Texas Frontier

THE FRONTIER GALLERY. WE SEE THE STATUE OF S.F. AUSTIN IN THE FOREGROUND – TWO SHOTS WITHOUT TALENT V/O: After won its independence from Spain in 1821, it encouraged even more Anglo settlements in Texas. Because Mexico didn’t have the manpower or the money to protect settlers in its northern regions from Apache and Comanche raids, it began encouraging colonists from the United States to settle in Texas to create a buffer. By the early , over 30,000 Anglos lived in Texas…mostly Eastern Texas, compared to the 7800 Mexicans who largely populated the western part of Texas. It was largely the citizens of eastern Texas that would soon participate in the .

V/O: The Spanish controlled what we now know as Texas when won permission to establish a colony there in 1820. He lived only a few more months and, just before he died, he requested his son, Stephen F. Austin, take over his Texas Venture.

KIDS MOVE IN TO THE ROOM, IN FRONT OF THE STATUE

ALICIA: Who’s that?

MATTHEW: That’s Stephen F. Austin. He brought the first 300 Anglo colonists to Texas in 1822, and most of them settled on the Colorado and Brazos Rivers. That map he’s holding is based on the map he sketched after he came to Texas.

THEY MOVE OVER TO THE REAL MAP ON THE WALL

MATTHEW: This is the actual map that was printed from Stephen F Austin’s drawing of Texas.

V/O: By 1836, more than 10,000 families encouraged by Austin’s efforts, had settled in Texas. But, in 1836, Mexico’s president and military leader, Santa Anna, repealed the democratic Constitution of 1824 and declared himself a dictator. This led Texas, and other states in the Republic of Mexico, to revolt. In October 1835, the Mexicans killed some 500 Texans at La Bahia, Goliad. On February 23, 1836, General Santa Anna and 6000 Mexican soldiers overwhelmed the nearly 200 Texans defending the Alamo.

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THEY’VE NOW MOVED OVER TO THE DIORAMA AALIYAH: What’s this?

MATTHEW: This is a model of the Battle of San Jacinto. It’s called a diorama. This is where the Texans, under General , finally made a stand and ambushed Santa Anna and defeated his army on April 21st, 1836. The battle lasted only 18 minutes.

ASHER: Whoa, that was fast.

MATTHEW: Yeah….each one of these little pieces was hand-painted. There are over 1200 pieces.

ALICIA: This is sooo cool. Who’s that on the gray horse leading the Texans?

ASHER: I think it’s Sam Houston!

MATTHEW: You are right, and there is the Mexican general, Santa Anna, escaping on the black horse.

MATTHEW: Do you remember what the battle cry of the Texas Revolution was?

ASHER, AALIYAH, ALICIA: Remember the Alamo!!! Remember Goliad!

MATTHEW (Smiling): Good

THEY CONTINUE WALKING AROUND THE DIORAMA LOOKING AT IT.

V/O: With the capture of Santa Anna the day after the battle and the signing of the Treaties of Velasco, the war ended and the Republic of Texas was established in October 1836, with Sam Houston as its first president.

THEY’VE NOW MOVED OVER TO THE SWORD THAT CAPTURED SANTA ANNA

MATTHEW: Now here’s something really cool.

THE SWORD HANGS IN THE AIR NEXT TO THEM

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MATTHEW: This is the very sword that was used to capture Santa Anna. It belonged to a man by the name of Joel Robison and the sword was passed down through his family and wound up here more than a 180 years later. Isn’t that amazing?

ASHER: That’s an important sword. I bet Santa Anna didn’t like being prodded along with that sword after being captured

MATTHEW: I’ll say.

THEY’VE NOW MOVED OVER TO THE CASE WITH THE COLT WALKER MATTHEW: This case contains artifacts from when Texas was a separate nation Like the U.S. is today. And this…. know what this is?

ALICIA: A gun?

MATTHEW: Yep…..but this is probably the most important pistol in western history. It’s called the Colt Walker. It’s the pistol that allowed Texas Rangers to compete with the Comanche Indians.

ASHER: What do you mean?

MATTHEW: Well the Comanche, on horseback, were the best mounted fighters in U.S. history. They could shoot ten arrows a minute while riding horseback. This pistol with its repeating firepower helped the Rangers defeat them.

ASHER: Cool.

MATTHEW: Yeah…..ok, let’s move on, still a lot to see.

MATTHEW TURNS TO CAMERA

MATTHEW: And you….try to keep up.

HE SMILES AND THEY EXIT THE ROOM

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