Common Misconceptions About Texas Independence

By Kasandra Garza
Assistant News Director

The battle for Texas Independence was a battle over politics that aligned people who were in favor of local self-­government and included a large number of Tejanos. However, there are a few misconceptions and details left out some people forget or misrepresent. 

Jesus Francisco, Professor of History and Director of the Center for the Study of the Southwest at Texas State University, said it wasn’t a “white versus brown” issue, but instead an issue of people who wanted Texas to be as independent as possible and saw the rights that the states had as a threat to the country of Mexico.

Francisco says one detail that is often neglected is that the battle for independence was also about slavery.

“The people of Texas and a large number of the Tejano elite were in favor the continuation of slavery in Texas,” Francisco said. “Anglo Americans and Tejanos who felt that Mexico’s attitude towards slavery threatened the economic development also were obviously in favor of separation.”

Francisco said because the cotton industry was dependent on slave labor, Texans were in favor of slavery.

Francisco believes the Battle for Independence resulted in a stigma that Mexicans were the “enemy.” He said because the Alamo proved to be a disaster, and lead to what is known as the “Goliad Massacre,” attitude that Mexicans were the enemy was created. He said this attitude was solidified in the way the battle of San Jacinto was constructed as retaliation against Santa Anna.

“The battles of the war of independence racialized the Texas struggle for independence in a way that’s unfortunate because it shaped attitudes towards the Tejanos and Mexican­ American populations in Texas for generations to come,” added Francisco. “I think that if there was any way in which the battles had an effect in the way we later thought about Texas, it was in making it an Anglo place and making its Hispanic population enemies and outsiders.”

Not a single celebration will be held on the Texas State University campus, nor will any celebration take place in San Marcos. Francisco said he believes this is because there is no real connection between San Marcos considering the battle for Texas Independence did not take place in the area.