1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey everyone, I'm Eves and welcome back to 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:10,720 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a podcast where we unwrap 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 1: a piece of history candy every day. Today's December twenty one, nineteen. 5 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 1: The day was December one, eighty six. After declaring independence 6 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 1: from Mexico, brothers Hayden and Benjamin Edwards and their rebel 7 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: followers proclaimed the Republic of Fredonia and signed a declaration 8 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: of independence. The revolt was short lived. A month after 9 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: it began, the rebels fled to the United States. As 10 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: Mexican military forces advanced. Mexico gained independence from Spain in 11 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: eight one, creating the first Mexican Empire. Two years later, 12 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: the emperor abd hated the throne, and in eighteen twenty four, 13 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: Mexico adopted a republican constitution. One issue Mexico faced was 14 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: figuring out how to increase population in the northern Department 15 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,759 Speaker 1: of Texas and secure the area from Native Americans and 16 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: other Americans seeking land. In August of eighteen twenty four, 17 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,199 Speaker 1: the Mexican government passed a National Colonization Law that set 18 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 1: some guidelines for people immigrating into Mexico Each Mexican state 19 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 1: was directed to create its own statutes around the general 20 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: Colonization Law. One of the states of the new Federal 21 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: Republic was Kuawela Etajas, which set up a system where, 22 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: among other regulations regarding immigration, impresarios could petition the government 23 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,119 Speaker 1: to bring one hundred or more families to the state 24 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: at their expense. An impressario was a person who entered 25 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,880 Speaker 1: into a contract with the Mexican government to bring a 26 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,400 Speaker 1: certain number of families to Texas in exchange for land grants. 27 00:01:56,440 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: In eighteen, land speculator Hayden Edwards got grant from the 28 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: Mexican government to bring up to eight hundred new families 29 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,560 Speaker 1: to the area around Nakodoches in eastern Texas. His contract 30 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: required him to uphold all land grants in the area 31 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: that had been certified by the Spanish and Mexican governments. 32 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: It also required that he set up a militia to 33 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: protect the colonists, and that he allowed a land commissioner 34 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: appointed by the government to certify awarded deeds. But when 35 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: he got to Nakodoches, he demanded that previous landowners would 36 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: have to present evidence of their land claims or forfeit 37 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: the land. Of course, this was a controversial move. Many 38 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:37,679 Speaker 1: of the people in the area had families who lived 39 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: there for decades, so they're legal titles were lost. Some 40 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: people who lived there were former residents of the Neutral Ground, 41 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: an area to the east inhabitant by many fugitives. Some 42 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: were Native Americans who had history there before Spanish colonization, 43 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,239 Speaker 1: or those who had been forced out of the US. 44 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: There were squatters there, and there were many Anglo Americans 45 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,079 Speaker 1: in the area, some who had come as filibusters. All 46 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: that to say, residents were not happy with edwards demands. 47 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: He began recruiting families in the US for immigration into Nakodoches. 48 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 1: The All Calliday, or chief administrative and Judicial officer of Nakodoches, 49 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: as well as the town clerk, worked to validate old 50 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: land titles once they found out Edwards got his grant. 51 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,160 Speaker 1: Edwards accused them of forging land titles to his detriment, 52 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: and soon Edwards was calling for elections for a new 53 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,240 Speaker 1: all Call day, even though he wasn't officially allowed to 54 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: do so either way. Edwards son in law, Chichester Chaplin, 55 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: took the office after a disputed election, but supporters of 56 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: Chaplain's opponent, Samuel Norris, contested the decision, and in March 57 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: of eight six, Jote Antonio Salzedo, the political chief of 58 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: Texas and Vexar, reversed the results of the election on 59 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: the claim that illegal votes had been cast for Chaplin. 60 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,120 Speaker 1: Norris became all call day. This not sit well with 61 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: Edwards and his supporters, and related and unrelated conflicts continued 62 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: in Nacodoches throughout eight Hayden's brother Benjamin was left in 63 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: charge of the town while Hayden went to the US 64 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: to recruit more families, and during this time tensions between 65 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,719 Speaker 1: old and new residents escalated. By the end of September, 66 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:27,120 Speaker 1: Hayden's grant was revoked. This annulment was on the basis 67 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: of him declaring himself military commander, forcing people to show 68 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: their land titles or be evicted, and other wrongdoings. Hayden 69 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,599 Speaker 1: and Benjamin were ordered to leave Mexico, but they resisted 70 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: the order. In November, a group of around forty man 71 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:48,800 Speaker 1: from the I sh Bayou entered Nacodoches and arrested Samuel Norris, Hayden, Edwards, 72 00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: and others. Hayden was released, possibly because he was arrested 73 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: to hide his own involvement in the affair, but the 74 00:04:56,080 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 1: others were tried and convicted. Mexican authorities soon sent dragoons 75 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: and infantrymen to the area. The Utwards prepared to fight. 76 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: They determined that they would have to break from Mexico 77 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: to protect their land investment. On December sixteenth, Benjamin rode 78 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 1: into Nakodoches with a group of armed men and seized 79 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: the Old Stone Fort. The rebels raised a red and 80 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: white flag that said independence, Liberty, and justice. The red 81 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: represented the Cherokee and the white the White Rebels. Hayden 82 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,000 Speaker 1: declared himself commander in chief of the Republic of Fredonia, 83 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 1: and Martin Palmer became commander of the military. Many others 84 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: joined their rebellion. Parmer negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee 85 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: for mutual support, and the rebels signed a declaration of 86 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: independence on December one, but the rebellion didn't go anywhere. 87 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: The rebels didn't get much help from the Cherokee, and 88 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: the Texian militia and Mexican troops forced the rebels to 89 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:57,479 Speaker 1: flee towards the Sabine River and into Louisiana. The rebellion 90 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 1: was over by the end of January, but it increase 91 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,880 Speaker 1: the Mexican government's weariness of immigration from the US, and 92 00:06:04,040 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: it caused more tension between white colonists and indigenous tribes. 93 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeff Coote and hopefully you know a little 94 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did it yesterday. Feel 95 00:06:14,440 --> 00:06:17,640 Speaker 1: free to share your thoughts or your innermost feelings with 96 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: us and with other listeners on social media at t 97 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: d I h C podcast and you can send your 98 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: thoughts are comments to us at this Day at I 99 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,120 Speaker 1: heart media dot com. Thanks for listening to today's episode. 100 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:41,919 Speaker 1: We'll see you again tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 101 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 102 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.