Texas Revolution Word Search

ALAMO – A former Spanish mission in San Antonio where 189 Texan defenders fought to the death against thousands of Mexican troops in March 1836, becoming a symbol of heroic resistance.

AUSTIN – Stephen F. Austin, known as the “Father of Texas,” who established the first Anglo-American colony in Mexican Texas and initially worked diplomatically before supporting the revolution for independence.

BATTLE – Military engagements fought between Texan forces and the Mexican army throughout 1835-1836, including conflicts at Gonzales, the Alamo, Goliad, and the decisive Battle of San Jacinto.

BOWIE – James Bowie, a legendary frontiersman and inventor of the Bowie knife, who served as a co-commander at the Alamo and died defending the mission during the siege.

CANNON – Artillery piece central to the Texas Revolution, including the small bronze cannon at Gonzales that sparked the conflict when Texans refused Mexican demands to return it.

COLONY – Anglo-American settlements established in Mexican Texas by empresarios like Stephen F. Austin, bringing thousands of American families who eventually sought independence from Mexico’s centralist government.

CROCKETT – Davy Crockett, famous Tennessee frontiersman, congressman, and folk hero who traveled to Texas to join the fight for independence and died defending the Alamo in 1836.

FANNIN – James Fannin, commander of Texan forces at Goliad who surrendered to Mexican troops and was executed along with over three hundred men in the Goliad Massacre.

FORT – Military fortifications used during the revolution, including the Alamo mission converted into a fort and Fort Defiance at Goliad, serving as strategic defensive positions against Mexican forces.

FREEDOM – The fundamental goal of the Texas Revolution: achieving independence from Mexico’s centralized government and establishing self-governance, rights, and liberty for settlers in the Texas territory.

GOLIAD – Site of Fort Defiance where Colonel Fannin’s forces surrendered to Mexican General Urrea, followed by the tragic massacre of over three hundred Texan prisoners of war.

GONZALES – Small Texas settlement where the revolution’s first shots were fired in October 1835, when Texans refused to surrender a cannon, flying a flag declaring “Come and Take It.”

HOUSTON – Sam Houston, commanding general of the Texas army who led the decisive victory at San Jacinto, capturing Santa Anna and securing Texas independence. He later became president.

LIBERTY – The principle driving Texans to revolt against Mexico’s centralist policies, seeking freedom from oppression, the right to self-government, and protection of constitutional rights denied under Santa Anna’s regime.

MEXICO – The nation from which Texas sought independence, governed by General Antonio López de Santa Anna, whose centralist policies and military actions provoked the 1835-1836 revolutionary conflict in Texas.

REPUBLIC – The Republic of Texas, an independent nation established after victory at San Jacinto in 1836, existing as a sovereign country for nine years before annexation by the United States.

REVOLT – The armed uprising of Texas colonists against Mexican authority beginning in 1835, sparked by disagreements over federalism, immigration restrictions, and Santa Anna’s dictatorial centralist government policies and military enforcement.

SANTA ANNA – Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexican general and president who led the military campaign against Texas rebels, captured at San Jacinto, and forced to recognize Texas independence.

SETTLERS – Anglo-American colonists who migrated to Mexican Texas through empresario grants, eventually comprising the majority population and leading the movement for independence when conflicts arose with Mexico’s government.

SIEGE – The thirteen-day military encirclement of the Alamo by thousands of Mexican troops under Santa Anna, culminating in the March 6, 1836 assault that killed all defenders.

SOLDIER – Individual fighters on both sides of the conflict, including Texan volunteers, militia members, Mexican army regulars, and conscripts who participated in battles throughout the 1835-1836 revolution.

TEXAS – The northeastern Mexican territory that rebelled against centralist rule in 1835-1836, achieving independence and becoming the Republic of Texas before joining the United States in 1845.

TRAVIS – William Barret Travis, young lawyer and lieutenant colonel who commanded the Alamo garrison, wrote the famous “Victory or Death” letter appealing for reinforcements, and died in battle.

VICTORY – The decisive triumph at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, where Sam Houston’s army defeated and captured Santa Anna, securing Texas independence after eighteen minutes.