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The 59 signers of the Texas Declaration were not a cross-section of Texas society. They were overwhelmingly:
Anglo-American immigrants
Politically experienced
Economically invested in land and slavery
Closely tied to U.S. legal and political traditions
They largely represented the settler elite, not the broader population of Texas (which included Tejanos, Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans, and poor laborers).
1. Regional Origins & Migration Background
Predominantly from the United States
Most signers were born in Southern U.S. states:
Virginia
Tennessee
Kentucky
North and South Carolina
Georgia
A smaller number came from Northern states, but still within the U.S. constitutional tradition.
Implication:
They brought with them expectations of:
English common law
Written constitutions
Local self-government
Individual property rights
This made them hostile to Mexican civil law traditions and centralized authority.
2. Education & Professional Backgrounds
Overrepresentation of Professionals
Many signers were:
Lawyers
Judges
Former legislators
Newspaper editors
Military officers
Notable examples include:
Sam Houston – former U.S. congressman and governor of Tennessee
Lorenzo de Zavala – former vice president of Mexico, one of the few Tejano signers
Implication:
These men were skilled in constitutional argument, not spontaneous rebels. The Declaration is legally sophisticated and modeled closely on the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
3. Economic Interests
Land Speculation
Many signers were:
Empresarios
Surveyors
Land speculators
Large landholders
Independence promised:
Clearer land titles
Protection from Mexican legal challenges
Expansion of Anglo settlement
Slavery & Plantation Agriculture
Most signers either:
Owned enslaved people
Intended to
Mexico had abolished slavery (1829) and later attempted enforcement in Texas.
Implication:
Independence was closely tied to preserving a slave-based economic system, especially cotton production tied to U.S. markets.
4. Religion & Culture
Predominantly:
Protestant (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian)
Mexico required:
Official Catholicism (at least formally)
Implication:
Cultural alienation reinforced political resistance. Many signers viewed Mexican religious requirements as incompatible with Anglo-American liberty.
5. Political Ideology & Grievances
Core Beliefs
The signers generally favored:
Federalism over centralism
Written constitutions
Jury trials
Local governance
Militia traditions
Major Grievances Listed in the Declaration
Suspension of the 1824 Mexican Constitution
Rule by military dictators (especially Santa Anna)
Lack of trial by jury
Restrictions on immigration from the U.S.
Threats to slavery and property rights
These grievances reflect elite legal and economic priorities, not mass democratic ones.
6. Who Was Largely Excluded?
Notably underrepresented or excluded:
Indigenous nations (Comanche, Apache, etc.)
Enslaved people (≈30% of population)
Most Tejanos
Poor Anglo laborers
Women
Exception:
Lorenzo de Zavala represents a Mexican federalist tradition, not indigenous or popular resistance.
