Before Texas was a state in the United States, it was a state of Mexico called Coahuila y Tejas. Texans then—like Texans today—didn't like being told what to do. So in 1835, the land now known as Texas organized a revolt and fought for freedom from Mexico and for an independent Texas—that's right, Texas was a country But before it could gain independence, for over six months, Mexican troops under Santa Anna battled against the Texas colonists in a bloody war with effects Texans can still find today. Saddle up with Betsy and George Christian for an interactive, fun chapter in Texas history for kids that challenges them to ask questions about the history they're told and the world in which they live..