Anglo Expansion, Research Paper Example

Texas used to be a part of Mexico in the 1820s. Even in the 1800s Texas has been one of the most desired destinations for immigrants and migrants. This is because of the fact that Texas land was affordable and cheap enough for a lot of Americans. Hence, the immigration rate in Texas was high. However, the Mexican government and people exerted all efforts to put a stop to the immigrating Americans. Another reason for this effort is due to the concept of slavery that a lot of Americans embraced back in the day. While the Mexican law worked against slavery, the Americans brought slave to Texas. The conflict between Texas and the Mexican government had grown so much that Texas broke free from Mexico and became a republic of their own until the time it was annexed as the 28^th states of America and became the lone star state.

Key to Transformation

The key to the transformation of Texas to become what is known now as the lone star states of Texas is the goal to populate the land and boost the economy. However, as the number of immigrants soared high, the Mexican government slowly lost control over the land. As a result of which, general lawlessness was apparent in Taxes. The laws were not being enforced and the people were not following the laws that were laid. In order to control the situation, the Mexican government outlawed the concept of slavery and terminated the American immigration to Texas (Acuna, 32). Hence, civil war occurred as the Texans fought for the overturning of the restrictions in immigrations and the outlawing of slavery. This resulted to the independence and the establishment of the Republic of Texas.

However, the analysis of the transformation will reveal that the Republic of Texas, though unique in its own accord, is only short-lived and unsuccessful. In addition, the annexation of Texas did not occur easy. As a matter of fact the United States government had a hard time accepting the pro-slavery position of Texas when almost all the rest of the country has abolished or trying to abolish slavery (Carrasco, 147). The primary contention on the pro-slavery in Texas is the fact that it is against the moral standards of the society. The political and social message that the country has over the issue on slavery was clear and the nation wanted it to be eradicated. The truth of the matter is that how a country that is known to be the land of the free can be embracing the concept of slavery is beyond comprehension. Texas tried and rebelled against the Mexican government because the people felt suppressed and oppressed by the laws that the country and the government imposed to the people. Yet, it supported slavery.

Another factor that affected the transformation of the Texas was the apparent cultural differences between the Anglos and the Mexicans. The Anglo-Mexican relationship was a complex one. The Mexican government expected that the Anglo will adapt successfully to the current cultural background of Texas in the 1820s. However, there were not much dramatic changes that were recorded. The truth, though, is that Anglo tried to embrace the cultural differences by learning the language and agreed to embrace the religion of Catholicism. But then again, it only took a matter of time before the Anglo actually fought to eradicate Spanish as the main language and replace it with English. Even with the promise to embrace Catholicism, the Anglo found it hard to embrace the religion after immigrating to Texas. This is particularly due to the Anglo’s own religious background which is primarily Methodist and Baptist affiliation. Such background has contributed to the strained relationship between the two who thought of each other as infidels (Menchanca, 100). The difference in the judicial systems likewise made an impact to the transformation of Texas. The Napoleonic Code was the main system followed by the Mexicans while the Anglo followed a system based on the English law. This difference has caused a lot of tension in the relationship and resulted in some serious bitter disputes that had contributed to the desire of Texas to leave and become a nation of its own.

In this regard, since the relationship has been tarnished, Texas and Mexico separated and Texas became a republic until its annexation as the 28^th state of America. It cannot be denied that slavery and cultural differences are among the many others factors and forces that contributed to the transformation of what is known now as the State of Texas. Although there are some remarkable failures that Texas and Mexico faced during such crucial transformation, it cannot be denied that both Texas and Mexico learned the importance of cultural identity as the core of one’s existence. Without which, a nation and its people will just be like hollow block who do not have their identity, their culture and essence. This event in the history also proved that there is power in number and if people unite, they can achieve whatever their goals and aspirations are.

Work Cited

Acuna, Rodolfo. Occupied America: A History of Chicanos. New York: Pearson, 2011.

Carrasco, David. Religions of Mesoamerica: Secon Edition. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc., 2014.

Menchanca, Martha. Recovering History, Constructing Race. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2002.