The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 5, July 1901 - April, 1902 Page: 270
370 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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270 Texas Historical Association Quarterly.
I.
THE BEGINNINGS OF THE MIEXICAN REPUBLIC.
In order to understand the condition of affairs in Texas in 1835
it is necessary to begin with the revolt which established the inde-
pendence of Mexico. This movement, like so many others of the
time, had its origin in the French Revolution. If the liberal ideas
of the Revolution did not give the actual motive power, the inter-
ference of Napoleon in Spain certainly furnished the occasion.
Ever since her expansion into an empire at the time of the
Renaissance, Spain has followed the. policy of giving special priv-
ileges in her colonies to favored classes in the mother country.
It was against such a system that the Mexicans took up arms.
Their particular grievances are summarized by Bancroft under
three headings: social jealousies, exclusion from preferments, and
commercial monopolies.' In other words, Spaniards in Mexico
possessed, by favor of the home government, certain social, politi-
cal, and commercial privileges, which were denied to the native-
born inhabitants.
The spirit of revolt, kept down for centuries by the power of the
church and by the lack of national self-consciousness, was sure to
manifest itself when a favorable opportunity arose. This opportu-
nity came when Napoleon overthrew the Bourbons and placed his
brother Joseph on the Spanish throne (1808). Even then, while
civil war was raging in Spain and the Mexicans might easily have
acquired their freedom, there was a delay of two years before the
revolt actually broke out. The priest Hidalgo, the first of the pop-
ular leaders, was executed in 1811 and the movement was carried
on by Morelos. The Spanish liberal constitution of 1812 served to
quiet matters for a time, but Ferdinand VII, on regaining his
throne, revoked this in 1814 and resumed the old absolutism.
After the death of Morelos (1815) the revolt was carried on in a
haphazard fashion until it was given a new impetus by the successful
liberal movement in Spain in 1820. The liberal constitution was
extended to Mexico, and met with considerable opposition from the
privileged classes. Don Agustin Iturbide, an ambitious young
officer, was placed in command of a large army with orders from
the royalist viceroy to make a demonstration against the liberal
'History of Mexico, IV 14-15.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 5, July 1901 - April, 1902, periodical, 1902; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101021/m1/276/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.