The Texas Revolution Project 1989-90
The Texas Revolution project was conducted in the 1989-90 school year by students from the following schools: Berenda Elementary, Raul Lozano’s 8th grade history class (Madera, California); McAllister Junior High School, Bill McCormick’s 7th grade history class (Bay City, Texas); Somerset Junior High School, Ken Schmidt’s 8th grade history class (Modesto, California); and Thomas Jefferson Junior High School, Robin Dompeling’s 8th grade history class.
Henry Smith was almost 40 years old when he migrated to Texas in 1827. He had no sooner arrived when he became embroiled in the conflict between the Mexican Government and the American settlers in that region. Henry took part in the Battle of Velasco (1832) and was wounded there. In 1833, he was a delegate to the Convention of San Felipe. When the colonists formed a provisional government in 1835, they elected Smith as the first Governor of Texas.
During Smith’s brief term of office, he was beset by many problems, not the least of which was the fall of the Alamo. When independence finally came, President Sam Houston named Smith the first Secretary of the Treasury of the new republic.
Late in life, Smith recalled what he called “The Stormy Days of 1836,” including the Battle of the Alamo, Houston’s Retreat, the Runaway Scrape, and the victory at San Jacinto. These recollections were recorded and preserved by newspaperman, William P. Huff. This first person account of the vortex of the political/military storm that engulfed Texas was researched and published by the Madera Method students named above, using Huff’s diary.
