"Independence, Liberty, And Justice": The Birth, Life, And Death Of Haden Edwards' Fredonian Rebellion

Abstract

To populate Texas, the government of Mexico encouraged foreign empresarios like Stephen F. Austin to bring families and settle. One of those men, Haden Edwards, hoped to turn a profit with his grant in the area around Nacogdoches. Local authorities opposed his efforts, he became involved in political and social squabbles, and the Mexican government felt compelled to revoke his grant. Seeing no alternative, Edwards engineered the Fredonian Rebellion, hoping to maintain his lands.Characters including Edwards, Martin Parmer, and Samuel Norris turned a local dispute involving politics, money, and control, into what could have become a large scale revolution. Only the poor timing and lack of support from other Texas settlers caused the collapse of the "nation" of Fredonia in just two short months. Although brief, the Fredonian Rebellion was the first in a chain of events which would ultimately lead to the Texas Revolution in 1836.