Texas Ranger Division

Protestant/Pro-Slavery. Once James K. Polk was elected, everything changed. Polk not only wanted Texas, he wanted California as well. The thing is, California was still Mexico’s territory. Texas, however, was not, after winning their independence from Mexico in 1836. Polk tried to settle the dispute over the land by sending General Taylor and the American troops into the disputed area in the southern part of Texas. Polk also sent John Slidell to Mexico City to try and buy California from Mexico,…

At the Battle of Puebla in 1862, the Mexican Army, led by a general named Zaragoza, fought against the French and won an unlikely victory. This battle took place during a very chaotic time in Mexico’s history. However, the Mexican Army still managed to achieve success with the many struggles they were facing. Following their success, the soldiers held a party in celebration of their massive achievement. Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, reminds people of the numerous struggles that Mexicans faced…

Hernando Cortes Many know the Name Hernando Cortez, but few know the story of how he conquered South America. He was born in megalin, Spain in 1485. Cortes was conceived into a wealthy noble Spanish family. He was plagued with illness as an adolescent, but was healthy after the age of 18. He first served as a soldier under Diego Velázquez in 1511, but he ignored orders and traveled to Mexico with 500 men in 1519. He had his eyes set on overthrowing the wealthy Aztec empire. Spain would…

The Conquistador’s Journey In the spring of 1527, five Spanish ships left their home for the New World. If they can predict their future, they would have not done that. It was a 300 man crew, but by the fall of 1532, there would only be four. Cabeza de Vaca was one of the four. How did Cabeza de Vaca survive ? Cabeza de Vaca survived by having great survival skills, success as a healer, and the respect from the Native Americans. One reason Cabeza de Vaca survived is by having great survival…

Texas stands as a state today because of a back and forth battle between Mexico and the United States. In late 1844, Polk was elected President of the United States. He wanted to annex Texas and he also had his eyes on California. Congress finally voted to annex Texas before he took office. Polk was delighted. On May 9, 1846, Mexican soldiers fired upon Americans on the “Texas side” of the Rio Grande, the area claimed by the United States. That action gave President Polk a justification for…

with the Mexican government, in which he would offer the protection from European countries, the help in building up a stable government, as well as the establishment of a strong relationship between two countries in exchange for the annexation of Texas and the area of California and New Mexico. Let first take a look at the condition of the two countries before 1846. In 1845, James Polk took the office and he started to aim for taking new territories into the country. Therefore, it was no doubt…

Judges in the state of Texas are selected in a couple different ways either by appointment by the governor or through the use of a partisan elections. The crucial factor in election for judicial positions in Texas is the money that the candidate raises for their election campaign. The elections for judges are often criticized in Texas due to the partisanship of the election, many call for the elections to be nonpartisan. There are two main ways that judges are elected in Texas, through either…

from Spain, this westward movement along with many other expansionist ideas raised minimal Mexican government concern. The Mexican government didn’t look past the Americans who offered traded goods in exchange for land, “a foreigner who settled in Texas received a liberal grant of land in exchange for developing it,”. (58) Many Anglos who would only have trading rights eventually wanted to make Mexico their home. They became Roman Catholics, learned Spanish, and sometimes married and lived…

creation of the Republic of Texas. Houston was born on March 2nd, 1863 in Rockbridge County Virginia. As a product of his era, Houston embraced Westward expansion and moved to Tennessee. While the true intentions for Houston’s arrival in Texas are unknown, it is evident he quickly rose within the hierarchy of Texas politics as he was elected to President at two separate times. However, as Williams suggests in his book, Sam Houston: The Life and Times of the Liberator of Texas, an Authentic…

One of humanities most nagging questions is: “What is the purpose of suffering?” In Moira Crone’s short story, “Pecos Bill”, she does not directly answer this perplexing question, but she highlights an outcome of suffering. Grace. Perhaps pain and hardship serves as a conduit through which grace is granted. Grace, throughout the narrative of “Pecos Bill”, is depicted through selfless acts which serve to alleviate the suffering of an undeserving character, Celeste. The main character of “Pecos…