Republic of Rio Grande

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The Republic of Rio Grande ( Spanish República del Río Grande ) was a short-lived independent state in northern Mexico that had separated from the state of Mexico. It originated during the reign of Santa Anna . The state only existed between January 17th and November 6th, 1840. It was never officially recognized.

background

After a decade of unrest, Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821. After the Mexican Empire failed, the constitution was adopted in 1824.

In 1833 General Antonio López de Santa Anna was elected President. He initially advocated a federal constitution. However, he changed his mind and began to centralize the state. Santa Anna suspended the Constitution and Congress. Elected state politicians were replaced by officials appointed by him and the federal states were demoted to provinces. Soon there was resistance. On November 3, 1838, Antonio Canales revolted and declared a return to federalism in a coup .

resistance

In January 1839 Antonio Canales declared in Laredo the return to the constitution of 1824. Canales began to raise an army. On October 3rd he marched against Mier . Here he met the armed forces of Mexico. Canales won and was celebrated as a hero in northern Mexico. He was able to collect men, money and weapons and build his power.

rebellion

A new republic

At a meeting on January 17, 1840 at the Oreveña Ranch near Laredo , envoys from the former federal states of Coahuila , Nuevo León and Tamaulipas decided to secede Mexico. The Republic of Rio Grande was established. The official newspaper became: Correo del Rio Bravo del Norte. The state motto was Dios, Libertad y Convención (God, Freedom and Constitution).

The most important personalities were:

Battle of Santa Rita de Morelos (March 24-25, 1840)

Mexico sent General Arista north. President Cardenas and the new government fled to Victoria .

Canales advanced with his troops against Arista before Santa Rita de Morelos . The balance of power was 1,800 to 30. General Arista offered Antonio Zapata submission and demanded that he swear the oath of allegiance to Mexico. Zapata refused and was executed. General Canales took Arista at San Fernando , was defeated, and fled to Texas.

Texas' role during the rebellion

From the start, President Cardenas knew that the Rio Grande Republic was dependent on Texas aid. The Republic of Texas had conflicting interests with regard to the Republic of Rio Grande: On the one hand, the Republic of Rio Grande could have served as a buffer state between Mexico and Texas. Texas was still threatened by Mexican retake. On the other hand, Texas wanted to be recognized by Mexico. Recognition of the Rio Grande Republic would anger Mexico. Texas remained officially neutral. President Mirabeau B. Lamar secretly supported Canales' army with arms and ammunition.

Battle of Saltillo (October 25, 1840)

In Texas, Canales reorganized his forces and marched back to retake Laredo, Guerrero , Mier, and Camargo. At Saltillo he met General Montoya, where he was beaten.

defeat

After Saltillo, General Canales began contacting General Arista. On November 6, 1840, he capitulated at Camargo. Santa Anna accepted the surrender and guaranteed impunity. Canales even became an officer in the Mexican Army.

flag

The flag consisted of the colors black, white, and red and had three white stars. These stood for the provinces: Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. The flag is still part of the Laredo city flag today.

memory

  • Zapata County , Texas, and also the city of Zapata, Texas commemorate cavalry colonel José Antonio de Zapata.
  • The Republic of the Rio Grande Capitol Building Museum is located in Laredo, Texas.

swell

Other sources

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Beatriz De La Garza: From the Republic of the Rio Grande: A Personal History of the Place and the People . University of Texas Press, Austin 2013, pp. 1-22.
  2. ^ Wilfred H. Callcott: Santa Anna, Antonio López de. In: The Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), 1999 ff, accessed September 21, 2011. (English, tshaonline.org ).
  3. ↑ Omar Valerio-Jiménez: River of Hope: Forging Identity and Nation in the Rio Grande Borderlands . Duke University Press, Durham, NC 2012, p. 125.
  4. ^ A b Milton Lindheim: The Republic of the Rio Grande . In: Texas AMU . WM Morrison, Publishing Co ..
  5. ^ A b c d Mike Coppock: The Republic of the Rio Grande . In: History Reference Center (ed.): Wild West . 18, 2005, pp. 46-52.
  6. ↑ Horst Dippel (Ed.): Constitutions of the world from the late 18th century to the middle of the 19th century America. Volume 1. Constitutional documents of the United States of America Pt. 6: Rio Grande - Texas. Saur, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-598-35756-5 , pp. 9-13, “ Ley orgánica de la República del Río Grande (1840) ”.
  7. ↑ Vigness, David M. "Relations of the Republic of Texas and the Republic of the Rio Grande." The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 57, no.3 (1954): 312-321.