Revolution and Republic of Texas: Vocabulary

You learned in the last unit that Texans were becoming unhappy with the Mexican government. Soon fighting broke out, and Texas was on its way to separating from Mexico. In this unit you will learn about the Texas Revolution and the new nation that it created, the Republic of Texas.

Objective

• Learn vocabulary related to the Texas Revolution and the Republic of Texas.

This lesson builds your vocabulary with words you will use in this unit. The words are:

• annexation: the act of adding new territory to an existing place
• capital: the city that serves as headquarters for a government at the state or national level
• cession: the act of giving up something, often used in relation to giving up territory
• defeat: loss in a competition, such as a battle or a sporting event
• defend: to protect someone or something from attack
• dictator: a government leader who has total control over decisions and actions
• federalism: a political system in which power is shared between a central national government and smaller unit governments, such as states
• independence: the freedom from control by others, the freedom to make one’s own decisions
• recruit: to get people to join the military
• republic: a political system in which the power is in the hands of the citizens who elect people to represent them
• retreat: to move back in order to avoid danger
• revolution: the use of force to replace a government or political system
• term: the period of time for which a government official is elected to hold office
• treaty: a formal agreement between governments
• volunteer: someone who chooses to join the military without being forced to

You learned in the previous unit that Mexico won its independence from Spain. Look at the definition of the word independence given above: “the freedom from control by others, the freedom to make one’s own decisions.”

Texas Independence Day is March 2.

Other than a nation, who else might want independence?