Happened - Time flies like an arrow
Happened is all about weirdly connected things that happened on this day in history. It’s a daily! Monday, Wednesday, and Friday editions are free. Join our paid subscribers to see the rest. If you remember the Marx Brothers movie “Duck Soup”, you’ll be familiar with Freedonia, where Rufus T. Firefly was installed as leader by Mrs. Teasdale, who was rich enough to bail out the country’s empty treasury. Meanwhile Sylvania, a bordering country, wants to take over Freedonia. The countries declare war, although it mostly amounts to dancing around. Remember, it’s a Marx Brothers movie. But there was a real Freedonia (they spelled it “Fredonia”), and it came into existence on December 21, 1826. It all started the year before, when Haden Edwards obtained a land grant from Mexico. Mexico named Edwards an “empresario” — a role in which you’re given the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting more settlers in the hope that the area would become a legitimate part of the nation rather than a mostly empty territory. The empresario system mostly operated in what’s now Texas — but at the time was Mexican. One example is Stephen Austin — he had a contract with Mexico to settle the area that’s now Austin, Texas. Haden Edwards’ grant was in the eastern part of Texas, just north of Stephen Austin’s colony. There was already a town there: Nacogdoches, which had been settled for decades by both English- and Spanish-speaking families. It wasn’t a wealthy town, and Edwards, who was a wealthy plantation owner from Virginia and Mississippi, arrived with a plan to eject poor families from their land and create more large plantations for his US colleagues. Either he didn’t know or he didn’t care.Edwards’ deal with Mexico didn’t include the authority to validate or cancel existing land deeds, but either he didn’t know that or didn’t care. He announced that any resident who couldn’t provide written proof that they owned their own land would be evicted and their land sold at auction. The residents complained to the Mexican official in the town, Luis Procela, who sent word to Mexican President Guadalupe Victoria. In June, 1826, Victoria finally heard about what Edwards was up to. Edwards’ empresario contract was cancelled and he was expelled from Mexico. But first they had to inform Edwards and everyone else around Nacogdoches, and in 1826 that took time. Months, in fact. By the time Edwards was told to get out of town, it was November. Instead of leaving he gathered a group of supporters and arrested (or took hostage) the Nacogdoches Mexican officials. Edwards and his gang rode off, got organized, and on December 16 rode back into town with a new flag they’d made, announcing that the land of Edwards’ original grant was now the independent “Republic of Fredonia”. Mexico was not amused. Neither were the other empresarios, including Stephen Austin. The Mexican Army was on the way, along with an armed militia from Austin. Edwards fled back to Louisiana on January 28, 1827. The real-life Republic of Fredonia had lasted all of 42 days. They didn’t even have a chance to choose a national anthem. That might be just as well, though; “Duck Soup” ends when Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) begins to sing the national anthem of the fictional Freedonia and gets pelted with fruit. *Groucho Marx You’re on the list for Happened, which comes out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you like it, there’s more — join the paid subscriber list and Happened happens every day! |
Older messages
Up, up, and away!
Friday, December 24, 2021
If I recall correctly...
There's gold in them thar...
Friday, December 24, 2021
Depths?
Stealing and Spying
Friday, December 24, 2021
Speaking relatively, of course
The melancholy edition of Christmas?
Friday, December 24, 2021
Wait, I know a four-letter word for "sad"
Well who's counting anyway?
Friday, December 24, 2021
Oh, well, OK, a lot of folks
You Might Also Like
Reese Witherspoon & Ava Phillippe Just Twinned On The Red Carpet
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Another flawless mother-daughter fashion moment.
8 Advanced Google Docs Features You Should Be Using
Friday, April 26, 2024
A Complete Timeline of the TikTok Ban in the US. Up your productivity with a few more features for navigation, accessibility, collaboration, and more. Not displaying correctly? View this newsletter
Sabrina Carpenter Stuns In Red-Hot Lace Minidress
Friday, April 26, 2024
Plus, Kim Kardashian's fave jewelry brand, the zodiac signs who are having the luckiest year, & more.
Seeking Salvation From Postpartum Anxiety
Friday, April 26, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo FRIDAY, APRIL 26 FIRST PERSON Seeking
Perfect For Mother's Day – The Betty Crocker Bundle!
Friday, April 26, 2024
Order Now! Mother's Day is Sunday, May 12th Special Offer From Our Friends At Country Living Shop Special Offer From Our Friends At Country Living Shop Order Now! Mother's Day is Sunday, May
TikTok critic Keith Lee is reviewing his hometown dining scene
Friday, April 26, 2024
How mushroom farming waste could benefit the environment
What Cut Editors Wore to the Office, Fisherman Sandals, and More
Friday, April 26, 2024
A stylish weekly newsletter helping you make good choices about what to spend your money on. Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may
5-Bullet Friday — 101 Tips for a Better Life, When Haters Are The Best Marketers, Cause for Celebration, and More
Friday, April 26, 2024
“Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.” — Kurt Vonnegut
I only want the ghost to like it
Friday, April 26, 2024
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
New and Old #159
Friday, April 26, 2024
Friday roundup and commentary ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏