University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2015 "Children of the Great Mexican Family": Anglo-American Immigration to Texas and the Making of the American Empire, 1820-1861 Sarah Katherine Manning Rodriguez University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Rodriguez, Sarah Katherine Manning, ""Children of the Great Mexican Family": Anglo-American Immigration to Texas and the Making of the American Empire, 1820-1861" (2015). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1981. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1981 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1981 For more information, please contact [email protected]. "Children of the Great Mexican Family": Anglo-American Immigration to Texas and the Making of the American Empire, 1820-1861 Abstract This dissertation examines the thousands of Anglo-Americans who immigrated to Mexican Texas during the years following its independence from Spain. Long assumed to be the forbears of Manifest Destiny, it argues instead that these immigrants demonstrated a sincere desire to become Mexican citizens, that they were attracted to that country as much for its political promise as for its natural resources, and that they in fact shared more with their northern Mexican neighbors than with their compatriots in the northeastern United States. Drawing chiefly from the personal papers, diplomatic correspondence, and newspapers of Anglo settlers and their Mexican allies, this dissertation exposes a political irony at the heart of the United States’ imperial rise - that it had to do with that country’s early political weakness, rather than Mexico’s, and that the people most responsible for it were in fact trying to escape US dominion, not perpetuate it. It argues that Mexico offered a viable and attractive alternative to the US. Rather than seeing Mexico’s commitment to regional sovereignty and local autonomy as its chief failure, this project argues that it was precisely what attracted these immigrants to Mexico and formed the basis of their loyalty. Yet, if Mexico’s weak central government was its strength in the 1820’s, it would be the source of conflict and secession by the 1830’s and 1840’s. But Mexico was not unique in this regard. Indeed, this project recasts the US Civil War as part of a longer and more expansive experiment in extreme federalism by arguing that Texans seceded from Mexico for many of the same reasons that they and the rest of the South would ultimately secede from the United States. Thus, throughout the early part of the nineteenth century, the dominant geopolitical arrangement of the northwestern hemisphere was not primarily national. Rather, the southern United States and northern Mexico formed a semi-autonomous region united by its inhabitants’ shared commitment to regional sovereignty, martial citizenship, forced labor, and free trade; and one that presented the possibility of a geopolitical arrangement very different from that which ultimately emerged. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group History First Advisor Stephanie McCurry Keywords Civil War, Early Mexico, Early Republic, Nineteenth Century, US Empire, US-Mexico Borderlands Subject Categories History This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1981 “CHILDREN OF THE GREAT MEXICAN FAMILY” ANGLO-AMERICAN IMMIGRATION TO TEXAS AND THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, 1820-1861 Sarah KM Rodríguez A DISSERTATION in History Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 Supervisor of Dissertation _____________________ Stephanie McCurry Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of History Graduate Group Chairperson _______________________ Benjamin Nathans, Ronald S. Lauder Endowed Term Associate Professor of History Dissertation Committee Kathleen Brown, Professor of History Steven Hahn, Roy F. and Jeanette P. Nichols Professor of History Daniel K. Richter, Roy F. and Jeanette P. Nichols Professor of History Andrés Reséndez, (UC Davis), Professor of History “CHILDREN OF THE GREAT MEXICAN FAMILY:” ANGLO-AMERICAN IMMIGRATION TO TEXAS AND THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, 1820-1861 COPYRIGHT 2015 Sarah KM Rodríguez This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT Although I authored this dissertation, it is hardly the product of my efforts alone. An array of individuals have contributed to this project and to my intellectual development since I started graduate school eight years ago. Perhaps most deserving of thanks are the member of my committee, each of whom contributed in their own way. Steve Hahn helped with the early conceptualization of this project. Kathy Brown has consistently encouraged me to “embrace the mess,” and pushing me towards greater nuance when interpreting my sources. Andrés Reséndez went above and beyond the call of duty as an outsider reader. He read every word of the dissertation – sometimes twice – offering support and compassion every step of the way. Dan Richter also read every word of this dissertation in its various iterations. Dan also welcomed me into the McNeil Center and has proven a tireless advocate of this project and my career ever since. Finally, I could not ask for a better advisor in Stephanie McCurry. A devoted, scholar, mentor, and friend, Stephanie was there every step of the way and under her tutelage I have become a more confident scholar than I ever thought I would. In addition to my committee, Rachel St. John also read portions of this project and provided crucial feedback. Anne Farnsworth-Alvear introduced me to early Latin American historiography and Vince Brown has provided encouragement and friendship, as well as introducing me to Rachel. The very competent staffs of the Rosenberg Library, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, the Benson Latin American iv Center, and the Briscoe Center for American History provided crucial assistance and advice during my research. I especially want to thank John Wheat for his assistance in translating portions of the Béxar Archives. I was fortunate enough to receive several generous fellowships that sustained this project during its final years and brought me into contact with a vibrant and supportive community of peers. At the Smithsonian I enjoyed the support and friendship of Steve Velasquéz, Pete Daniels, Amrys Williams and Mary Mendoza. The Penn Program in Democracy, Citizenship and Constitutionalism exposed me to a vibrant intellectual community that included co-fellows Ian Hartshorn and Basak Taraktas, as well as the incomparable Rogers Smith, whose encouragement and insight kept me motivated through my last year of grad school. Finally, the McNeil Center for Early American History provided a wonderful home in the company of a brilliant and warm community of scholars in Noe Arista, Michael Blaakman, Lori Daggar, Sara Damiano, Claire Gherini, Katie Hemphill, Brenna O’Roarke Holland, Don Johnson, Pippa Koch, Matthew Kruer, Mairin Odle, and Tommy Richards. During my time at MCEAS, I was also fortunate enough to know and work with Dallett Hemphill who passed away shortly after my defense, but whose insight, humor, and generosity represented the best in our profession and whose model I can only hope to approximate. At Penn, I was lucky enough to read, work, and laugh with Greg Ablavsky, Abby Cooper, Julie Davidow, Jack Dwiggins, Julia Gunn, Hope McGrath, Alexis Neuman, Roberto Saba, Evgania Shnayder Shoop, Justin Simard, , Maryan Soliman, and Emma v Tietalman. Matt and Roberto contributed the most intellectually to this project, reading portions of it and supplying valuable feedback; Jack contributed to my understanding of the early American militia; and Maryn, Greg, and Justin have been there from the beginning. Finally, I have relied far too much on Erika Kitzmiller and Zain Lakhani over the last eight years. Their loyalty, courage and intellect continues to awe and inspire men, and without their friendships I don’t know where I would be. My family deserves the greatest thanks of all. My grandmother Maxine, my aunt Cathy, and my cousins, Sirena, Stephanie, and Rachel have provided unconditional love, support and the occasional reality check. My grandfather, Raúl, although he passed away when I was seven, remains a constant presence in my life. Although he never received a formal education passed the tenth grade, he was a consummate intellectual, who inspired my pursuit of knowledge perhaps more than anyone. My brother Noel and sister-in-law, Robin, have encouraged my education and ambition for as long as I can remember. They also blessed our family with my niece, Maeve, and my nephew, Eben, who have filled our lives with joy. Finally, my parents, Jan and John deserve the greatest thanks of all. Their unwavering sacrifice, wisdom and courage have made this, and all of my accomplishments, possible. vi ABSTRACT “CHILDREN OF THE GREAT MEXICAN FAMILY” ANGLO-AMERICAN IMMIGRATION TO TEXAS AND THE MAKING OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE, 1820-1861 Sarah KM Rodríguez Stephanie McCurry This dissertation examines the thousands of Anglo-Americans who immigrated to Mexican