100 Years Project
By: Tegan & Preston
Battle of the Alamo(1836)
In February of 1836, General Santa Anna's army arrived near San Antonio close to the Alamo. His arrival nearly took the soldiers in the Alamo by surprise. Everyone in the Alamo was ready to defend the buildings inside the wall until death. The Alamo was a sign of liberty to Texians and Tejanos. The battle lasted 13 days, on the last day Santa Anna regrouped his army and they finally scaled the walls of the compound and used their own canons to break open the strong hold inside of buildings. The Alamo fought until they were finally overwhelmed.
War of 1812
The war of 1812, happened when America, as a small country, took on the biggest naval power in the world, Great Britain. The war was caused by the Royal Navy suppressing American seaman and constricting US trade. The Americans got handed a few serious defeats at the hands of the enemies(Canada,Natives,British). When America stopped British attacks on some of their major ports like New Orleans, it boosted national confidence and boosted patriotism and America finally beat back the enemy and won. Some called this war " the second war for independence."
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush started in 1849 when nuggets of gold were found in Sacramento Valley. Gold prospectors fled to California from land and sea and by the time the Gold Rush peaked in 1852 California's population was 100,000 compared to the 1,000 people that lived there before the rush. Almost $2 billion worth of precious metal was mined from the Sacramento area. In 1848, gold flakes were found in the American River near Coloma, California. Miners took out more than 750,000 lbs. of gold during the rush.