Who was santa anna texas history

For the census-designated place in Starr County, see Santa Anna, Starr County, Texas.

Town in Texas, United States

Santa Anna is a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, United States. Its population was 1,014 at the 2020 census.

Geography

Santa Anna is located in east central Coleman County. Three U.S. highways pass through the center of town. U.S. Route 283 leads south 44 miles (71 km) to Brady, U.S. Route 67 leads west 39 miles (63 km) to Ballinger, while U.S. Route 84 and US 283 together lead northwest 9 miles (14 km) to Coleman, the county seat, and US 67 and 84 together lead east 21 miles (34 km) to Brownwood.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km), all of it land.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Santa Anna has a humid subtropical climate, Cfa on climate maps.

History

The twin mesas in central Coleman County have always been a landmark. One of the earliest maps of Texas shows a mountain near the center of the state with the notation, "Santa Anna's Peaks". The mountain and later the town were named for Comanche war chief Santanna, or Santa Anna.

Texas Rangers camped at the foot of the mountain long before the area was settled. Cattle drives from South Texas to the northern markets passed through the gap in the mountain along a military road. This road helped supply the outpost forts along the Texas Forts Trail. The first permanent European-American settlers soon built homes near a freshwater spring at the foot of the mountain. One enterprising settler stocked a supply of goods for trail drivers and settlers, starting the first business at "The Gap" in the early 1870s. In 1879, a petition to open a post office was filed, and the name of "Santa Anna

Santa Anna

8th President of Mexico (1794–1876)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López de Santa Anna and the second or maternal family name is Pérez de Lebrón.

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (21 February 1794 – 21 June 1876), often known as Santa Anna, was a Mexican general, politician, and caudillo who served as the 8th president of Mexico on multiple occasions between 1833 and 1855. He also served as vice president of Mexico from 1837 to 1839. He was a controversial and pivotal figure in Mexican politics during the 19th century, to the point that he has been called an "uncrowned monarch", and historians often refer to the three decades after Mexican independence as the "Age of Santa Anna".

Santa Anna was in charge of the garrison at Veracruz at the time Mexico won independence in 1821. He would go on to play a notable role in the fall of the First Mexican Empire, the fall of the First Mexican Republic, the promulgation of the Constitution of 1835, the establishment of the Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Texas Revolution, the Pastry War, the promulgation of the Constitution of 1843, and the Mexican–American War. He became well known in the United States due to his role in the Texas Revolution and in the Mexican–American War.

Throughout his political career, Santa Anna was known for switching sides in the recurring conflict between the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. He managed to play a prominent role in both discarding the liberal Constitution of 1824 in 1835 and in restoring it in 1847. He came to power as a liberal twice in 1832 and in 1847 respectively, both times sharing power with the liberal statesman Valentín Gómez Farías, and both times Santa Anna overthrew Gómez Farías after switching sides to the conservatives. Santa Anna was also known for his ostentatious and dictatoria

On September 29, 1835, a detachment of the Mexican army arrived in Gonzales, Texas, a Mexican state, to confiscate a cannon . The cannon was well hidden, but eighteen armed men stood in plain sight. They taunted the Mexicans to "come and take it." The two sides talked and dickered, but no action was taken. However, the little band of men grew to 167 in two days. Early the next morning the Texans attacked the Mexican camp believing they were going to attack that day (Lord 38). With this attack the Texas Revolution was started. It was a revolution that Texas would eventually win. One of the greatest helps to the Texan cause was Santa Anna, the Mexican president, who provided the cause for revolution, stirred up the Texans' anger and zeal, and caused the Texans to win the final battle at San Jacinto.

In a sense Santa Anna started the Texas Revolution by repealing the Mexican Constitution of 1824. In general the Constitution gave considerable rights to the individual Mexican states. It was based on "a federal government of sovereign states" (Wood). Under this constitution, American settlers in Texas were exempt from any taxes, tariffs, and government services including defense, so the Texans governed themselves (Wood). They believed the constitution guaranteed self-government (Lord 32). In 1830, the Mexican congress passed a law saying that no more Americans could immigrate to Texas and it also allowed for the garrisoning of convict troops to police the area and enforce the laws (Binkley 41). Several factors led up to this decision. First, the United States repeatedly tried to buy Texas from Mexico, and the Mexicans were starting to wonder if the settling of Texas was some sort of covert effort to take over Texas (Binkley 5). Second, according to Lamont Wood, ethnic prejudices were very much alive. All someone had to do was exploit this to start a war (Wood). Third, many of the American settlers owned and used slaves. However,