Hey y'all. First time poster. I am currently writing about whether the U.S. has a moral obligation to protect other countries, and if they do, does the U.S. do so in a moral, efficient manner.
I figured I'd look at the historical past of the U.S.'s response to calls of aid. In 1836, Lt. Col. William B. Travis asked for reinforcements from the Texian army, as well as the United States. My question is why did the United Stated not respond? This letter that Travis wrote was distributed not just in Texas, but across the U.S., and even Europe. So the leaders in Washington would have had to known. Independence is something they would have valued, and I would think the U.S. would be eager to support white Texans (who many were part of the colonies....or at least their parents were.....before they relocated to Texas) over the darker Mexicans. A lack of response just seems odd. Thanks y'all
On the eve of the 184th anniversary of Texas Independence and the bloody final day at the Alamo, I’ll answer your question.
First, the Travis letter was only published in the U.S. after the Alamo fell. It took the courier 40 hours on horseback to get it to San Felipe de Austin according to the Handbook of Texas. That’s near Sealy, Texas. The Alamo is in San Antonio. Today, that’s about a two hour drive.
Second, the US immediately recognized Texas Independence on March 3.
Americans, individually and in groups, sent money and supplies to Texas. The famous “Twin Sisters” cannon were among them.
Gene Brack best sums up the US Government’s official role:
“The government of the United States en- gaged in activities that lent credence to Mexican suspicions that it sponsored the revolution. It ordered General Edmund P. Gaines, commanding American troops in the south, to assume a position in western Louisiana near the Texas border. He was instructed to prevent either of the contending parties from entering the United States and to police the activities of Indians in the region.”
There were various conspiracy stories that the US completely and officially sponsored or provided greater aid to the revolution that were largely unfounded.
Remember also that the United States had boundary agreements and diplomatic relations with Mexico. It wasn’t really that easy for the US to intervene without risking a larger war (which eventually happened). Although those relations had soured and experienced some major transformation following the Poinsett mission to the time of the Texas Revolution. Certainly, there were tensions and pressures put on Mexico by the US.
Sources:
Brack, Gene. Mexican Opinion and the Texas Revolution, The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Vol. 72, No. 2 (Oct., 1968), pp. 170-182
Eugene C. Barker and James W. Pohl, rev. by Mary L. Scheer, "TEXAS REVOLUTION," Handbook of Texas.