In early March, Nirenberg took the unusual step of replacing a city council member, Roberto Trevio, who had been leading two committees coordinating the project and had been staunchly in favor of moving the Cenotaph. A little more than a year later, Once the rebels succeeded in breaking Texas away from Mexico and establishing an independent republic, slavery took off as an institution. The twenty-year-old Joe stood with his master, Lieutenant Colonel Travis, against the Mexican army in the early hours of March 6, 1836. Santa Anna ordered his men to take no prisoners, and only a small handful of the Texans were spared. Sam, James Bowie's slave, was also reported to have survived the battle, but no further record of him is known to exist. "Most academics now believe, based on Mexican accounts and contemporary accounts, that, in fact, [Crockett] did surrender and was executed," Burrough says. Share your thoughts about this episode on Twitter at: @MandoFun and on our Facebook group. 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. Their accounts provided much of the backbone of what was known about the Alamo. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. Joes Alamo: Unsung, is a fiction-based-on-history account of what came next, after the Alamo, and after Joe escaped. Santa Anna sent them to Houstons camp in Gonzalez with a warning that a similar fate awaited the rest of the Texans if they continued their revolt. 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. We may earn a commission from links on this page. Casey Tolan is a National News Reporter for Fusion based in New York City. Rice had placed a $50 reward for Joe's capture. The defenders of the Alamo, as brave as they may have been, were martyrs to the cause of the freedom of slaveholders, with the Texas War of Independence having been the first of their nineteenth-century revolts, with the American Civil War the second. Seeing the massive Mexican army on their doorstep, the Texan defenders hastily retreated to the well-fortified Alamo. Not until the late 1890s did two women, Adina De Zavala and Clara Driscoll, collaborate to preserve the Alamo. Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper adapted it for the web. The historic movement carried thousands of enslaved people to freedom. In addition to Joe, slaves Bettie, Sam, and Charlie left the Alamo alive. A hearty man of six feet, Bowie was a walking contradiction; a slave trader who fought for freedom, a generous and congenial man who had his thunderous temper, and a commanding leader . It was really the thing that more than anything, caused the Alamo to become the international icon that it's become. They told us how glorious that battle was. hide caption. The whole Remember the Alamo cry was the reason Texas was bornits a true and great symbol of how Texas came to be., When asked about the Alamo's history of slavery, Oliver said thatits not something we dwell on.". Remember the Alamo? There were many native TexansMexican nationals referred to as Tejanoswho joined the movement and fought every bit as bravely as their Anglo companions. This detailed timeline of Mexican history explores such themes as the read more, Mexico City, Mexicos largest city and the most populous metropolitan area in the Western Hemisphere, is also known as Distrito Federal, or the federal district. [Mexican Gen. Antonio Lpez de] Santa Anna is coming north with 6,000 troops. Among them was Susanna W. Dickinson, widow of Capt. Find a complete list of them here. Both of those stories are way overly simplistic.. Every dollar helps. Visitors walk around the outside of the Alamo in San Antonio. ThoughtCo, May. "So if there's ever been a time for there to be a robust civic conversation about this, about the place of the Alamo in our history, about Texas history itself, we hope it was now. Directly or indirectly, James Bowie's (aka Jim) enigmatic illness during the siege of the Alamo resulted from his actions. All Rights Reserved. We'll send you a couple of emails per month, filled with fascinating history facts that you can share with your friends. After the U.S. Department of the Interior nominated the Alamo for UN recognition last year, State Senator Donna Campbell introduced a bill preventing any foreign entity from gaining any ownership, control, or management" over the fort. After his report to the Texas Cabinet, Joe was returned to Travis's estate near Columbia, where he remained until April 21, the first anniversary of the battle of San Jacinto. Most slaves came to Texas with their owners, and the vast . All Rights Reserved. In the summer of 1821, Stephen Austin arrived in San Antonio along with some 300 U.S. families that the Spanish government had allowed to settle in Texas. The day after the council vote, Nirenberg appeared with Bush and Patrick in Alamo Plaza to unveil a new exhibit with a replica of a cannon that fired upon the Mexican army. Known simply as Joe, he was sold four times in his life, most notably to his third master, Colonel William Barret Travis. On how the 1960 John Wayne movie The Alamo perpetuated these myths. In 1845, the United States annexed Texas. The Alamo remained a symbol of courage, and in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, U.S. soldiers revived the "Remember the Alamo!" General Sam Houston felt that holding San Antonio was impossible and unnecessary, as most of the settlements of the rebellious Texans were far to the east. The story of the Alamo has been central to the "whole Texas creation myth," Burrough says. The site is much bigger than just the 1836 battle, he said. He was born around 1815. The Mexican government was opposed to slavery, but even so, there were 5000 slaves in Texas by the time of the Texas Revolution in 1836. And when you look at the facts, they never made a conscious decision to fight to the death. This tense situation was resolved by three events: the advance of a common enemy (the Mexican army), the arrival of the charismatic and famous Davy Crockett (who proved very skilled at defusing the tension between Travis and Bowie), and Bowie's illness just before the battle. They ran out into the open where they were unceremoniously run down and killed by Mexican cavalry. The reality is a lot more complicated, says James Crisp, a historian at North Carolina State University whos written a book about the myths and the reality of the Alamo. ", On how Texas history often fails to address slavery. On March 20 Joe was brought before the Texas Cabinet at Groce's Retreat and questioned about events at the Alamo. The Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation, an Indigenous group, is still fighting to have the complex treated as a cemetery and to tell the story of the Indigenous people buried there, said Ramn Vsquez, one of its leaders. Greg Abbott (R), voted to deny a permit to move it. Joe escaped to Mexico on two stolen horses. On March 1, 32 brave men from the town of Gonzales made their way through enemy lines to reinforce the defenders at the Alamo. 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. His first book, called 15 Facts About the Battle of the Alamo. They know they're coming and yet still they stay there. A woman named Andrea Castan Villanueva, better known as Madam Candelaria, later made a career of claiming to be a survivor of the Alamo, but many historians doubt her story. Dont get me wrong the defenders of the mission-turned-fortress were killed en masse as Mexican troops stormed the structure. These men included famed frontiersman Davy Crockett and inventor of the Bowie knife, James Bowie, who was confined to bed but still managed to . Joe did so and was struck by a pistol shot and bayonet thrust before a Mexican captain intervened. The Underground Railroad. Ten years after Texas won its independence and shortly after it was annexed by the United States, U.S. soldiers revived the "Remember the Alamo!" Lieutenant Travis sent repeated requests to Col. James Fannin in Goliad (about 90 miles to the east) for reinforcements, and he had no reason to suspect that Fannin would not come. Beginning in the early 1800s, Spanish military troops were stationed in the abandoned chapel of the former mission. The third big name at the Alamo, the commander of the force, William Barret Travis, had at least one slave with him, Joe. Because of the wine production in the area, the city of Parras de la read more, San Luis Potos, which has some of the richest silver mines in Mexico, is also where Gonzales Bocanegra wrote the Mexican national anthem in 1854. Phil Rosenthal and Bill Groneman, Roll Call at the Alamo (Fort Collins, Colorado: Old Army, 1985). But aspects of the plan quickly met with outrage, especially its treatment of the Cenotaph, a 56-foot monument to Alamo defenders erected in the plaza in 1940. As the Alamo was under siege in March 1836, the convention of Texans that voted for independence selected Houston as commander-in-chief of . Talk free. Perhaps it goes without saying but producing quality journalism isn't cheap. Slaves could not be imported. The exemption was, in their minds, a temporary measure and Texas slaveholders knew that. Nolan Thompson, Even though the Texans were fighting against a certain kind of tyranny, they were also fighting for an independent republic where slavery was legal, Crisp told Fusion. Last summer, the Cenotaph was spray-painted with graffiti decrying white supremacy. But no one knows exactly how Joe got there. By 1835, there were 30,000 Anglo-Americans (called Texians) in Texas, and only 7,800 Texas-Mexicans (Tejanos). But as the smoke cleared after the bloody battle, around 15 survivors of the battle on the Texan side remained. Minster, Christopher. On the eve of the Civil War, which Texas would enter as a part of the Confederacy, there were 182,566 slaves, nearly one-third of the states population. 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. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Estimates of the number of enslaved people today range from around 38 million [1] to 46 million, [2] [3] depending on the method used to form the estimate and the definition of . Along the way they crossed paths with another survivor, a man named Joe, who had been William Travis slave. The boards decision necessitated a new vote by the San Antonio City Council to authorize the project. He annulled the constitution and set up centralist control. Perhaps the most well known Alamo survivor was Susanna Dickinson, wife of defender Almaron Dickinson, who spent the battle hiding in a small dark room with her infant daughter, Angelina. In early April 1836, Santa Anna had the structural elements of the Alamo burned, and the site was left in ruins for the next several decades, as Texas became first a republic, then a state. It still surprises me that slavery went unexamined for so long. It includes recently discovered facts about William Travis, Susana Dickinson, Davy Crockett, and Joe himself. Jill Torrance/Getty Images Although nearly everyone at the Alamo was killed or captured, Texas achieved independence when Sam read more, Coahuila, one of Mexicos major steel producers, straddles the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains. As we become more diverse as a nation and a people, weve got to learn how to talk about these difficult conversations, but weve got to talk about it with nuance. The Mexican armies that entered the department to put down the rebellion had explicit orders to free any slaves that they encountered, and so they did. He observed a grand review of the Mexican army before being interrogated by Santa Anna about Texas and its army. (2021, May 22). explicitly said they were fighting for slavery. Some controversy and debate has surrounded the exact number and their identity, but most were wives, children, servants and slaves whom the Alamos defenders had brought with them into the mission for safety after Santa Annas troops occupied San Antonio. Many myths and legends have grown about the Battle of the Alamo, but the facts often give a different account. For Texans, the Battle of the Alamo became an enduring symbol of their resistance to oppression and their struggle for independence, which they won later that year. A popular telling of the battle holds that in early 1836 a small group of brave Texans defended the mission-fort known as the Alamo against thousands of Mexican soldiers, knowing it meant certain death. Presumably Joe's escape was successful, for the notice ran three months before it was discontinued on August 26, 1837. As a part of that debate, which has been ongoing since the publication of the 1619 Project, the nation's founding has come under the most scrutiny. The Alamo Battle Was Not About Texan Independence, The Texans Weren't Supposed to Defend the Alamo, Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress, The Defenders Experienced Internal Tension, The Defenders Died Believing Reinforcements Were on the Way, There Were Many Mexicans Among the Defenders. meticulously detail what happened at the Alamo and within the broader Texas Revolution. Someof the men defendingthe Alamo were slaveholders, and manyof them werent even Texans: they were Americans paid by New Orleans merchants who saw the potential for big profits if the state seceded. Thats where attorney-turned-author Lewis Cook picked up the story. The story runs, that this one man, Rose by name, who refused to step over the line, did make his escape that night. If you change your mind, you can easily unsubscribe. He reported the events" Historians are doubtful. But if Northeasterners can be excused for embracing a somewhat fuzzy notion of abstract liberty, the symbolism of the Alamo has always been built upon historical myth. Davy Crockett, a famous frontiersman and former U.S. congressman, was the highest-profile defender to fall at the Alamo. On how the Anglo-centric narrative of the Alamo history has affected Latino kids. Per The New Yorker, we know Davy Crockett owned slaves back home in Tennessee, though there's no record of his slaves accompanying him to Texas. Enrique Esparza, son of Alamo defender Gregorio Esparza, told of how Mexican troops fired a hale of bullets into the room where he was hiding alongside his mother and three siblings. In December 1835, in the early stages of Texas war for independence from Mexico, a group of Texan (or Texian) volunteers led by George Collinsworth and Benjamin Milam overwhelmed the Mexican garrison at the Alamo and captured the fort, seizing control of San Antonio. So, he set out to tell the story of the Alamo, a story that, he believes, belongs to all of us through the diversity of its defenders. It was finished when Spanish troops arrived in 1805 but it was used as a hospital. On April 15, the city council voted to go forward with a new plan that leases much of the plaza to the state for at least 50 years and leaves the Cenotaph in place. While fighting alongside Travis and the other defenders, Joe was shot and bayoneted but lived, becoming the only adult male on the Texan side to survive the Alamo. For the Texans, the Battle of the Alamo became a symbol of heroic resistance and a rallying cry in their struggle for independence. And it's also pretty clear [Wayne] was ardently pro-Nixon in the 1960 presidential campaign and ardently anti-Kennedy and in his mind, believed that this type of huge shout-out of American patriot values could somehow defeat John F. Kennedy. But they remained, trusting their defenses and their skill with their lethal long rifles. Rather, what is surprising is that some men snuck into the Alamo in the days before the fatal attack. The social, economic, and legal positions of enslaved people have differed vastly in different systems of slavery in different times and places. They and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas started a movement to rebuild the monument to its 1836 configuration. The Alamo is the cradle of Texas slavery, and a host of other oppressions. 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. 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. Beyond where he lived, what did he do? The 1793 law enforced Article IV, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution in authorizing any federal district judge or circuit court judge, or any state magistrate . By mid-February 1836, Colonel James Bowie and Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis had taken command of Texan forces in San Antonio. 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. Mexican American kids can grow up in Texas believing they're Americans, with the Statue of Liberty and all that, until seventh grade when you were taught, in essence, that if you're Mexican, your ancestors killed Davy Crockett, that that's kind of the original sin of the Texas creation myth. As more slaves came into the Republic of Texas, more escaped to Mexico. 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." 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. 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. Bush and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg threw their political muscle behind reviving the project. Furthermore, the brave defense of the Alamo caused many more rebels to join the Texan army. 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. When and where did he die? Some heroes of the Texas Revolution were enslavers, a neglected piece of history that has helped stall a badly needed overhaul of the revered battle site. Legendary frontiersman Jim Bowie, suffering from a debilitating illness, asked to be carried over the line. As more slaves came into the Republic of Texas, more escaped to Mexico. More information is available at http://escapefromtexas.com. "The Alamo is a symbol of greatness to some people; to others it's a symbol of Anglo dominance that is a dark side of our history," says Scott Huddleston, a veteran reporter covering the Alamo. In the end, it would not be enough. 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. The issue for the project has been that theres a lot of moving parts, and a lot of people who have tried to insert their version of history, he said. The movie, most reviewers would tell you, is a mess. Families were often split up by the sale of one or more members, usually never to see or hear of each other again. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Although slavery was part of the Texas revolution, it wasnt one of the main issuesrevolutionaries were fighting for. he Alamo Cenotaph, also known as the Spirit of Sacrifice, is a monument in San Antonio, Texas, United States, commemorating the Battle of the Alamo, which was fought at the adjacent Alamo Mission. To others, its a monument to slave-holders and racism. Joe claimed that when Gen. Antonio Lpez deSanta Anna's troops stormed the Alamo on March 6, 1836, he armed himself and followed Travis from his quarters into the battle, fired his gun, then retreated into a building from which he fired several more times. "The Alamo is part of that.". Joe Travis (c. 1815 - Unknown) was an enslaved man who was one of the only survivors of the Battle of the Alamo. 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. Handbook of Texas Online, Until now. By 1835, there were 30,000 Anglo-Americans (called Texians) in Texas, and only 7,800 Texas-Mexicans (Tejanos). Matamoros in the 1840s had a large and flourishing colony of ex-slaves from Texas and the United States. The Legacy of Slavery. The siege of the Alamo was memorably depicted in a Walt Disney series and in a 1960 movie starring John Wayne. San Antonio was built around it. I can truly say that I hate that place and everything it stands for.. He was one of several slaves spared by the Mexicans, who opposed slavery, after the battle. by Richard Webner, The Washington Post 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. 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. The Mexican forces also suffered heavy casualties in the Battle of the Alamo, losing between 600 and 1,600 men. Democratic elected officials in San Antonio want the Alamo story to be told from other perspectives. In his book, Cook tells a different story from what is commonly told in textbooks, film, and TV shows. This famous story shows the dedication of the Texans to fight for their freedom. The fort was on 3 acres of land and contained several buildings with cannons along the walls and on roofs. Jim Bowie, the famous knife fighter and all-around badass (look up The Sandbar Fight sometime) made a tidy sum dealing in slaves in the years before the Alamo, says Smithsonian, and brought at least two with him into the fort, a man named Sam and a woman named Bettie. During the Mexican War of Independence, it briefly (1818) housed Mexican forces under the command of Jose Bernardo Maximiliano Gutierrez and William Agustus Magee. Crockett's fate is unclear. 4. 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. Did Davy Crockett Die in Battle at the Alamo? "There is a definite, deliberate attempt in mainstream Texas history to start Texas history in 1836, with the arrival of the anglos," Joe Lopez, a columnist for the Rio Grande Guardian, told Fusion. In 1619, the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia, one of the newly formed 13 American Colonies. 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. Minster, Christopher. Texas authorities later returned Joe to the Travis estate, but he escaped to freedom barely a year later. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. In point of fact, there's large disagreement about how many men Travis commanded at the fort, anywhere from 182-250. 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 . Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). There were four people enslaved at the Alamo where we know their names : Joe and Bettie (enslaved by William Travis); "Tom", who may have been Bowie's servant, and "Charlie", about whom nothing is known. Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, and at the time, Texas (or rather Tejas) was part of Mexico. The remains of William Travis, David Crockett and James Bowie are entombed in a marble coffin at San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas. 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. On April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San . 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. The Battle of the Alamo during Texas war for independence from Mexico lasted thirteen days, from February 23, 1836-March 6, 1836. He is a former head writer at VIVA Travel Guides. Generations of Texas schoolchildren have been taught to admire the Alamo defenders as revolutionaries slaughtered by the Mexican army in the fight for Texas independence. SAN ANTONIO The Alamo needs a makeover; on that, at least, everyone agrees. In a remarkable feat of historical detective work, authors Ron J. Jackson, Jr., and Lee Spencer White have fully restored this pivotal yet elusive figure to his place in the American story. Click on the photo for complete transcription. The others are slavery and its role in the Civil War, and the white man's dealings with Native Americans. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas, a womens organization including descendants of the earliest Texan residents, has managed the Alamo since 1905. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, MIGHTY NETWORKS, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, The true story of the M1 carbines creation (it wasnt Carbine Williams), Joe escaped to Mexico on two stolen horses, Death of David Crockett at the Alamo - San Antonio, Texas, Davy's Death at the Alamo Is Now a Case ClosedOr Not | HistoryNet. It is the third largest country in Latin America and has one of the largest populationsmore than 100 millionmaking it the home of more Spanish speakers than any other read more, From the stone cities of the Maya to the might of the Aztecs, from its conquest by Spain to its rise as a modern nation, Mexico boasts a rich history and cultural heritage spanning more than 10,000 years. Under the plan, the Cenotaph would be moved 500 feet south and deposited in front of the historic Menger Hotel. On March 6, 1836, after 13 days of intermittent fighting, the Battle of the Alamo comes to a gruesome end, capping off a pivotal moment in the Texas Revolution. James "Jim" Bowie (c. 1796March 6, 1836) was an American frontiersman, trader of enslaved people, smuggler, settler, and soldier in the Texas Revolution. A popular historical anecdote is the design of the famous M1 carbine by convicted murderer David Marshall Williams. Bush and Patrick traded compliments, with Bush declaring that theres nobody in the state Capitol who cares more about Texas history than Patrick. After the battle, Mexican troops searched the buildings within the Alamo and called for any Blacks to reveal themselves. All that is known about Joe after the Alamo is that he was questioned by Santa Anna and then later questioned by the Texas Cabinet. Meanwhile,some conservatives balk at the idea of the UN getting involved in this icon of Texas pride. I like the sound of the word," John Wayne's Davy Crockett lectures Laurence Harvey as William Travis in The Alamo. One of these was Susannah Dickinson, the wife of Captain Almaron Dickinson (who was killed) and her infant daughter Angelina.