VOICE ONE:
This is Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program,EXPLORATIONS. Today, we finish the story of one of the mostimportant rivers in the United States, the Rio Grande.
The river flows from the mountainsof Colorado south to the Gulf of Mexico. It forms the border betweenthe United States and Mexico for two thousand kilometers.
VOICE ONE:
By the early fifteen-hundreds Spanish explorers arrived in thesouthwest of what is now the United States. They moved up the RioGrande looking for gold and treasure. They found none. The nativePueblo Indians of New Mexico were friendly until they were treatedbadly by the Spanish. Then the Indians pushed the invaders out. Butthe Spanish returned in Sixteen-Ninety-Three. After some fighting,they finally made peace with the Pueblo Indians.
More and more settlers arrived and established new towns alongthe Rio Grande. Soon people from other countries began arriving.They came from France, England, and, by the end of the SeventeenHundreds, from the newly formed United States to the east.
VOICE TWO:
By the early nineteenth century, Americans had begun settling inthe Rio Grande area, especially in the territory of Texas, east ofNew Mexico. The Spanish government in the American Southwest beganto lose control as Spain became less powerful in Europe.
Soon more and more people settling near the Rio Grande began tothink of themselves as Americans. In Eighteen-Twelve, the Mexicanterritory of Texas rebelled and declared itself an independentrepublic. Spain regained control of Texas, but the seeds ofrevolution had been planted. In Eighteen Twenty-One, Spain withdrewfrom the Americas.
VOICE ONE:
A new age was beginning in North America. Two young nations, theUnited States and Mexico, would now decide their own futures and thefuture of the Rio Grande area. One of the most important questionsfacing the two countries was who would control Texas.
That was not an easy decision to make. In Eighteen-Twenty-Three,the Mexican government agreed to permit a group of Americans to livein Texas. Mexico said the Americans, led by Stephen Austin, couldstay there permanently.
More Americans settled in Texas. Many people wanted to make Texasa part of the United States. At the same time, more Mexicans wantedto push all Americans out of Texas.
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VOICE TWO:
South of the Rio Grande, there were three revolutions in Mexico’sfirst eight years of independence. North of the river, Americanswere more and more unhappy with Mexican rule. InEighteen-Thirty-Two, Stephen Austin went to Mexico City to ask thatTexas become a separate Mexican state.
At this time, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was strugglingto gain control of Mexico and become its ruler. He faced a number ofrebellions in different parts of the country. General Santa Annatold Stephen Austin he would make Texas a separate Mexican state.Yet events were moving in another direction.
VOICE ONE:
In Texas, demands for change became demands for independence fromMexico. This led to an invasion across the Rio Grande of thousandsof soldiers led by General Santa Anna. He planned to quickly crushthe rebellion. As Santa Anna moved his army into Texas inEighteen-Thirty-Six, a group of Texans signed a document declaringTexas an independent nation.
To answer this, General Santa Anna led a strong attack against agroup of rebels near the city of San Antonio. The place theyattacked was called The Alamo. There were one-hundred-twenty-eightmen in the building defending it against the many thousands ofsoldiers in Santa Anna’s army. After many days of fighting, theMexican army broke through the defenses of the Alamo and killedeveryone inside.
VOICE TWO:
Santa Anna and his army began a march across Texas. They burnedtowns and villages. They chased the small army of Texans but wereunable to catch them. The Mexican soldiers were tired. The Texansattacked, shouting “Remember the Alamo”. There was a fierce battle.Only forty Mexican soldiers escaped. All the others were killed,wounded or captured. General Santa Anna was among those captured.
General Santa Anna met with Texas leader, General Sam Houston.The Mexican leader agreed that in return for his freedom Texas wouldbecome independent from Mexico. He agreed that the Rio Grande wouldbe the border between Texas and Mexico. General Santa Anna went hometo Mexico City. The new Republic of Texas looked to the future.
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VOICE ONE:
The future was not all good. President Santa Anna declared war onTexas eight years after his defeat by the Texan army. However, henever carried out his threat of war. He was removed from office. Andthe next year, Eighteen-Forty-Five, the United States governmentinvited Texas to become a state.
This was not acceptable to Mexico. War began. InEighteen-Forty-Six, Mexican soldiers crossed the Rio Grande. TheAmericans quickly defeated the invading army and began moving intoMexico, toward Mexico City. Other American soldiers began movingwest into New Mexico. The government in Santa Fe quicklysurrendered.
VOICE TWO:
In February Eighteen-Forty-Eight, Mexico surrendered to theAmerican army. The Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo declared the borderbetween the United States and Mexico to be along the Rio Grande andthen west to the Pacific Ocean. The new land belonging to the UnitedStates included New Mexico, Arizona and Upper California. For allthis territory, the United States paid Mexico fifteen-milliondollars.
Becoming a part of the United States presented both political andsocial problems for Texas. The state of Texas permitted slavery.Governor Sam Houston opposed joining the Confederate states thatalso permitted slavery and were seeking to separate from the UnitedStates. He was removed from office. Texas joined the southern statesin the Civil War. After the northern forces won the long war and thecountry united, Texas was re-admitted as a state.
At this time, the expanding population of the Rio Grande countryfaced other problems. Criminals from both sides of the Rio Grandeattacked the people. Also, Indian tribes such as the Apache andComanche resisted the spread of white settlers into their lands. Thesettlers were destroying the Indians’ way of life. The Indiansattacked and killed many white settlers. By Eighteen Seventy Four,government troops had forced many Indian tribes out of theirtraditional lands.
VOICE ONE:
The United States army also was ordered to take action to stopcriminal activities along the Rio Grande. It was given permission tochase criminals across the river into Mexico. Also, the army actedto stop Indian attacks.
Over time, fighting ended in the Rio Grande Valley and thesurrounding territory. The United States and Mexico developedfriendly relations.
Yet tensions continue along the border between the two countriestoday. One problem is illegal immigrants. The other is illegaldrugs. No one knows for sure how many people cross the border fromMexico to the United States. Officials have estimated that thenumber is in the millions.
The illegal immigrants come from Mexico, and from Central andSouth America. Most come to the United States for economic orpolitical reasons. A few come to sell illegal drugs. Many of theillegal drugs in the United States are transported across theborder.
VOICE TWO:
The river itself can create problems too. The Rio Grande flowswhere it wants to flow. Dams, canals and other man-made devicescannot always control it.
Most of the water from the upper Rio Grande does not flow intothe Gulf of Mexico. Almost all of the water is completely used foragriculture and by cities and towns along the upper part of theriver.
VOICE ONE:
Down the river, many springs and several other rivers flow intothe Rio Grande, renewing the water supply. Two major dams createelectric power and provide water for agriculture and other needs ofpeople living along the lower part of the river.
Yet man-made controls do not prevent changes in the path theriver takes in many places. Some changes make it difficult to knowexactly where the border is between the United States and Mexico.The great river, the Rio Grande, continues to flow across the landand through the history of two countries.
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VOICE TWO:
This Special English program was written by Oliver Chanler andproduced by Paul Thompson. This is Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Shirley Griffith. Listen again next week for anotherEXPLORATIONS program on the Voice of America.