1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: editor Candice Gibson, joined by staff writer Dane McGrath. Either 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: it's a special day because every now and then we 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,040 Speaker 1: like to take a listener request, and today we have 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 1: a request from our friend Crystal Ellergy and she included 7 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: a little phonetic pronunciation of her name, and I really 8 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: hope I got it right, because how embarrassing with that 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: they've given my pension from his pronouncing everything when she 10 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: included it. Anyway, Crystal is twenty three years old. She 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: loves listening to the podcast, and she sent a whole 12 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: list of things she'd like to know more about, and 13 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: we chose number two on that list the Alamo. And 14 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,159 Speaker 1: Alamo is mostly known, I guess for the saying remember 15 00:00:50,159 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: the Alamo, which is hard for some people who don't 16 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 1: really know what happened. I can re remember it if 17 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: we don't know what happens. And that's the ironic thing, 18 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: really is that we're supposed to remember the Alamo, and 19 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:01,639 Speaker 1: yet most historians will come out and tell you that 20 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,759 Speaker 1: a lot of the facts surrounding the Alamo story are 21 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: just a lure and legend, and you can't believe everything 22 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:09,679 Speaker 1: you hear about the ALBUMO. So I mean really that 23 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: picks the question, how do you remember the Alamo? Yeah, 24 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: and why is it so mysterious? And we're gonna talk 25 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:17,000 Speaker 1: about all about that. Um, first, let's go back to 26 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:19,319 Speaker 1: when it was first built. It was actually back in 27 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: the early eighteenth century, and it wasn't originally built as 28 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: a ford. It was actually a Catholic mission, particularly Franciscan mission, 29 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: that was built back then, and they later abandoned it, 30 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: like before the century was out, it was it was 31 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: kind of empty, and by the eighteen one Spanish troops 32 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: started coming in and using it on and off as 33 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,240 Speaker 1: a ford. Because we should also mention that, like when 34 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: you think the Alamo, you probably have a memory of 35 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: like the picture of the thought of the church. I 36 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: actually didn't know much about the album. I've never been there, 37 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: and there's this whole big town back there, so we 38 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: should keep that in mind. Yeah, so when we tell 39 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: you later how many men and women and children were inside, 40 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: you might think, wow, they'll pretty close quarters, but not really, 41 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: because there was much more with a mission. Really think 42 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: about a mission, and and um, the point of the 43 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: Aluma was to convert Meso Americans living in the area 44 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: to Catholicism. And I think that even people who weren't 45 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,760 Speaker 1: exactly on board with religious conversion could at least get 46 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: on board with um the organization of farmlands around the mission. 47 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: So a lot of people were attracted the area, a 48 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: lot of people were living there. And then there was 49 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: a whole hullabaloo with what the heck was going to 50 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: happen in Texas because there were a lot of people 51 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: who wanted it so all tight. We've got a lot 52 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: of issts coming at you, beginning with monarchists who wanted 53 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: Texas and Mexico to answer back to Spain to be 54 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:39,079 Speaker 1: part of the monarchy, the Spanish monarchy. And we've said 55 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: before in an earlier podcast talking about Spain sort of 56 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: losing ground. Spain was losing ground. They didn't have a 57 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: lot of control over other colonies anymore, and uh, Texas 58 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: and Mexico might have been a last ditch effort to 59 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 1: keep the monarchy widespread. This writtened this comes back to 60 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: how Mexico it has gotten its independence in one from Spain, 61 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: and after that there was a lot of unrest. Uh 62 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 1: it should leads to the other is that we're going 63 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:04,080 Speaker 1: to talk about. For one, a lot of people wanted 64 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: like a centralist government for for Mexico after it broke away, 65 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:09,840 Speaker 1: but other people wanted a more federalist kind, which is 66 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: more like we have in the United States today. Did 67 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: you guys catch this to s centralists and federalists. And 68 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: then there is the United States. The United States at 69 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: this point was was going strong, but they could use 70 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: a little bit more land, so they wanted Texas to 71 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: And then we have another group, no ASTs, but the 72 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: people actually living in Texas, the Anglos and the Tahannas 73 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: or instead of the Anglos, and people say that the Texians. 74 00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: They wanted Texas to be independent, and that's a novel 75 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: idea that Texas could have just been its own entity, 76 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: and it might have worked because rebels like Sam Houston 77 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: were on board and he was a really tough guy, 78 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: so that almost worked out, but it didn't. That's right, 79 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,160 Speaker 1: and we should say that like when we talk about 80 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:53,240 Speaker 1: the United States wanting it, A lot of people um 81 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: in Texas. They like to be called Texians at that time, 82 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,559 Speaker 1: not just Texans, So I guess we'll use that term 83 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: a lot of the Texians wanted to be part of 84 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: the United States, and so they were kind of in 85 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:04,880 Speaker 1: the same boat, on the same size of the United States. 86 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,320 Speaker 1: That's why the U. S would send in their troops 87 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: to help help the Texians win their independence from UH 88 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: from Mexico. And at this time, the reason why the 89 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:17,720 Speaker 1: Texians were so um sort of upset and there was 90 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: unrest going on was because we should probably say that 91 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 1: a lot of people emigrated from the United States into Texas, 92 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 1: and so there was a mingle of sort of Hispanics 93 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,480 Speaker 1: who lived there and Anglos who who had moved in, 94 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: and they had moved in the eighteen twenties, and once 95 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: the Anglos and the Hispanics were mingling together in their 96 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,159 Speaker 1: Mexicans actually banned slavery. And this was a huge deal 97 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: for the especially the Anglos who had moved in who 98 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 1: were used to having slaves UH. They considered it essentials 99 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 1: to their economy. And not only the banning of of 100 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: UM slavery, but they also Mexico stopped immigration so that 101 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: their friends and family couldn't move in with them. They 102 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 1: put a taxes on imports of foreign goods, and UM 103 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:00,360 Speaker 1: Santa Anna was a major general at the time he 104 00:05:00,720 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: would take over and he started moving towards a strong 105 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: centralized government. And this is where things really imploded, because 106 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: we know that the Spanish eventually gave out parts of 107 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,280 Speaker 1: the lane in the missions around the Mesoamerican settlements through 108 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 1: the Indians, so they were still on the site, and 109 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: we know that there was some unrest with the Americans 110 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 1: coming in. So by December eighteen thirty five, General sam 111 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:26,159 Speaker 1: Houston was advising everyone around the Aluma to abandon it. 112 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: That's right. And Sam Houston is an interesting character if 113 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: we go back and look at his life a little 114 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:32,480 Speaker 1: bit and why he was even there in the first place. 115 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 1: He when he was a teenager, he actually ran away 116 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: and lived with the Cherokee Indians for a few years. 117 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,280 Speaker 1: They adopted him and so like he knew their language 118 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:41,680 Speaker 1: and everything like this, and so that's why the president 119 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 1: at the time, I believe it was Jackson sent him 120 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,880 Speaker 1: over to Texas because he was great with relations with 121 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 1: Indians at the time, and so he was he was 122 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: working with them in negotiating with them, and he ended 123 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: up living there, creating a house in Texas, and he 124 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: became very involved in the people in the culture there 125 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: and was elected Commander in chief of the Army for 126 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 1: the independence from Mexico. Unfortunately, as why as of Sam 127 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:06,800 Speaker 1: Houston was, no one listened to him. So there were 128 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:09,680 Speaker 1: a lot of tensions bearing inside the Alamo, and there 129 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: were a lot of big personalities too. There was Travis, 130 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:14,760 Speaker 1: and there was Bowie, and the Texians and the Tahanos 131 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,159 Speaker 1: didn't exactly get along. And another guy who was there 132 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,840 Speaker 1: who had a huge personality was Davy Crockett. And he 133 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: had told people that you may all go to Hell, 134 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: and I will go to Texas, and so we know 135 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: he had pretty grandiose notions of what he was going 136 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,720 Speaker 1: to get accomplished in the lone Star state. And he 137 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,480 Speaker 1: was very very much impassioned by texas struggle for freedom 138 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:36,919 Speaker 1: and he wanted to be a part of this. He 139 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: was just as outdoorsy and and bear hunting and you 140 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,680 Speaker 1: know chasen as Sam Houston was. He was just wild, 141 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: so he wanted part in this brawl too. And um, 142 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: after he helped defend the alum of the Crockett legend 143 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:54,000 Speaker 1: just kept growing and growing. So all these personalities inside, 144 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,159 Speaker 1: all of these tensions melting, it only gets worse and 145 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: worse when they when they get word that Santa Anna 146 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:01,719 Speaker 1: and his troops are advancing, and they know they really 147 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: don't have a huge shot. They've got less than two 148 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: hundred men inside and their chances are slim against an 149 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: army of a couple of thousand, and so legend says 150 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: that Travis drew a line in the sand inside the 151 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: mission and asked every single person in there who was 152 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: willing to give their lives to defend the alum out 153 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: across the line, and according to legend, everyone crossed it 154 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: but one man. And I think that the one man 155 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 1: who didn't cross that was actually Travis's slave Joe, and 156 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: he was the sole man who lived who went on 157 00:07:33,360 --> 00:07:35,520 Speaker 1: to give an account of what happened. I think he 158 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,720 Speaker 1: didn't cross, otherwise we would have no idea really went. 159 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:40,240 Speaker 1: And it's interesting that, you know, like a couple of 160 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: thousand men, and I think it's kind of disputed, at 161 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,080 Speaker 1: least the sources that I found. Um Some people say 162 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: he has Santa Ana had a little as little as 163 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: eight hundred men, some people say as much as six thousand. 164 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: Either way, they definitely had way more men than were 165 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,400 Speaker 1: in the Alamo, and it's amazing that they would the 166 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: people in the Almo were able to hold them all 167 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: for so long. It's a good thirteen days that um 168 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: the Texians were able to hold the forts. And it 169 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:08,520 Speaker 1: started in February thirty six when Santa Anna arrived, and 170 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: for the next thirteen days there was a battle like Canada, 171 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: said Travis Steward, line in the dirt and uh and people. 172 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 1: You know. It just goes to show how like people's 173 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: spirits were up. They were they were ready to die. 174 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: Of course, they knew they probably would die for this. 175 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: So by March six, the Mexicans stormed and this happened 176 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 1: about five am, and sadly, it took no more than 177 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: an hour, I think are a little over an hour 178 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,720 Speaker 1: for the Mexicans to basically come in and slaughter almost 179 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: everybody who was there. They really did. They spared the 180 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,800 Speaker 1: women and children, but once they were able to break 181 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: through the walls of of the mission, cannon fire could 182 00:08:45,080 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: only hold them off for so long and they got 183 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: down to man and man combat. It was all over. 184 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:51,480 Speaker 1: And I think that Travis was one of the first 185 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:53,960 Speaker 1: to die. And this is where it comes in handy 186 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: to have knife skills like Bowie and to be really tough, 187 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: like Davy Crockett, because at this point you're using fest years, 188 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: using nives, you're using like the butts of guns, you're 189 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,559 Speaker 1: using bayonets, and it was just an all out brawl. 190 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: But also, again, like Dane said, we have to take 191 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: these numbers with a grain of salt, but to know 192 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: that around uh, six hundred and sixteen hundred Mexicans were 193 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 1: killed when they were only about one seven people inside 194 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: the Alamo, that's really impressive odds. And if you look 195 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: at the Alamos website, there's a website for them, the 196 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,559 Speaker 1: historic Landmark. They said that people worldwide continue to remember 197 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: the Alamo as a heroic struggle against impossible odds, a 198 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. And 199 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: really when you look at it that way and sort 200 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:44,839 Speaker 1: of like the classic struggle between David and Goliath, Yeah, 201 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:46,760 Speaker 1: I can totally see that. And that brings me to 202 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,560 Speaker 1: a point. I wanted to bring up about Santa Ana, 203 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: the general, Mexican general in volt here, because he was 204 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,200 Speaker 1: seen as uh, you could say Goliath. He was seen 205 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: as incredibly cruel, and I remember reading that he told 206 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: his forces to not take any prisoners, I mean, besides 207 00:10:01,160 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: the women and children, no fighting men. We were taken prisoner. 208 00:10:04,040 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 1: Another source says that any that some were taken prisoner, 209 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: but they were um soon actually burned. He uh, no 210 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 1: matter whether they were burned alive or dead. Santa Anna 211 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: did order the heroes, at least from the album of 212 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:17,840 Speaker 1: the Texian Heroes to be burned in sort of this 213 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 1: public statement scaring the rest of the rest of the 214 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: Texians who were fighting for independence, and it was certainly cruel, 215 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:27,760 Speaker 1: but it did not quell any spirit that drove the 216 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 1: remembered the Alamo um rallying cry. It really did end. 217 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,920 Speaker 1: So when Sam Houston's army got the chance to confront 218 00:10:34,960 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: Santa Anna's army, they were really fired up with cries 219 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: I remember the Alamo, and they overtook Santa Anna and 220 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,480 Speaker 1: his trips. That's right. This was the decisive Battle of 221 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,840 Speaker 1: San Jacinto. And it's interesting to note that not only 222 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: I mean it's true that the Alamo did fall, and 223 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: it was a tragic loss, but it did buy time 224 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 1: for Houston to um to rally his troops, to train 225 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:58,719 Speaker 1: his troops, who were sort of ragtag group of volunteers, 226 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,559 Speaker 1: and um he was also able to zig zag around 227 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:05,120 Speaker 1: around Texas in order to hold off Santa Ana until 228 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 1: he was ready to fight. And he was ready, and 229 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:09,559 Speaker 1: this was about six weeks after the Alamo. And it's 230 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:12,120 Speaker 1: made for a pretty short war actually that he was 231 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: able to pull this off so quickly. And he took 232 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: about men across the plains of San Jacinto and they 233 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: all were all rallying Remember the Alamo. Remember the Alamo. 234 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: And they won the battle, they captured Santa Ana and 235 00:11:24,040 --> 00:11:28,000 Speaker 1: uh made him like relent to independence. And it's funny 236 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: today you hear the expression remember the Alamo, and it's 237 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: almost uh perfect little encapsulation of American spirit because it 238 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: shows how tough and how independent we can be when 239 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: we're passionate about the cause of freedom. And so today 240 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: when you hear people say remember the Alamo, you know, 241 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,280 Speaker 1: maybe sometimes you're just being cheeky, but I think more 242 00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 1: often than not they're not really referring to the Franciscan 243 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 1: mission back in um the early eighteenth century. But more 244 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: or less they were referring to the American spirits. That's right, 245 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 1: And we should make a note about um what happened 246 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: to Texas immediately after the war. They actually they voted 247 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: to ask to be admitted into the United States pretty quickly, 248 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: and they weren't actually um even though the United States 249 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: wanted them. Eventually, there was a lot of problems in 250 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: terms of the fact that they wanted to be a 251 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: slave state, and this caused problems of what would happen 252 00:12:19,160 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: if they were admitted as a slave state and UM 253 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: And there was actually a fear of entering war into 254 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 1: Mexico if they did allow Texas in because Mexico was like, 255 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 1: if you do this, we're gonna caut off ties. And 256 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,040 Speaker 1: there was this fear, and so it didn't. It took 257 00:12:32,040 --> 00:12:33,960 Speaker 1: another decade for them to be admitted to the Union, 258 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 1: and even then Mexico was still, you know, pretty sore 259 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: about it, and they entered it into um a war 260 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:42,520 Speaker 1: with the United States over it. And so that is 261 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: the story of the Alamo and a little taste of 262 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:49,120 Speaker 1: Texas and Mexican history too. So for even more about 263 00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:52,800 Speaker 1: Texas and the Alamo and leaders like Santa Anna, you 264 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: can't check it out on how stuff Works stoff for 265 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. How stuff 266 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:02,720 Speaker 1: works dot com. What is Noah to Think? 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