buy time for the rest of the Texan forces to form. Roughly 250 untrained Texans went up against an army of 6,000 Mexican forces. Too me this extremely brave and honorable. They Texans knew they were not going to win yet stood and died for what they believed. Every single Texan troop died during the battle. The Texan forces now how some thing to remember, they would yell, “Remember the Alamo!” The men are remembered still today. The victims of the Goliad massacre are not remembered nearly as well. In March of 1836, almost 400 Texan troops surrendered to Mexican forces, not wanting to be slaughtered like the men at the Alamo. The men were willing to be prisoners of war. Instead the Mexican forces took them out of the Goliad, lined them up and shot them all.
ReplyDeleteThere are a few reasons for people barely remembering the Goliad Massacre and remembering the Alamo. At the Alamo the men gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives and there is nothing more honorable than dying for your country. Each man there stayed so they could preserve the young Republic of Texas. Movies, songs and books are made to commemorate their sacrifice. The sacrifice at the Goliad is almost entirely forgotten. I believe there are a few reasons for this. There are probably thousands of war movies on heroism and bravery and most of them are about knowing you are going to die and still going to battle. Most movies are not about surrendering to the other side. However I feel that is heroic in its own way. Knowing you are going to be a prisinor of war and still sacrificing potentially your life is quite heroic and brave. These men were going to let enemy soldiers be their superiors until they were betrayed and slaughtered. This crime is unacceptable and somehow made the men who died not as honorable as the death of the men at the Alamo.
-Luke Amero
Citations: Andre Bogdanovics, Sarah Kinney and Mr. Gulotta's Slideshows
Throughout the 1830s, America continued to expand their territory out West to augment their already growing prosperity. Despite Texas being a Spanish colony led under Stephen Austin’s ruling, Americans were granted permission to colonize themselves in this Lone Star Republic. Five years later, Texas had over 30,000 American immigrants. This angered the Mexican politician, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, not simply because of the high immigration rate, but because Americans begun disobeying Mexican laws. This was the leading cause for the Battle of the Alamo on March 6th, 1836, and later, the Goliad Massacre on March 27th, 1836. Both these historic events were gruesome battles for the Texan inhabitants, however; one event was far more recognized than the other. The Battle of the Alamo was given more acknowledgements for the immense heroism displayed by the Texan army.
ReplyDeleteSanta Anna’s army held a surprise besieging on Texas, which initiated the Battle of the Alamo. Despite the Texan army being rattled by the attack, they were determined to fight back against the Mexicans to defend the Alamo. Not only was the Alamo defended by the Texan army, but also by the many local citizens who volunteered, which totaled to over 200 defensemen. Although the Texans eventually lost due to a powerful attack by the Mexicans, the Battle of the Alamo showed the sacrifices the Texan citizens were willing to make for their freedom, displaying the selflessness and heroism among the Texan community.
Later that month on March 27th, 1836 the Goliad Massacre took place. After the Mexicans captured many Texans as prisoner, the Texan army was determined to fight back. However, this suppression attempt resulted in a horrifying massacre between the two oppressing sides. Nearly every Texan soldier was slaughtered and killed by the Mexican army. The Goliad Massacre was not a long battle, and therefore not fought as vigorously by the Texans.
Although there were many deaths in both conflicts, in the Battle of the Alamo, each one of the soldiers fought hard and died with dignity for both their people and for their freedom, as opposed to the Goliad Massacre, which had a much more negative outcome. As Texans think of their history gaining independence, they would remember the battles they fought long and hard, rather than the battles they were simply slaughtered. After the Battle of the Alamo, the Texans were very proud of their heroic acts. However, after the Goliad Massacre, Texans wanted to ignore this low point, but rather focus on the more positive events that had previously occurred.
Amy Rowland
Citations: Mr. Gulotta's Slideshows, US History Textbook
In 1844, James Polk wins presidency after defeating Henry Clay of Kentucky. James Polk ran an expansionist campaign to say the least. He ran on a promise of statehood for Texas and the Oregon Territories. As soon as he took office in 1845, Polk instantly chased the dream of the “Manifest Destiny”. Polk’s main goal was to secure Texas from Mexico. The United States as a whole was hungry for more land, so the people were all for the Manifest Destiny. The Americans were thrilled by the idea of their country expanding all the way to the Pacific. Mexico knew that the US had its eye on Texas. Therefore, Mexico severed all diplomatic relations with the US. President Polk ignored this notion by Mexico and sent an agent by the name of John Slidell to negotiate. John Slidell offered Mexico $30 million for all the land from Texas to the Pacific. Mexico did not like this, they denied it. Polk then tried to declare war with Mexico. Polk then sends General Zachary Taylor down to the Rio Grande where the US thought the border to Mexico was, when to Mexico the border was the Nueces River. Polk eventually provokes the war with Mexico by sending Taylor and the troops down there. Polk then was unable to secure Oregon all the way up to Alaska because of the inevitable war with Mexico. Hence, he settled for the border between Canada and the US as the 49th parallel, because he didn’t want to start a war with Great Britain also. The western expansionists became angry and felt that their President had broken his promise to expand Oregon to the fifty-four forty line.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Abraham Lincoln thought that war was a terrible idea. Lincoln feels that “The US cannot deliberately start a war. If the location of the battle is in dispute, we cannot declare war”. Lincoln was right. The US and Mexico couldn’t even agree on where the border was that divided the two nations, which was ridiculous. Unfortunately, on May 13, 1846, the US Congress declared war on Mexico, and Lincoln’s idea is squashed. With major crisis’ having happened in the US such as the Depression of 1837 nine years before, the US was better off not expanding and dealing with the problems at hand first. I agree with Dan Ives that Lincoln ultimately made decisions that would help in the future, while Polk made decisions for the near future. Though going to war with Mexico was very unnecessary, the citizens of the US still stuck with and liked the ideas of James Polk.
Justin Donawa
Credit: Dan Ives/ Textbook/ Powerpoints
In March of 1836 while Texas was fighting for its independence from México, the Texans suffered two massive defeats just three weeks apart, the Battle of the Alamo and the Goliad Massacre. The Battle of the Alamo has been remembered in American history for the bravery and courage of the men who defended the Alamo. Two hundred Texan troops under the command of Lt. Col. William Travis fought about 1,300 Mexican troops. Travis and the Mexican President Santa Anna met to negotiate with each other. In the negotiations Travis refused to surrender, but Santa Anna allows any women, children and elderly people to leave the Alamo before the fighting starts. The courageous men at the Alamo defended it for 13 days before it fell to Santa Anna. There were no survivors on the Texans side. On the contrary, the Goliad Massacre had a very similar start to it, around two hundred troops were given the order to defend a small building filled with weapons. When Santa Anna negotiated with the commanding officer, Col. James Fannin, Fannin agreed to surrender to Santa Anna and allow him and his troops to become prisoners of war. They surrender, but Santa Anna ignores the terms of the surrender and executes all of the men. In American history we “Remember the Alamo” but not Goliad because in our minds Goliad was a destructive, unfortunate incident that happened (and is now forgotten), but the Battle of the Alamo was courageous and raised the moral and increased patriotism in Texas.
ReplyDeleteCredit: Henry Manley, Andre Bogdanovics, Mr. Gulotta, http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Alamo-remembered-Goliad-often-forgotten-795199.php
Will MacClarence
James K. Polk became the 11th president of the United States in 1845. At this time, most of the population of the United States wanted to follow up their belief in “Manifest Destiny” with a plan of action. Manifest Destiny was a system of belief saying that the expansion of the U.S. throughout the American colonies was justifiable and inevitable. Polk wanted to expand the U.S. territory as far as possible.
ReplyDeleteIn 1836, Texas unofficially declared their independence from Mexico. Shortly after this declaration, Texas wanted to join the Union. Before Polk entered office, John Tyler was worried that if the U.S. annexed Texas, it would start a War between Mexico and the U.S. Once Polk became president, he immediately made Texas part of the Union. Mexico, aggravated by this fact, told Polk that all communication will be cut off between them and the U.S. Ignoring Mexico altogether, Polk sent John Slidell to offer Mexico a large sum of money for all the land from Texas to the Pacific Ocean. Once Mexico denied the United States, Polk would see to it that they would acquire the land one way or another, even if it meant war. Quickly thereafter, the United States declared war against Mexico; “Manifest Destiny” stated that it was the land of the United States and that it was theirs to control even if another country occupied it at that time.
There were some residents of the United States that had very different views than president Polk. One of these people was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln said that declaring war against Mexico was a terrible idea on Polk’s part. He deemed it unconstitutional. Lincoln knew that the U.S. had already been in a couple of wars and this war was one that could be completely avoided. Lincoln mainly wanted the United States to stay away from expansion of their land and focus more on important aspects of their country like trade and foreign democracy.
Polk wanted to expand the total land controlled by the United States, following the idea of “Manifest Destiny.” Lincoln however, was thinking about what would be best for the U.S. in the long run.
Patrick Frey
Why do Americans “Remember the Alamo” and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas War for independence?
ReplyDeleteIt is true that the battle of Alamo, which broke out in February 1836, is an event that is remembered and honored by Americans even now. American-born Lieutenant Colonel William Travis led his men into a battle that no one was going to survive. All soldiers who fought knew they would do it until they die, and none surrendered. This honorable and undeniably heroic action is still remembered and praised by the Americans nowadays and it is considered to be the most famous battle of the Texas War. About a month later, another battle happened – the one that is much less remembered and known. Texan commander James Fannin surrendered to Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his army was taken as prisoners of war. Without revealing it to the army of Texas, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna decided to kill all the men who surrendered, and on March 27th, 350 prisoners of war were executed. Goliad Massacre is a tragic yet infamous event in the American history that not a lot of people know about. The reason for this might lay in the psychology of the nation: in the Battle of Alamo, the army was ready to fight to death and never to surrender. They bravely accepted their fate and defended their country. In the battle of Goliad, however, the men decided to admit their defeat and be taken as prisoners of war, which might look as a cowardly action in the eyes of the society. What it forgets, however, is that the republic those soldiers fought for, the Republic of Texas, was only about a few weeks old, and it might have been difficult for those men to fight for a country that was so astonishingly young. It is also true that the men in the army of Alamo made their decision to die themselves, while the troops of Goliad didn’t. They were not told that they would be executed, and even tricked into believing that they would be released on the day when they were actually to die. All in all, while it is true that the brave troops of Alamo deserve great respect, it is very debatable whether we are to judge the soldiers of Goliad for their decision to live and go back home to see their families again.
Credit:
Mr. Gulotta's History class
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qeg02
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Alamo-remembered-Goliad-often-forgotten-795199.php
Anna Kravtsova
James Polk took office after the death of President Tyler and immediately takes action to secure Texas after there unoffical independence from Mexico. As most of the citizens in America at the time wanted boarder expansion, Polk accepts Texas's annex request and Texas receives a spot in the union. Mexico wasn't happy about this decision, therefore cutting all communications with the United States. Polk, who thought this was ridiculous, sends John Slidell to propose a 30 million dollar payment for all the land from Texas to the Pacific Ocean. Mexico would decline Polk's offer. Along with President Polk, the population of America was in favor of gaining this land; and if war was needed, they were all for it.
ReplyDeleteAbraham Lincoln had a very different view on the war with Mexico. Honest Abe thought that war with Mexico was the wrong decision. He felt that it would be wrong to declare war if the location of battle was in dispute. Additionally, Lincoln thought that the United States needed to place their efforts into colonizing other lands.
By: PJ Webb
Citations: Mr. Gulotta's slide show, Dan Ives
The Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of Goliad were both fought during the year of 1836 within a few weeks of each other. Both of these battles also were stationed in sections of Texas and both groups were fighting against General Santa Anna of Mexico. Despite these similarities, the two battles are remembered in very different ways. The Battle of the Alamo occurred on March 6 in San Antonio, Texas. Santa Anna’s army attacked the structure killing all the Texans present. William B Travis, commander of the Alamo, was told to “fight to death” and he took this order and made sure to fulfill his duties to his country and soldiers beside him. It is believed that Travis may have been not just fighting for the freedom of Texas but also thinking of his country at heart, knowing at some point the United States wished to control the region. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was key to the defense of Texas, and the soldiers were prepared to give their lives rather than surrender to Santa Anna. The Texan soldiers overlooked the ratio of their men to the Mexicans because they were brave and were willing to do anything for freedom. Even though out of the 187-250 fighting, every man died, people worldwide remember the Battle of the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds, but the men made their ultimate sacrifice for freedom within their homeland. Additionally, the battle provided a sense of honor to Texas for those that gave their lives and because of the brave soldiers who did not forfeit, it is remembered in American history over the battle of Goliad, which occurred only a few weeks later. On March 27, 1836 Santa Anna’s troops arrived in Goliad but instead of the Texans there preparing to fight against Mexico, the Goliad soldiers surrendered. These soldiers recognized the lack of support and men they had compared to Santa Anna’s army, so given their slim chance to win, they gave up without a fight. Sadly, the Mexicans still shot and killed 350 prisoners of war despite the surrender. This battle is not as well known in American History because of how tragic it is. Clearly people love to hear the story of those fighting heroically under any circumstances for their country, but to have men surrender and then be murdered is a sad story people wish to forget. Both the Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of Goliad are important to the independence of Texas and expansion in the United States but those soldiers who fought in the Alamo are given much more credit in the Texas war for independence.
ReplyDeleteReilly Kennedy
Credit:
http://www.thealamo.org/history/the-1836-battle/index.html
Powerpoints
March of 1836 marked a crucial time for Texans fighting for independence against the Mexicans. The Texans were overwhelmed and beaten soundly by the Mexicans at the Battle of Alamo and the massacre at Goliad. Americans “Remember the Alamo” yet choose to forget Goliad for several reasons. While these events were very similar, there were some key differences. It is these differences, which ultimately lead to the Alamo being remembered. The Battle of Alamo happened first in San Antonio. General Santa Anna led an army to quell the Texan rebellion. William B. Travis led the rebellion; Travis made the decision to fortify his men (who were greatly outnumbered) in an abandoned church, the Alamo. Negotiations took place between Santa Anna and Travis, yet Travis refused to budge and would not surrender to Santa Anna. Santa Anna graciously allows women, children and the elderly to come out to safety. Then the fighting began. For 13 days, Travis’ men held down the fort and defended it until their deaths, eventually falling to Santa Anna. The men of the Alamo were remembered and honored for their courage and bravery. They refused to back down to Santa Anna and would go down fighting. The Goliad has a similar beginning. Santa Anna again negotiated with the commanding officer, James Fannin. Fannin decides to surrender to Santa Anna, a costly decision. Santa Anna is no longer gracious and has his army execute all of Fannin’s men whom he dubbed prisoners of war. 350 people were executed on March 27, 1836 in what became known as the Goliad Massacre. The battle cry, “Remember the Alamo” represents the remembrance of the brave men who defended the Alamo until their death. Goliad isn’t as highly remembered because Fannin chose to surrender and his army was viewed as coward-like for their refusal to keep fighting for their cause.
ReplyDeleteAly Hall
Cite: The textbook, Mr. Gulotta’s powerpoint, Will MacClarence
James Polk ran for presidency on the promise of statehood for Texas and Oregon territories. Therefore, when he won the election in 1844 his first act was the annexation of Texas. This was one of the main causes for the Mexican war. Polk didn’t care if what he was doing was wrong, he cared about pleasing the people who voted for him. When Texas was accepted into the union, Mexico told all of their diplomats to return home. In response to this, Polk sent diplomat, John Slidell, to Mexico asking to buy the land from Texas to the pacific. Mexico said no and Polk wanted to declare War. After debate from congress they decided that a war with Mexico would be Imperialism. It was considered imperialism because there was no real reason to start the war other than the fact that the U.S wanted more land. The fact that Polk wanted to start a war because they wouldn’t sell the United States land is absurd. He was acting childish and had an irresponsible attitude.
ReplyDeleteShortly after Polk was denied by congress to declare war, a battle was fought between Mexico and the U.S. Polk asked congress again to declare war and this time they said yes, ignoring what Abraham Lincoln had to say. Lincoln said that we should have looked farther into the situation because it all could have been a misunderstanding. After all, the border lines were not officially drawn and both sides were confused about what land was theirs. Mexico thought the border was the Nueces River, while the U.S. claimed the border was the Rio Grande. If congress would have listened to Abe, the war would have never started in the first place. Lincoln took a reasonable approach to the situation, instead of acting on impulse. He didn’t have a negative attitude toward war, but he also didn’t want to start a war without reason. Unfortunately the majority of Americans at this time thought like Polk. They were proud and wanted to blame the battle on the Mexicans. They were also greedy and knew that the United States could gain more land by crushing the Mexicans in a war. Polk’s attitude towards the war with Mexico reflected a majority of the Americans in 1846. It is a shame that more people could think like Lincoln.
Mackenzie Lancaster
Cite: Gulotta's PowerPoint
In 1836, when Texas was fighting for their independence, numerous fights
ReplyDeleteoccurred. Although two of these fights were very similar, one is forgotten while the
other is remembered today in praising tones. In March of 1836, in San Antonio Texas,
the battle of the Alamo was fought. The Texans, led by William Travis who was a lawyer
and Lieutenant Colonel, were a much smaller force in numbers and arms than their
opposition, the Mexican army. Led by general Santa Anna, the Mexican Army was made
up of over 6,000 soldiers, which greatly outnumbered the 200 Texans in the Alamo.
Santa Anna had come to the Alamo to retrieve arms and munitions, which the Texans
had begun to stockpile. After refusing to give up the arms, the women and children left
the fortified missionary and the battle began. After a heroic fight to the death by the
Texans, the much more massive Spanish Army was victorious. Although the Mexicans
did win, they suffered a larger amount of casualties than the Texans, making this heroic
act of patriotism from the Texans unforgettable. Another situation that was very similar
to the Battle of the Alamo was the Battle of Goliad. Goliad was another location where
the Texans had begun to store arms and had fortified themselves. At Goliad, after the
Texans decided to surrender to the Mexican army, they were lined up against the wall of
the building and executed. This terrible act by Santa Anna was after he had agreed to let
these Texans go, but lied and killed them.
These two events, both of which had the same premise, turned out very
differently. While one is remembered and the other, forgotten. The Alamo was seen as
a glorious and heroic fight for independence. It showed how strongly Texans felt about
their country’s right to independence because they died for their country just after it
was created. The words “Remember the Alamo” are known by Americans throughout
the country as an example of how this country was formed as a result of heroism and
sacrifice. On the other hand, the battle of the Goliad is lost in the wind. In the canvas of
the fight for Texas’s independence, the Goliad was a tear that few wanted to remember.
In the incident, the Texans gave up, surrendered, and were killed. This incident was in
no way a moral boost to the strive for independence and was therefore thrown away. In
any revolution, incentive and events are needed to fuel the rebellion, and the Alamo
was this incentive. When people were fighting, they chanted, “Remember the Alamo” as
an example of how others have fought, risked their lives, and died for their country. The
Alamo is remembered unlike the Goliad because it showed how Texans fought for their
independence heroically and loyally.
John Leasure
Credit: Slideshow, Sarah Kinney, and Will MacClarence
In the year 1836, there were two battles over Texas. The Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of the Goliad were fought for Texas’s independence from Mexico. General William Travis sacrificed himself for Texas, which was admirable because the state was only a weak old and defeat was almost certain. There were around 187-250 troops stationed in the Alamo, while there were around 6,000 total Mexican troops. The Texan army was outnumbered completely, but that didn’t stop the 250 troops from fighting until death. This is why we Americans “Remember the Alamo.” We reflect on those fighting a battle that they knew was impossible to win.
ReplyDeleteIn the Battle of the Goliad, General James Walker Fannin surrendered his 350-man army to the Mexicans. Santa Anna ordered his men to take them as prisoners of war and eventually executed them all. There were many more men lost during this battle, making it a tragic defeat. This is why the Battle of Goliad is “Forgotten.” It is outshined by the Alamo because unlike General Travis, Fannin surrendered instead of fighting to the death. While this decision was less brave than Travis’s, the battle still resulted in heavy losses, and should be remembered despite Fannin’s choice.
Sources:
Mr. Gulotta
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Alamo-remembered-Goliad-often-forgotten-795199.php
Max Way
The Alamo is remembered for the bravery of William Travis and company as they admirably fought to there death. They up held their responsibility to Sam Houston by stalling the Santa Anna’s troops until the Texas army was ready to be assembled. The men of Goliad were equally brave in their surrendering and tragic deaths. Three facts made the Alamo more famous then Goliad: first the that Goliad happened after the Alamo, the heroic nature of fighting until your death, verse surrendering and then being shot by firing squad, Sam Houston’s battle cry, “Remember the Alamo”. Henry Manley said that we “remember the Alamo” because it defines courage and heroics. Although Henry provides a great example, doesn’t, “remember Goliad” define courage and heroic’s too? I think surrendering when you are surrounded is also heroic as well, because being a prisoner one can significantly slow down the enemy forces. I think being executed adds to the courage of the men in Goliad. The fact that the solders shouted, “Remember the Alamo” the added the historical significant of the Alamo, and is the main reason why it is more famous then Goliad. The reason why I think the solders shouted, “remember the Alamo” instead of “remember Goliad” was because it happened first. In conclusion we remembered the Alamo mainly because of the battle cries of Sam Houston’s men and it wasn’t that we forgot Goliad it was that it was over shadowed by the heroics and historical importance of the Alamo.
ReplyDeleteColin Fuss
site Henry Manley
QUESTION #1:
ReplyDeleteWhen James K. Polk was running for president he was not well-known in the United States. Polk was the Democratic candidate in the 1844 election and the country was looking for a solution to the slave policy and its balance. Polk offered a compromise which was based off of one thing, expansion. Polk believed that if he could annex Texas and make it allow slavery in it and annex the Oregon territory and make it free land then there would be something for both parts of the country. The North would have its free land in oregon and the south would be able to work with the new slave land in Texas. Voters were supportive of Polk's idea and were thrilled to have the country extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific. With this new compromise Polk was able to win the Election. During this movement, the idea of "Manifest Destiny" was created by John L. O'Sullivan and it swept the nation. People across the U.S. began to believe that it was the country's destiny to extend all the way to California and the Pacific ocean and gain as much land as possible.
Because of Polk's eagerness to expand he desperately wanted to annex Texas and start the expansion. In 1845, Polk went through with his actions and annexed Texas. Mexico took the annexation very seriously and viewed it as an act of war toward their young country. At this point Mexico still believed that Texas was still part of their country. On top of that there was a dispute on the border of Texas between the two nations. Aside from all of the americans living in Texas there were also many americans living and moving to California. "Manifest Destiny" was now in full swing and Polk sent an representative to Mexico to offer 30 million dollars for the lands of New Mexico and California and for Mexico to accept the Rio Grande River as the border of Texas, not the Nueces River. Mexico took great offense to these aggressive acts and proceeded to deny the offer, see it as an act of war, and cut off diplomatic ties with the U.S.
Polk was quick to respond and on April 25, 1846 sent Zachary Taylor and his troops to the Rio Grande River. The Mexican's waiting at the river ambushed Taylor and his men. The war was underway. Polk used this Mexican attack on the Taylor and his troops as an excuse to officially go to war with them, Polk made it seem like they started the war.
With these aggressive actions towards Mexico some people began to view Polk as imperialistic. Attacking a much weaker country was viewed as immoral and wrong by some people. One of those people was Abraham Lincoln. He opposed the war against Mexico and he believed that the two countries should have settled the border dispute with negotiations and a compromise.
Although some people were supporters of Lincoln's ideals, most of the people in the United States were still obsessed over expansion and "Manifest Destiny." People believed that we were destined to spread from "sea to shining sea," just like the Star Spangled banner had stated.
Polk's original reason for annexing Texas and allowing it to have slaves was still in affect as well. Southerners supported the war against Mexico because they wanted more land to farm and raise cotton. Many northerners were also for the war as well because they had heard of the great land of the Oregon territory, which Polk agreed to make free with its annexation. It seemed that everyone was getting what they wanted.
Although some of Polk's ideas were imperialistic and overpowering, most of the country still wanted to go to war with Texas. Abraham Lincoln's ideas may have been more rational, but with the idea of "Manifest Destiny" sweeting the nation it seemed that the country really was destined for expansion. Not many people in the U.S. supported Lincoln's proposals of a peaceful agreement with Mexico. The majority of the country was for Polk and his ideas.
-Jimmy McKee
Sources:
Christine Qi
William Pang
Class Notes
Text book
The reason Americans remember the Battle of the Alamo is the conspicuous gallantry of the Texas Soldiers involved in the face of unfathomable opposition. On March 6, 1836, the Battle of the Alamo began and quickly General Santa Anna of the Mexican army forced Texas soldiers to take refuge in the Alamo. The Texas soldiers were given two options, stay and fight, or surrender themselves and their arms to the Mexican military. While in the Alamo, the Texas soldiers were inspired by their leader Lt. Col. William Travis to fight their overwhelming opposition and this even caused Sam Houston to create the battle cry, "Remember the Alamo." The Texas soldiers fought to the very end and most, if not all of them were killed in action, however they managed to kill 400-600 Mexicans in the process. It is obvious the Texas soldiers were beaten by the Mexicans but Americans today still like to remember the Alamo today for the qualities the soldiers present displayed. First of all the bravery of these soldiers is absolutely unquestionable, they all fought against a far superior opponent until mortally wounded. However, by choosing to stay and fight these soldiers also exhibited a quality that was very prevalent in American culture. The quality is the absolute refusal to give up, and that is something that is still valued today in America. The bravery of these troops, and their steadfast refusal to give up when in danger is what draws American hearts towards the Battle of the Alamo rather than the Goliad. In the Goliad, the Texas troops surrendered themselves to the Mexican troops and were all executed in the end. This battle is intentionally forgotten by Americans because not only was there absolute carnage resulting from the battle, but the soldiers gave up. When the going got tough, the tough didn't get going for the soldiers at the Goliad. This cowards' way out of a fight obviously doesn't agree with the mindset of the soldiers at the Alamo who wouldn't quit, even if it meant dying. The results of the battles was the same, most of the Texas troops died, but Americans remember the Alamo troops over those at the Goliad because of their mental toughness, valor, and defiance to give in to the enemy's demands.
ReplyDeleteVaughan Kavanaugh
Source: A History of the United States Textbook
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIn 1836, Texas wanted independence from Mexico, starting a war between the two.
ReplyDeleteOnly a few battles were fought in Texas’ war for independence, one was remembered very well, and one was forgotten. The Battle of the Alamo and the Battle of Goliad were both battles that Texas lost but people “Remember the Alamo.” The Battle of the Alamo is remembered because of a few reasons. The Battle of the Alamo was fought between Mexican President and General Santa Anna, and Texan leader Lt. Col. William Travis. The Texans stored arms and ammunition in a church where they would be able to hide out. The Mexican army came to the Alamo with 1,800 soldiers, outnumbering the 185 Texan militiamen. The men were given a chance to surrender, but they declined the opportunity. The Texans were all killed, but people still remember the Alamo because of the courage and bravery shown by these men that decided to stay even though they were staring death in the face. The out come of the Battle of Goliad is much different. A similar situation happened at Goliad just a few weeks after the Battle of the Alamo. Around 300-350 Texans were out numbered and decided it would be best to wave the white flag and surrender to the Mexicans. The Mexican soldiers brought the Texans outside and shot them, disregarding their surrender. The Battle of the Goliad is not remembered as much as the Alamo. Goliad makes the Texans look cowardly in society because they surrendered, but if they hadn’t they would have died any way. Overall, both the Alamo, and Goliad should be remembered, but when people look back, they will always remember the Alamo.
Brooks Kiley
Cite: Anna Kravtsova, Mr. Gulotta’s class, Chris Kreke
Why do Americans "Remember the Alamo" and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas war for Independence?
ReplyDeleteThe Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought between the Mexicans and Texans over the independence of Texas. The battle began on February 23 and was a turning point in the Texas Revolution. Lieutenant Colonel William Travis led the Texans into a fight which they would inevitably lose due to the vast difference in numbers of the soldiers. The Mexicans had around 6,000 troops whereas the Texans had a crippling 187-250 soldiers. Mexican troops under Santa Anna attacked the Alamo mission and killed all of the Texan soldiers. However, the Texan men all fought heroically to the death for the independence of Texas, a few week-old nation. We remember the Alamo because it was an honorable and heroic display of patriotism.
Not long after the defeat of the Texans in the Battle of the Alamo was another battle, the Battle of Goliad. In the Battle of the Goliad, James Fannin who was the Texan commander led his men to forfeit in an attempt to save the men's lives. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna said he would spare their lives and simply take them as prisoners of war. However, on March 27th Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna decided to kill the Texan prisoners of war. Around 350 Texan prisoners of war were lined up and executed by Santa Anna's men. The Battle of the Goliad is not often remembered by Americans today because it was seen as an act of cowardice on the Texan's part.
The reason that Americans today "Remember the Alamo" and choose not to "Remember the Goliad" is because we view the decision to surrender as prisoners of war to the Mexicans as pusillanimous. This is in contrast to the Battle of the Alamo which we as a nation believe was somehow more heroic and patriotic. Americans are slightly embarrassed of the fact that we were executed as surrendered prisoners of war rather than being executed in battle. This is why we "Remember the Alamo" and do not "Remember the Goliad".
~Katie Soper
Sources:
Class notes
Class discussions
Anna Kravtsova
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Alamo
During Texas’ fight for independence in 1836, two very important battle were fought. Both were fought at places where ammunition was being held and in both, the Texans were outnumbered. They both involved negotiations of some sort however this is where the two battles differ. At the Battle of the Alamo, Mexican president and general, Antonio López de Santa Anna agreed to let the the women and children go. Lt. William Travis then led the Texans in an effort to defend their ammunition, which resulted in all of the Texans perishing in battle. The men died honorably and valiantly. At the Battle of Goliad, the Texans surrendered because they knew that they had a very slim chance of defending their ammunition. Surrendering when you know that death is almost certain may not be the most glamorous, but it is still the honorable thing to do, so long as once you are a prisoner of war, you do everything in your power to escape and make the enemy focus on you instead of the war. After the surrender at the Goliad, the 350 Texas soldiers who were taken as prisoners of war, were all massacred. At the time, people would say “Remember the Alamo” but not the Goliad because the Alamo was more glamorous and encouraged people to fight, which the Texans, who were outnumbered 250 to 6,000 at the Alamo, desperately needed. That being said, the Goliad should not be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteSam Mogul
Sources: Slideshow, Mr. Gulotta's US History Class, Brooks Kiley, Vaughan Kavanaugh
Why do Americans "Remember the Alamo" and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas war for independence??
ReplyDeleteWithin a month of one another, the battle of the Alamo on March 6th, 1836 and the Goliad Massacre on March 27th were both very similar events. However, one predominantly stands out in our historical minds, while the other hides in the shadows. To comprehend why one is seemingly more significant than the other, one must first understand what happened.
Texas was a territory of the Spanish until 1821. In 1820, Moses Austin was granted a charter by Spain to start an American colony in Texas. In 1821, Mexico declared its independence from Spain, making it its own country. However, many Americans (by request of Stephen Austin, Moses’s son) continued to colonize Texas, and by 1835 there were over 30,000 Americans living within Texas’ Mexican borders. At this point in time, Americans began to disrespect Mexican laws on slavery and state religion. Mexican President Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna wanted to disarm the American Colonists, and force them to comply with Mexican law. The colonists objected, and a revolution began.
The Alamo and the Goliad both have much in common with one another. Both were altercations between the American Rebels fighting for Texas’s independence, and the Mexican militia in the opposite state of mind. In both cases the American rebels were defending some sort of stronghold, and found themselves surrounded by Mexican troops. Both times the Mexican troops let those who wished to leave leave, and wiped out those who wished to stay and fight. However, the differences occur in the deaths of the American Rebels who stayed behind. At the Battle of the Alamo, Mexican Gen. Santa Anna had 6,000 men under his command, fighting against only 250 Americans. Due to the sheer difference in size, the Americans were defeated, but not before taking down about 500 Mexican troops. The American soldiers knew that they would be defeated, but fought anyway for a cause in which they strongly believed.
Twenty-one days later at the battle of Goliad, a group of American rebels were faced with the same decision as those at the Battle of the Alamo. The American rebels were told by the Mexican forces that they could either fight, or surrender and become prisoners of war. The group decided to surrender, which in hindsight was not an illogical decision. If the Mexicans held their word, they would only remain prisoners until fighting between the Mexicans and the Rebels ceased. However, the Mexicans were not true to their word, and executed the rebels outside of the Goliad.
The reason that the Alamo is remembered and the Goliad is forgotten, is that the Battle of the Alamo displayed great courage and patriotism in the Americans. The Battle of the Alamo showed that Americans were willing to die for their country, and posed as an act to follow for other Americans. The Goliad Massacre however did not show honor in its victims. The Rebels didn’t die fighting for their country, as those at the Alamo had. The victims of the Goliad Massacre were not cowards; they were rational people who made a choice that would spare the most lives. However, the courage and patriotism shown at the Alamo outweighed those at the Alamo, and could serve to Americans as a constant reminder to just how loyal Americans can be.
- Evan Liddy
- Citations: Class notes, Slideshow
Though the battle of the Alamo and the Goliad were both tragic events in regards to the Texas war for independence, sadly, the Goliad is often forgotten. Americans honored the Goliad for going down with a hard fight as opposed to the Goliad, which ended in the American surrender. Because the Alamo was more honored at the time than the Goliad, today we are often taught to remember the Alamo more so than the Goliad.
ReplyDeleteIn the Alamo, though the colonists were fighting for land they took from another country, it was honored more than the surrender at the Goliad. Americans were breaking the Mexican laws for slavery and its state religion, and yet the American fight for Texas was somehow justified in the eyes of colonists for the hope for Texas to become a state of America. Santa Ana, president of the Mexicans, wanted to disarm the colonists and demanded force be used to get them to comply with the Mexican law. He ordered his troops to go directly into the Alamo and fight the Americans. Under William Travis, the colonists were given orders to defend it until death. The colonists would risk their lives for the hope for Texas to join the union as a state in the US. In the struggle, around 400 to 600 Texans were killed as a result. The lives lost in battle gave the event more honor by Americans. We remember it for fighting hard for Texas’s independence. In addition, the men sacrificing their lives to spare the women and children, was also looked upon very honorable at the time, going back to some of the basic American standards for years to come, and so has carried though for Americans to remember today. The Alamo is remembered not for fighting for Texas’s independence, but rather a fight for the greater good in America for Texas to join the union.
On March 27, 1836, approximately 350 prisoners of war were executed at Goliad. Soldiers were told they would just become prisoners of war under the Mexicans, and complied. They were lied to, and executed. Though, this should make them seem honorable for surrendering, the culture of the time was such that it was looked down upon, and rather fighting to the death was more preferred. Unfortunately, due to the lack of honor in the sacrifices made by the men, Goliad is often forgotten.
Alyssa Cass
Source: Mr. Gulotta’s Adv. US History Notes and Presentation
2. Why do Americans "Remember the Alamo" and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas war for independence?
ReplyDeleteIn 1836, while Texas was fighting for its independency in a war against Mexico, Mexico claimed two victories, which were the Battle of the Alamo and the massacre at Goliad. Both of the events occurred within a few weeks of each other, yet Americans choose to remember one, while the other seems to be forgotten. The Battle of the Alamo happened before the massacre at Goliad. Santa Anna, who was the Mexican president and general at the time, moved into San Antonio, Texas with his troops. Texans had been storing arms in the Alamo. Once he arrived, Santa Anna demanded the Texans in the Alamo to surrender. When their leader, Lt. Col. William Travis, didn’t give in to Santa Anna’s demands, the Mexicans were ready to fight. But on Travis’ request, women, children, and anyone who wasn’t prepared for fighting the Mexicans could leave the Alamo without being harmed. The ‘Texans’ held the Alamo for several days, but in the end there were no survivors, due to the amount of Mexican troops. Despite the fact that it was a loss, Americans to this day “Remember the Alamo” because it displayed courage, bravery and Texans’ determination to be independent. On the other hand, the massacre at Goliad, a similar event, is not remembered. It started off like the Battle of the Alamo. Santa Anna was moving toward Goliad. It was also a fort, where Texans had been storing arms. Once he arrived, Santa Anna and James Fanning, the commander of the Texans at Goliad, negotiated. Eventually Fanning surrendered. The Texans abandoned their fort. However, Santa Anna did not respect the terms of the negotiated peace, and he instructed the Mexican troops to kill the Texans. This event was not remembered, because the surrender of the Texans was regarded as foolish and weak. Additionally, this battle didn’t seem that significant, because it wasn’t really a fair battle. It was a brutal and unfair slaughter by the Mexicans; hence it was named the massacre at Goliad.
Cite: Mr. Gulotta’s Adv. US History class, Will MacClarence, Aly Hall
Christopher Kreke
After Mexico won its independence in 1821, Stephen Austin, son of Moses, followed his father’s path. He was granted the permission by Mexico to bring Americans to Texas. The country of Mexico thought that Mr. Austin would only bring a couple hundred people; however, by 1835 there were 30,000 Americans in Texas. The Mexican government did not notice the large invasion due to the remoteness of Texas from the capital of Mexico. At that time, Mexico’s president was the General Antonio López de Santa Anna. For him and the Mexican government, the Americans in Texas were breaking Mexican laws by making use of slavery and sabotaging their religion (catholic). For these actions, Santa Anna wanted to disarm the colonists and force them to comply with Mexican law.
ReplyDeleteA year later, on March 6th 1836, the battle of the Alamo took place. 250 Texans held down a small fortress during the battle fighting against 1200 Mexican troops. Lt. Col. William Travis gave his soldiers the option to stay and fight or surrender. With a brave attitude, the Texans soldiers decided to stay and fight the Mexican troops even though the odds were not in their favor. After defending the Alamo for days, the Texans soldiers died in honorable and patriotic fashion.
Later on, another confrontation took place in Goliad. Similarly to the Battle of the Alamo, the soldiers in Goliad had the option to surrender or fight to death. Yet, this time, the soldiers surrendered to the Mexican troops. Santa Anna’s overwhelming number of troops was reason enough for them to give up. The Texans knew that their chances were really low. After surrendering, the Texan soldiers were killed anyways.
Now days, Americans only remember the Battle of Alamo (“Remember the Alamo”) because of the bravery, courage and heroic passion demonstrated by the Texans soldiers until their ultimate deaths. Goliad’s battle, on the other hand, is seen as an act of “cowardice or intelligence” (Manley), since they thought they could survive by not fighting. However, the Battle of Alamo is a test of the American culture. The American people strongly believe that the Alamo was a heroic and memorable battle. The battle of the Alamo is one of the most gallant portrayals of courage and undying self-sacrifice seen in Texas.
Clementina Davila
Credits to: Mr. Gulotta’s Lecture, Henry Manley, Texas Military Forces Museum (web site).
Prompt 1
ReplyDeleteIn 1844, President Polk was elected president of the United States, with strong goals about what he wanted to do with the territory of Texas. After México, angered by the US’s attempts at establishing Texas as a part of the Nation, declare that they are cutting off diplomatic relations with the states. Polk ignores this, and sends a diplomat to Mexico offering thirty million dollars in exchange for the Texas territory. Mexico refuses, and becomes yet more hostile towards the US. At this point, relations between the counties become yet more hostile as Polk, displaying clear imperialistic motives of taking Texas, sends Zachery Taylor to a disputed area between Texas and Mexico, an area that was likely Mexican territory, and annexes Texas into the union as a State. War at this point was almost inevitable, and Mexican forces soon had to defend their borders.
Although Polk clearly had very imperialistic and aggressive ideals that he thought should be implemented, not everyone agreed with him. Abraham Lincoln was one of the people against the violence and the positioning of Taylor, saying that we had no right to be there. Under his Spot Resolution, Lincoln stated that we could not declare war rightfully on a country that we had invaded, and it was us, not the Mexicans, who were the aggressors. He claimed that we should have sought other diplomatic options before resorting to violence, whereas Polk went straight for war. Although Lincoln’s efforts were logical, many Americans did not agree with his reasoning, for a variety of reasons.
The American people during the pre-Mexican war dispute were largely in support of Polk and his efforts. This was due to not only a great surge of patriotism at the time, from the Texas rebellion, but also due to the idea of manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was the idea that the United States was destined to control the entire length of the continent, and that it was our right to rule over these parts. If this meant that we had to use force against Mexico so we could fulfill this destiny, then it was Americas given right to do so. In regards to the issue of slavery at the time, the North was initially afraid of the Mexican territory acquired becoming slave states, whiles the South, thinking the same, were overjoyed for this outcome. To solve this, Polk promised to annex Oregon territory as well, and make it free, as to balance out the additions. Overall, the people of America did not yet support Lincoln in his ideals, and largely sided with Polk on this issue.
By Jake Diamond
Sources: Notes from Mr. Gulotta's class, Christine Qi's Comment
Why do Americans “Remember the Alamo” and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas war for Independence??
ReplyDeleteBy 1835 approximately 30,000 American settlers had migrated into the large Mexican state of Coahuila-Texas. However many of the settlers had complaints about the Mexican rule, led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Many of these settlers came from the Southern United States and when they came they brought their slaves. Mexico’s outlaw of slavery upset the Texans. Also the Texans were angered by the heavy taxes and the soldiers stationed among the settlers in order to make them comply with Mexican law. Naturally, the Texans believed they had the right to rebel and declared independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836.
General Santa Anna then led troops into San Antonio, Texas to crush the rebellion. The first battle took place at an abandoned mission called the Alamo. Greatly outnumbered, 250 Texans to 2400 Mexicans, Lt. Col. William Travis gave anyone who was not prepared to fight the option to surrender. Bravely, the Texan soldiers stayed and fought. They held the Alamo for thirteen days until each Texan soldier was dead.
Three weeks after the battle at the Alamo came the massacre at Goliad. Remembering what had happened at the Alamo, when the Texan soldiers at Goliad were given the option to fight or surrender the overwhelmed soldiers decided to surrender. Ignoring the peace negotiated with the Texan Commander, James Fanning, General Santa Anna ordered the Mexicans to kill the Texans anyways.
Americans choose to remember the Alamo and forget Goliad in reference to the Texas war for Independence because while both battles were a loss, the battle at the Alamo was a moral victory. It was a moral victory because the Alamo became a symbol for the bravery and courage of the Texans. However, Americans forget Goliad because the soldiers at Goliad showed less courage and gave in to the overwhelming number of Mexican troops and were executed. Another reason many Americans today remember the Alamo and forget Goliad is because it is easier in todays media, for example in movies, to portray the valiant effort shown by the Texans at the Alamo while it is more difficult to showcase a surrender, like the one at Goliad. Finally, I believe that many Americans choose to remember the Alamo because while it was a loss Americans like to remember a story where against all odds they fought heroically for their freedoms, which shows strength, a core trait that many Americans enjoy associating with themselves. Conversely, Americans forget Goliad because it was not a moment of significant heroicness that showed great American strength.
Morgan Handwerker
Sources: Christine Qi
Clementina Davila's Comment
A History of the United States Textbook