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{{Short description|1836 proclamation of Texan independence from Mexico}}
{{Short description|1836 proclamation of Texan independence from Mexico}}
{{more citations|date=September 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}} {{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox document
{{Infobox document
⚫
|document_name=Texas Declaration of Independence
|image=File:Declaration Broadside from transparency 1909 1 344.jpg
|image=File:Declaration Broadside from transparency 1909 1 344.jpg
|image_width=250px
|image_width=50px
|image_caption=1836 facsimile of the Texas Declaration of Independence
|image_caption=1836 facsimile of the Texas Declaration of Independence
|date_created= March 2, 1836
|date_created= March 2, 1836
|location_of_document={{nowrap|Engrossed copy: [[Texas State Library and Archives Commission]]}}
|location_of_document= Engrossed copy: [[Texas State Library and Archives Commission]]
|writer=
|writer=
|signers=60 delegates to the [[Consultation (Texas)|Consultation]]
|signers=60 delegates to the [[Consultation (Texas)|Consultation]]
|purpose=To announce and explain separation from [[Mexico]]
|purpose=To announce and explain separation from [[Centralist Republic of Mexico|Mexico]]
⚫
|wikisource = Texas Declaration of Independence
}}
}}


The '''Texas Declaration of Independence''' was the formal [[declaration of independence]] of the [[Republic of Texas]] from [[Mexico]] in the [[Texas Revolution]]. It was adopted at the [[Convention of 1836]] at [[Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas|Washington-on-the-Brazos]] on March 2, 1836, and was formally signed the next day after mistakes were noted in the text.
The '''Texas Declaration of Independence''' was the formal [[declaration of independence]] of the [[Republic of Texas]] from [[Centralist Republic of Mexico|Mexico]] in the [[Texas Revolution]]. It was adopted at the [[Convention of 1836]] at [[Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas|Washington-on-the-Brazos]] on March 2, 1836, and was formally signed the next day after mistakes were noted in the text.


==Background==
==Background==
In October 1835, settlers in [[Mexican Texas]] launched the [[Texas Revolution]].
In October 1835, settlers in [[Mexican Texas]] launched the [[Texas Revolution]].


However, within [[Austin]],{{failed verification|date=September 2020}} many struggled with understanding what the ultimate goal of the Revolution was. Some believed that the goal should be total independence from Mexico. In contrast, others sought the reimplementation of the Mexican [[Constitution of 1824]] (which offered greater freedoms than the centralist government declared in Mexico the prior year).<ref name=roberts98>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 98.</ref> To settle the issue, a convention was called for March 1836.
However, within [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], many struggled with understanding what the ultimate goal of the Revolution was. Some believed that the goal should be total independence from Mexico, while others sought the reimplementation of the [[Mexican Constitution of 1824]] which enabled freedoms, including the ownership of slaves, that were not included in the 1835 constitution of Mexico, [[Siete Leyes]].<ref name=roberts98>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 98.</ref> To settle the issue, a convention was called for March 1836.


This convention differed from the previous Texas councils of [[Convention of 1832|1832]], [[Convention of 1833|1833]], and the 1835 [[Consultation (Texas)|Consultation]]. The Mexican government, by its colonization laws, invited and induced the Anglo-American population of Texas to colonize its wilderness under the pledged faith of a written constitution, that they should continue to enjoy that constitutional liberty and republican government to which they had been habituated in the land of their birth, the United States of America.<ref>https://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasures/republic/declaration.html</ref> The only two known native Texans to sign are Jose Francisco Ruiz and Jose Antonio Navarro. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fru11|title=RUIZ, JOSE FRANCISCO|first=STRONG|last=BERNICE|date=15 June 2010|website=tshaonline.org|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> Most of the delegates were members of the [[War Party (Texian)|War Party]] and were adamant that Texas must declare its independence from Mexico.<ref name=roberts142>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 142.</ref> Forty-one delegates arrived in [[Washington-on-the-Brazos]] on February 28.<ref name="roberts142"/>
This convention differed from the previous Texas councils of [[Convention of 1832|1832]], [[Convention of 1833|1833]], and the 1835 [[Consultation (Texas)|Consultation]]. Many of the delegates to the 1836 convention were young citizens of the United States, who had only recently arrived in Texas, in violation of Mexico's immigration ban of April 1830, and many of them had fought in battles during the Texas Revolution against Mexico in 1835. The only two known native Texans to sign are Jose Francisco Ruiz and Jose Antonio Navarro.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fru11|title=RUIZ, JOSE FRANCISCO|first=STRONG|last=BERNICE|date=15 June 2010|website=tshaonline.org|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> Most of the delegates were members of the [[War Party (Texian)|War Party]] and were adamant that Texas must declare its independence from Mexico.<ref name=roberts142>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 142.</ref> Forty-one delegates arrived in [[Washington-on-the-Brazos]] on February 28.<ref name="roberts142"/>


==Development==
==Development==
⚫
[[File:Washington on the Brazos Monument.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Replica of the building at Washington-on-the-Brazos where the Texas Declaration was signed. An inscription reads: "Here a Nation was born."]]
The convention was convened on March 1 with [[Richard Ellis (politician)|Richard Ellis]] as president.<ref name=davis38>Davis (1982), p. 38.</ref> The delegates selected a committee of five to draft a declaration of independence; the committee was led by [[George Childress]] and also included Edward Conrad, James Gaines, [[Bailey Hardeman]], and [[Collin McKinney]]. The committee submitted its draft within a mere 24 hours, leading historians to speculate that Childress had written much of it before he arrived at the Convention.<ref name=roberts144>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 144.</ref>
The convention was convened on March 1 with [[Richard Ellis (Texas politician)|Richard Ellis]] as president.<ref name=davis38>Davis (1982), p. 38.</ref> The delegates selected a committee of five to draft a declaration of independence; the committee was led by [[George Childress]] and also included Edward Conrad, James Gaines, [[Bailey Hardeman]], and [[Collin McKinney]]. The committee submitted its draft within a mere 24 hours, leading historians to speculate that Childress had written much of it before he arrived at the Convention.<ref name=roberts144>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 144.</ref>


The declaration was approved on March 2 with no debate. Based primarily on the writings of [[John Locke]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]], the declaration proclaimed that the Mexican government "ceased to protect the lives, liberty, and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived"<ref name=roberts145>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 145.</ref> and complained about "arbitrary acts of oppression and tyranny." <ref name=roberts146>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 146.</ref> Throughout the declaration are numerous references to the United States laws, rights, and customs. Omitted from the declaration was the fact that the author and many of the signatories were citizens of the United States, occupying Texas illegally, and therefore had no legal rights in Mexico's government. The declaration clarifies that the men were accustomed to the laws and privileges of the United States, and were unfamiliar with the language, religion, and traditions of the nation that they were rebelling against.
The declaration was approved on March 2 with no debate. Based primarily on the writings of [[John Locke]] and [[Thomas Jefferson]], the declaration proclaimed that the Mexican government "ceased to protect the lives, liberty, and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived"<ref name=roberts145>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 145.</ref> and complained about "arbitrary acts of oppression and tyranny."<ref name=roberts146>Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 146.</ref> Throughout the declaration are numerous references to the United States laws, rights, and customs. Omitted from the declaration was that the author and many of the signatories were citizens of the United States, occupying Texas illegally, and therefore had no legal rights in the governance of Mexico. The declaration clarifies that the men were accustomed to the laws and privileges of the United States, and were unfamiliar with the language, religion, and traditions of the nation that they were rebelling against.


The declaration officially established the [[Republic of Texas]], although it was not officially recognized at that time by any government other than itself. The Mexican Republic still claimed the land and considered the delegates to be invaders.
The declaration officially established the [[Republic of Texas]], although it was not officially recognized at that time by any government other than itself. The Mexican Republic still claimed the land and considered the delegates to be invaders, and the United States didn't recognize it since that would be an act of war against Mexico.{{dubious|date=April 2024}}


Among others, the declaration mentions the following reasons for the separation:
Among others, the declaration mentions the following reasons for the separation:


* The [[1824 Constitution of Mexico]] establishing a [[federal republic]] had been overturned and changed into a centralist [[military dictatorship]] by Gen. [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]]. (From Mexico's viewpoint, lawful elections of 1835 seated many conservative politicians who intended to strengthen Mexico's government and defend their nation from an invasion of illegal American immigrants. They amended the 1824 constitution by passing the [[Siete Leyes|Seven Laws]].)
* The [[1824 Constitution of Mexico]] establishing a [[federal republic]] had been overturned and changed into a centralist [[military dictatorship]] by Gen. [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]].
* The Mexican government had invited settlers to [[Texas]] and promised them constitutional liberty and republican government, but then reneged on these guarantees. (It did not mention that many settlers, including the author and majority of signatories, were factually uninvited, illegal trespassers.<ref name="scott122">Scott (2000), p. 122.</ref>)
* The Mexican government had invited settlers to [[Texas]] and promised them constitutional liberty and republican government, but then reneged on these guarantees.
* Texas was in union with the Mexican state of [[Coahuila]] as [[Coahuila y Tejas]], with the capital in distant [[Saltillo]]. Thus the affairs of Texas were decided at a great distance from the province and in the [[Spanish language]], which the immigrants called "an unknown tongue."
* Texas was in union with the Mexican state of [[Coahuila]] as [[Coahuila y Tejas]], with the capital in distant [[Saltillo]]. Thus the affairs of Texas were decided at a great distance from the province and in the [[Spanish language]], which the immigrants called "an unknown tongue."
* Political rights to which the settlers had previously been accustomed in the United States, such as the [[right to arms|right to keep and bear arms]] and the right to [[jury trial|trial by jury]], were denied. The [[History of slavery in Texas|right to keep slaves]] was endangered by the [[1824 Constitution of Mexico]].(Slavery is never mentioned as a cause for Independence in the document.)<https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/texdec.asp></https://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/texdec.asp>
* Political rights to which the settlers had previously been accustomed in the United States, such as the [[right to arms|right to keep and bear arms]] and the right to [[jury trial|trial by jury]], were denied.
* No system of [[public education]] had been established.
* No system of [[public education]] had been established.
* Attempts by the Mexican government to enforce import tariffs were called "piratical attacks" by "foreign desperadoes."
* Attempts by the Mexican government to enforce import tariffs were called "piratical attacks" by "foreign desperadoes."
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==Signatories==
==Signatories==
[[File:Wpdms republic of texas.svg|thumb|200px|The New Republic, with the area in yellow under formal control and the green area as claimed territory, over modern borders.]]
⚫
[[File:Washington on the Brazos Monument.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Replica of the building at Washington-on-the-Brazos where the Texas Declaration was signed. An inscription reads: "Here a Nation was born."]]
⚫
Sixty men signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Three of them were born in Mexico. Fifty-seven of the sixty moved to Texas from the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/texas/texas-declaration-independence.htm|title=Texas Declaration of Independence|work=sonofthesouth.net|access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> Ten of them had lived in Texas for more than six years, while one-quarter of them had been in the province for less than a year.<ref name="scott122">Scott (2000), p. 122.</ref> This is significant, because it indicates that the majority of signatories had moved to Texas after the [[Law of April 6, 1830]], banning immigration, had taken effect, meaning that the majority were legally citizens of the United States, occupying Texas illegally. Fifty-nine of these men were delegates to the Convention, and one was the Convention Secretary, Herbert S. Kimble, who was not a delegate.
[[File:Wpdms republic of texas.svg|thumb|200px|The New Republic]]
⚫
Sixty men signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Three of them were born in Mexico. Fifty-seven of the sixty moved to Texas from the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonofthesouth.net/texas/texas-declaration-independence.htm|title=Texas Declaration of Independence|work=sonofthesouth.net|access-date=15 May 2015}}</ref> Fifty-nine of these men were delegates to the Convention, and one was the Convention Secretary, Herbert S. Kimble, who was not a delegate.


{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
Line 68: Line 69:
* William Carroll Crawford
* William Carroll Crawford
*[[Lorenzo de Zavala]]
*[[Lorenzo de Zavala]]
*[[Richard Ellis (politician)|Richard Ellis]], President of the Convention and Delegate from Red River
*[[Richard Ellis (Texas politician)|Richard Ellis]], President of the Convention and Delegate from Red River
*Stephen H. Everett
*Stephen H. Everett
*John Fisher
*John Fisher
Line 82: Line 83:
*Herbert Simms Kimble, Secretary
*Herbert Simms Kimble, Secretary
*William D. Lacy
*William D. Lacy
*Albert Hamilton Latimer
*[[Albert Hamilton Latimer|Albert H. Latimer]]
*[[Edwin O. Legrand]]
*[[Edwin O. Legrand]]
*[[Collin McKinney]]
*[[Collin McKinney]]
Line 123: Line 124:
*{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Joe Tom|title=Legendary Texians|publisher=Eakin Press|location=[[Austin, Texas]]|volume=1|date=1982|isbn=0-89015-336-1}}
*{{cite book|last=Davis|first=Joe Tom|title=Legendary Texians|publisher=Eakin Press|location=[[Austin, Texas]]|volume=1|date=1982|isbn=0-89015-336-1}}
*{{Cite book|last=Martinez de Vara|first=Art|title=Tejano Patriot: The Revolutionary Life of Jose Francisco Ruiz, 1783 - 1840|publisher=[[Texas State Historical Association]] Press|location=[[Austin, TX]]|year=2020|isbn=978-1625110589}}
*{{Cite book|last=Martinez de Vara|first=Art|title=Tejano Patriot: The Revolutionary Life of Jose Francisco Ruiz, 1783 - 1840|publisher=[[Texas State Historical Association]] Press|location=[[Austin, TX]]|year=2020|isbn=978-1625110589}}
*{{cite book|title=A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory|last=Roberts|first=Randy|last2=Olson|first2=James S.|date=2001|publisher=The Free Press|isbn=0-684-83544-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lineinsandalamoi00robe}}
*{{cite book|title=A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory|last1=Roberts|first1=Randy|last2=Olson|first2=James S.|date=2001|publisher=The Free Press|isbn=0-684-83544-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/lineinsandalamoi00robe}}
*{{cite book|last=Scott|first=Robert|title=After the Alamo|publisher=Republic of Texas Press|date=2000|location=Plano, TX|isbn=978-1-55622-691-5}}
*{{cite book|last=Scott|first=Robert|title=After the Alamo|publisher=Republic of Texas Press|date=2000|location=Plano, TX|isbn=978-1-55622-691-5}}


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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Texas Declaration Of Independence}}
[[Category:Declarations of independence]]
[[Category:Declarations of independence]]
[[Category:Texas Revolution]]
[[Category:Texas Revolution]]
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[[Category:1836 in the Republic of Texas]]
[[Category:1836 in the Republic of Texas]]
[[Category:Sam Houston]]
[[Category:Sam Houston]]
[[Category:Separatism in Mexico]]
[[Category:March 1836 events]]
[[Category:March 1836 events]]
[[Category:1836 documents]]
[[Category:1836 documents]]

Latest revision as of 23:20, 2 December 2024

Texas Declaration of Independence
1836 facsimile of the Texas Declaration of Independence
CreatedMarch 2, 1836
LocationEngrossed copy: Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Signatories60 delegates to the Consultation
PurposeTo announce and explain separation from Mexico
Full text
Texas Declaration of Independence at Wikisource

The Texas Declaration of Independence was the formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and was formally signed the next day after mistakes were noted in the text.

Background

[edit]

In October 1835, settlers in Mexican Texas launched the Texas Revolution.

However, within Austin, many struggled with understanding what the ultimate goal of the Revolution was. Some believed that the goal should be total independence from Mexico, while others sought the reimplementation of the Mexican Constitution of 1824 which enabled freedoms, including the ownership of slaves, that were not included in the 1835 constitution of Mexico, Siete Leyes.[1] To settle the issue, a convention was called for March 1836.

This convention differed from the previous Texas councils of 1832, 1833, and the 1835 Consultation. Many of the delegates to the 1836 convention were young citizens of the United States, who had only recently arrived in Texas, in violation of Mexico's immigration ban of April 1830, and many of them had fought in battles during the Texas Revolution against Mexico in 1835. The only two known native Texans to sign are Jose Francisco Ruiz and Jose Antonio Navarro.[2] Most of the delegates were members of the War Party and were adamant that Texas must declare its independence from Mexico.[3] Forty-one delegates arrived in Washington-on-the-Brazos on February 28.[3]

Development

[edit]
Replica of the building at Washington-on-the-Brazos where the Texas Declaration was signed. An inscription reads: "Here a Nation was born."

The convention was convened on March 1 with Richard Ellis as president.[4] The delegates selected a committee of five to draft a declaration of independence; the committee was led by George Childress and also included Edward Conrad, James Gaines, Bailey Hardeman, and Collin McKinney. The committee submitted its draft within a mere 24 hours, leading historians to speculate that Childress had written much of it before he arrived at the Convention.[5]

The declaration was approved on March 2 with no debate. Based primarily on the writings of John Locke and Thomas Jefferson, the declaration proclaimed that the Mexican government "ceased to protect the lives, liberty, and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived"[6] and complained about "arbitrary acts of oppression and tyranny."[7] Throughout the declaration are numerous references to the United States laws, rights, and customs. Omitted from the declaration was that the author and many of the signatories were citizens of the United States, occupying Texas illegally, and therefore had no legal rights in the governance of Mexico. The declaration clarifies that the men were accustomed to the laws and privileges of the United States, and were unfamiliar with the language, religion, and traditions of the nation that they were rebelling against.

The declaration officially established the Republic of Texas, although it was not officially recognized at that time by any government other than itself. The Mexican Republic still claimed the land and considered the delegates to be invaders, and the United States didn't recognize it since that would be an act of war against Mexico.[dubious – discuss]

Among others, the declaration mentions the following reasons for the separation:

Based upon the United States Declaration of Independence, the Texas Declaration also contains many memorable expressions of American political principles:

  • "the right of trial by jury, that palladium of civil liberty, and only safe guarantee for the life, liberty, and property of the citizen."
  • "our arms ... are essential to our defense, the rightful property of freemen, and formidable only to tyrannical governments."

Signatories

[edit]
The New Republic, with the area in yellow under formal control and the green area as claimed territory, over modern borders.

Sixty men signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. Three of them were born in Mexico. Fifty-seven of the sixty moved to Texas from the United States.[8] Ten of them had lived in Texas for more than six years, while one-quarter of them had been in the province for less than a year.[9] This is significant, because it indicates that the majority of signatories had moved to Texas after the Law of April 6, 1830, banning immigration, had taken effect, meaning that the majority were legally citizens of the United States, occupying Texas illegally. Fifty-nine of these men were delegates to the Convention, and one was the Convention Secretary, Herbert S. Kimble, who was not a delegate.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 98.
  2. ^ BERNICE, STRONG (June 15, 2010). "RUIZ, JOSE FRANCISCO". tshaonline.org. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 142.
  4. ^ Davis (1982), p. 38.
  5. ^ Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 144.
  6. ^ Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 145.
  7. ^ Roberts and Olson (2001), p. 146.
  8. ^ "Texas Declaration of Independence". sonofthesouth.net. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  9. ^ Scott (2000), p. 122.

References

[edit]
[edit]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Texas Declaration of Independence.
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