ThoughtCo, May. By 1835, there were 30,000 Anglo-Americans (called Texians) in Texas, and only 7,800 Texas-Mexicans (Tejanos). Paul D. Lack, "Slavery and the Texas Revolution," Southwestern Historical Quarterly 89 (July 1985). When events become legendary, facts tend to get forgotten. A 2013 BexarCounty reportpredicted a $100 million benefit to the local economy and more than 1,000 new jobs if the sites receive heritage status. The new colonists brought enslavement with them. Joe did so and was struck by a pistol shot and bayonet thrust before a Mexican captain intervened. The mayor of San Antonio, however, claimed to have seen Crockett dead among the other defenders, and he had met Crockett before the battle. FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. The city has read more, In March 1836, Mexican forces overran the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, achieving victory over those who had declared Texas independence from Mexico just a few weeks earlier. Key members of the states GOP leadership and some conservative groups are insisting that the renovation stay focused on the battle. Trevio, who represents much of central San Antonio, said his push to move the Cenotaph had been aimed at telling a more inclusive story. He also supported carving into the monument the names of enslaved people and Tejanos native Texans of Mexican descent who were present at the 1836 battle. As the defenders of the Alamo were about to sacrifice their lives, other Texans were making clear the goals of the sacrifice at a constitutional convention for the new republic they hoped to create. You Can't Tell the Story of 1776 Without Talking About Race - Time 7 Things You May Not Know About Sam Houston - HISTORY Its a common misconception that the Texans who rose up against Mexico were all settlers from the U.S. who decided on independence. There was a problem with that, though. Legendary frontiersman Jim Bowie, suffering from a debilitating illness, asked to be carried over the line. 9 'Facts' About Slavery They Don't Want You to Know The Dark History of New Year's Day in American Slavery | Time We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. But as the smoke cleared after the bloody battle, around 15 survivors of the battle on the Texan side remained. The exemption was, in their minds, a temporary measure and Texas slaveholders knew that. The victory ensured the success of Texan independence: Santa Anna, who had been taken prisoner, came to terms with Houston to end the war. Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, and at the time, Texas (or rather Tejas) was part of Mexico. It's Time to Correct the Myths About the Battle of Alamo | Time Because it stood in a grove of cottonwood trees, the soldiers called their new fort El Alamo after the Spanish word for cottonwood and in honor of Alamo de Parras, their hometown in Mexico. Joe was a stalwart defender alongside Travis and other Texians. Some historians believe slavery was the driving issue in the showdown at the Alamo, arguing that Mexicos attempts to end slavery contrasted with the hopes of many white settlers in Texas at the time who moved to the region to farm cotton. They also established the nearby military garrison of San Antonio de Bxar, which soon became the center of a settlement known as San Fernando de Bxar (later renamed San Antonio). When the din of the fighting died down and the Mexicans firmly controlled the fort, Joe was shot and bayoneted, only to be saved by a Mexican field officer. The first time the story appeared in print was in 1888, in Anna Pennybackers' "New History for Texas Schools." The legality of slavery had thus been at best tenuous and uncertain at a time when demand for cotton -- the main slave-produced export -- was accelerating on the international market. Todd Hansen, editor of The Alamo Reader, found an account of Bettie staying with the Mexican troops at first, but later working as a servant and fleeing to Mexico to avoid being enslaved again in Texas. 15 American landmarks that were built by enslaved people - Business Insider HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. The Tejanos, who were the Texians' key allies and a number of which fought and died at the Alamo, were entirely written out of generations of Texas history [as it was] written by Anglo writers. Elected leaders have talked for decades about redeveloping the Alamo complex, which lies in the heart of San Antonio, not far from the famous River Walk. And the surrounding plaza is a tourist circus, packed with novelty shops and a Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. Texas authorities later returned Joe to the Travis estate, but he escaped to freedom barely a year later. We may earn a commission from links on this page. It represented a rare alliance between the states Republican leadership and one of its more liberal cities, with San Antonio committing $38 million to the budget and the state of Texas pitching in $106 million. Remember the Alamo, the famous saying goesbut how you remember is just as important. The story, and the heroismof frontiersman Davy Crockett, was mythologized in movies and taught to schoolchildren. Cook discovered the Alamo was more than a bunch of white, male landowners fighting for Texas. Mexican dictator and general Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna won the Battle of the Alamo, taking back the city of San Antonio and putting the Texans on notice that the war would be one without quarter. Part of the problem with the historical record is that slaves weren't necessarily accounted for by name. Martin Perfecto de Cos at Bexar arrived in late 1835 and put the Alamo into "fort fashion" by building a dirt ramp up to the top rear of the church wall and covering it with planks. The official commander of the Alamo was James Neill. Houston defeated the Mexican army in just 18 minutes. ", On how Texas history often fails to address slavery. Santa Annas Mexican army killed virtually all of the roughly 200 Texans (or Texians) defending the Alamo, including their leaders, Colonels William B. Travis and James Bowie, and the legendary frontiersman Davy Crockett. These men only listened to Jim Bowie, who disliked Travis and often refused to follow his orders. The church was still not completed when it was transferred to civil authorities in 1792. The twenty-year-old Joe stood with his master, Lieutenant Colonel Travis, against the Mexican army in the early hours of March 6, 1836. Visitors walk around the outside of the Alamo in San Antonio. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) A $450 million plan to renovate the site has devolved into a five-year brawl over whether to focus narrowly on the 1836 . battle cry while fighting against Mexican forces. It has been used just anecdotally for generations to put down Mexican Americans, a big beefy white guy going up to the little Mexican guy and punching him in the arm and saying, "Remember the Alamo," that type of thing. The battle cry Remember the Alamo! became a symbol of victory in future battles, when the Texans defeated the Mexican army. Visitors walk around the outside of the Alamo in San Antonio. They and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas started a movement to rebuild the monument to its 1836 configuration. To some, the Alamo, the San Antonio fort where Texans died while fighting off the Mexican army, is a symbol of liberty and Texas pride. Every day during the siege, the defenders of the Alamo looked for Fannin and his men but they never arrived. "Most academics now believe, based on Mexican accounts and contemporary accounts, that, in fact, [Crockett] did surrender and was executed," Burrough says. The Battle of the Alamo was part of the Texas Revolution, in which American settlers in the Mexican state of Texas fought for secession from the increasingly centralized and autocratic Mexican government. Slavery and the Myth of the Alamo | History News Network Indeed, an enslaved man named Joe, who was owned by Travis, survived the battle of the Alamo and became one of the primary sources of information about the 13-day siege, inspiring dozens of books and movies, including the John Wayne classic. The Battle of the Alamo comes to an end - HISTORY According to Texas lore, it's the site in San Antonio where, in 1836, about 180 Texan rebels died defending the state during Texas' war for independence from Mexico. They in turn sent Stephen Austin to Mexico City to complain. Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper adapted it for the web. According to Jose Enrique de la Pefia, one of Santa Anna's officers, a handful of prisoners, including Crockett, were taken after the battle and put to death. In December of 1835, a group of Texan volunteer soldiers had occupied the Alamo, a former Franciscan mission located near the present-day city of San Antonio. There has always been this great mystery of why on earth [Lt. Col. William] Travis and [James] Bowie stay, and the best argument there is probably because they believe reinforcements would be forthcoming. But three writers, all Texans, say the common narrative of the Texas revolt overlooks the fact that it was waged in part to ensure slavery would be preserved. Meanwhile, Alamo Plaza became a focus of San Antonios Black Lives Matter protests. And in the end, Santa Anna lost the war, going down in defeat within six weeks. slavery was the driving issue in the showdown at the Alamo. There's also some evidence that at one point in his later years he returned to Texas and perhaps even visited the old fortress where he nearly died. Fugitive Slave Acts, in U.S. history, statutes passed by Congress in 1793 and 1850 (and repealed in 1864) that provided for the seizure and return of runaway slaves who escaped from one state into another or into a federal territory. Its one-room exhibit space can hold only a fraction of key artifacts. This is the most significant piece of land in the entire state of Texas, and it deserves the reverence and dignity of a preservation project that has been a generation in the making.. The migration of U.S. citizens to Texas increased over the next decades, sparking a revolutionary movement that would erupt into armed conflict by the mid-1830s. The third big name at the Alamo, the commander of the force, William Barret Travis, had at least one slave with him, Joe. The Mexican forces also suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of the Alamo, losing between 600 and 1,600 men. Do you value our journalism? Some men reportedly deserted the Alamo and ran off in the days before the battle. Pennybacker included a later often-quoted speech by Travis, with a footnote reporting that "Some unknown author has written the following imaginary speech of Travis." In the end, it would not be enough. Bowie was known as a legendary fighter; the large Bowie knife is named after . Share your thoughts about this episode on Twitter at: @MandoFun and on our Facebook group. The 1836 battle for the Alamo is remembered as a David vs. Goliath story. List of Texian survivors of the Battle of the Alamo - Wikipedia It was the site of numerous protests from Latino rights groups in the '70s and '80s, led by activists like Rosie Castro, a leader of La Raza Unida and the mother of former San Antonio Mayor and potential future Vice President Julian Castro. James W. Russell, University Professor of Sociology at Eastern Connecticut State University, is the author most recently of Escape from Texas: A Novel of Slavery and the Texas War of Independence. "Republic. Pennybacker describes the line-drawing episode and puts in another footnote: "The student may wonder if none escaped from the Alamo, how we know the above to be true. The Alamo has been commemorated on everything from postage stamps to the 1960 film The Alamo starring John Wayne as Davy Crockett. . Part of the narrative of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo is that the defenders were there to liberate Texas from the tyranny of Mexico. What we now know is because Mexican accounts accounts from Mexican officers and soldiers a number of them, a dozen of them have come to light over the last 50 years, show that between a third and a half [of] the Texas defenders actually broke and ran. Remember the Alamo? A battle brews in Texas over history - Travel The fort was full of women, minorities of many color, and followers of many religions. But the heart of their 26 fast-paced chapters is . Joe, the Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend recovers a true American character from obscurity and expands our view of events central to the emergence of Texas"-- Provided by publisher. Jill Torrance/Getty Images When Mexican troops stormed the former mission known as the Alamo on the morning of March 6, 1836, Mexican General Antonio Lpez de Santa Anna ordered that no prisoners be taken. It probably didnt happen. Because of Joe, a slave, we can remember as much as we do about the Alamo. Santa Anna. To others, its a monument to slave-holders and racism. Its just that not everyone inside the Alamo died that day. The fort was on 3 acres of land and contained several buildings with cannons along the walls and on roofs. Because Joe could speak Spanish, he was able to be interrogated afterward. [2] Contents 1 Early life One of these was Susannah Dickinson, the wife of Captain Almaron Dickinson (who was killed) and her infant daughter Angelina. Joe was sold four times in his life, with his most well known owner being William B. Travis, [1] a 19th century lawyer and soldier, who would later be the lieutenant colonel for The Battle of the Alamo. My view, which is shared by the vast majority of San Antonians and Texans, is that regardless of your feelings on the Cenotaph moving, its not moving. 15 Facts About the Battle of the Alamo - ThoughtCo Joe did so and was struck by a pistol shot and bayonet thrust before a Mexican captain intervened. Portrait of Jim Bowie, circa 1820. Dan Patrick (R), who has closely aligned himself with former president Donald Trump. Among them was Susanna W. Dickinson, widow of Capt. Bush and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg threw their political muscle behind reviving the project. [Wayne] made the movie basically because he wholeheartedly believed that America was falling apart, that it was going to the dogs and that somebody needs to stand up for what are today called "patriotic values," "family values," "American values." Did you know? But it was an exemption reluctantly given, mainly because the authorities wanted to avoid rebellion in Texas when they already had problems in Yucatn and Guatemala. The boards decision necessitated a new vote by the San Antonio City Council to authorize the project. However, he left on family matters leaving Lt. Col. William Travis (a ne'er-do-well and enslaver who had no military reputation before the Alamo) in charge. Mexican general Santa Anna appeared in short order at the head of a massive army and laid siege to the Alamo. Texas became an independent republic, and nine years later, it was annexed as an American state. Beginning in the early 1800s, Spanish military troops were stationed in the abandoned chapel of the former mission. It includes recently discovered facts about William Travis, Susana Dickinson, Davy Crockett, and Joe himself. Battle of the Alamo - Students of History 'Born On A Mountaintop' Or Not, Davy Crockett's Legend Lives On. History of slavery - Wikipedia It wasn't like every man fought to his death in place, as generations of historians have taught us. Joe was the slave of William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo during Mexican dictator Antonio Lopez de Santa Annas siege of the Texian fort. The movie, most reviewers would tell you, is a mess. There were 41 Europeans, two African Americans, and the rest were Americans from states in the United States. But as a little girl I got the messagewe were losers. Last year, Patrick threatened to wrest control of the Alamo away from the General Land Office, which is led by George P. Bush, a potential political rival and son of former Florida governor Jeb Bush. But conservative groups rallied in armed protest and turned up at public meetings chanting Not one inch!, State leaders took up the cause, including Lt. Gov. In point of fact, there's large disagreement about how many men Travis commanded at the fort, anywhere from 182-250. Rather, what is surprising is that some men snuck into the Alamo in the days before the fatal attack. Telegraph and Texas Register, March 24, 1836, May 26, August 26, 1837. A former slave was not likely to have an education or much of a job. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. At the time of Bowie's birth, his father owned eight enslaved African Americans, eleven head of cattle, seven horses, and one stud horse. The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry. They sold that property in 1800 and relocated to what is now Missouri. In their fascinating new book, "Joe: The Slave Who Became an Alamo Legend," Ron L. Jackson Jr. and Lee Spencer White fill in the biographical details of a man who deserves credit for . Dickinson and Joe were allowed to travel towards the Anglo settlements, escorted by Ben, a former slave from the United States who served as Mexican Colonel Juan Almonte's cook. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Battle of the Alamo - HISTORY His first book, called When I grew up I learned that the heroes of the Alamo were a bunch of drunks and crooks and slaveholding imperialists who conquered land that didnt belong to them. Santa Anna's Mexican army killed virtually all of the roughly 200 Texans (or Texians) defending the Alamo, including their leaders, Colonels William B. Travis and James Bowie, and the legendary. One of the more obnoxious perspectives, in the eyes of many Texans, is Col. Jose Enrique de la Pea's purported eye-witness account of the way Davey Crockett and other heroes of the Alamo met their deaths. Joe Travis (c. 1815 - Unknown) was an enslaved man who was one of the only survivors of the Battle of the Alamo. Signup today for our free newsletter, Especially Texan. Summary "Among the fifty or so Texan survivors of the siege of the Alamo was Joe, the personal slave of Lt. Col. William Barret Travis. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. Every penny counts! The attack on the Alamo in 1836 was not a 13-day siege and slaughter as often portrayed in film and television. On that day, accompanied by an unidentified Mexican man and taking two fully equipped horses with him, he escaped. All of the leaders of Mexico, in itself only an independent country since 1821, were personally opposed to slavery, in part because of the influence of emissaries from the freed slave republic of Haiti. Beyond where he lived, what did he do? At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. The Underground Railroad - History But then you have to understand: The Texas revolt, for 150 years, was largely ignored by academics, in part because it was considered dclass, it was considered provincial, and because the state government of Texas, much as they're doing now, has for 120, 130 years, made very clear to the University of Texas faculty and to the faculty of other state-funded universities that it only wants one type of Texas history taught and that if you get outside those boundaries, you're going to hear about it from the Legislature. One of the points that often gets lost amid the flag-waving and coonskin caps is that by the time of the Texas Revolution, Mexico had abolished slavery, and Texas hadn't. "The stunning discovery that Joethe slave of Alamo commander William Barret Traviswas the brother of the abolitionist William Wells Brown has opened an entirely new chapter in the history of Texas. t. e. Contemporary slavery, also sometimes known as modern slavery or neo-slavery, refers to institutional slavery that continues to occur in present-day society. The social, economic, and legal positions of enslaved people have differed vastly in different systems of slavery in different times and places. U.S. Slavery: Timeline, Figures & Abolition - HISTORY To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/MandatoryFun. Christopher Minster, Ph.D., is a professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. Older slaves were. "15 Facts About the Battle of the Alamo." [The Alamo defenders have] maybe 200 guys at essentially an indefensible open-air Spanish mission. On February 23, a Mexican force numbering in the thousands and led by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began a siege of the fort. He was among the defenders at the Battle of the Alamo in 1836, where he perished along with all of his comrades. https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-the-battle-of-the-alamo-2136256 (accessed March 4, 2023). They used to take us there when we were schoolchildren, she told the New York Times Magazine in 2010. Joe was last reported in Austin in 1875. But Texans are deeply divided over how, exactly, to remember the Alamo. The only problem? Santa Anna ordered his men to take no prisoners, and only a small handful of the Texans were spared. The Battle of the Alamo was part of the Texas Revolution, in which American settlers in the Mexican state of Texas fought for secession fromthe increasingly centralized and autocratic Mexican government. According to legend, fort commander William Travis drew a line in the sand with his sword and asked all of the defenders who were willing to fight to the death to cross it: only one man refused. You get a sense that Travis never really believes something bad can happen to him. Did Davy Crockett Die in Battle at the Alamo? The Battle of the Alamo: Unfolding Events, 8 Important People of the Texas Revolution, Biography of William Travis, Texas Revolution Hero. Joe traveled with one of the widows, Susanna Dickinson, and her young daughter, to the other Texian forces. But no one knows exactly how Joe got there. "The Alamo is part of that.". Afterward, they fortified the Alamo, a fortress-like former mission in the center of town. hide caption. Last summer, the Cenotaph was spray-painted with graffiti decrying white supremacy. Sam, James Bowie's slave, was also reported to have survived the battle, but no further record of him is known to exist. Austin was able to wrest from the Mexican authorities an exemption for the department -- Texas was technically a department of the state of Coahuila y Tejas -- that would allow the vile institution to continue. Houston sent Jim Bowie to San Antonio: his orders were to destroy the Alamo and return with all of the men and artillery stationed there. The siege of the Alamo was memorably depicted in a Walt Disney series and in a 1960 movie starring John Wayne. It's generally believed that Joe left Texas to return to Travis's family in Alabama and lived with them for many years.