Sold – Autograph Quotation Signed of Santa Anna, Relating to National Honor, “Liberty and Sovereignty,” Hallmarks of His Legacy North and South of the Rio Grande

Santa Anna, whose name would later be synonymous both with Mexican and (for different reasons) Texan “sovereignty” and “liberty,” embarked on his long career in the army at age 16 as a cadet. He fought for a time for the Spanish against Mexican independence, but along with many other army officers switched sides in 1821 to help install Augustin de Iturbide as head of state of an independent Mexico.  His reputation and influence were later solidified by his critical role in defeating an 1829 Spanish effort to reconquer her former colony.  In 1833 Santa Anna was overwhelmingly elected President of Mexico; he would rule several times over a largely fractured country. But the northern province of Texas would cause him the most problem of all.

In the 1830s, Americans had moved into Mexican Texas in sizable numbers, and by 1835 they revolted against Santa Anna’s centralized, non-democratic policies which impeded their liberty. Santa Anna considered these Texans pirates, and he launched an assault on the Alamo mission where a group of them were holed up. All but two of the Texans were killed. Buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texans defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, achieving Texan independence.

Although his failure to suppress the Texas revolution discredited him, Santa Anna was able to reestablish much of his authority when he defeated a French invasion force at Vera Cruz in 1838, again fighting for the core concept of Mexican liberty. The concept of sovereignty was also a key one for Santa Anna,  In February of 1843, he sent a proposal to Sam Houston: If Texas would accept Mexico’s sovereignty and be re-incorporated, Texas would retain control of her own internal affairs and Mexico wouldn’t put troops in the state.

Material in the hand of Santa Anna is very uncommon, let alone anything that relates directly to his legacy, both below and above the Rio Grande. Our search of public records uncovers no autograph quotations of Santa Anna having come up for sale at least in the last four decades, nor can we recall ever having seen one.

Autograph Quotation Signed, “S. Tomas September 20, 1865, The liberty and sovereignty of a nation are inseparable companions of the Honor of its People and those who do not value their own honor are unworthy of being free. A. L. de Santa Anna.” Santa Ana’s aide, who spoke English, has translated the quotation under each line. The collector has provided his own translation underneath that.

Acquired directly from the descendants of the original collector, this quotation is unique and has never before been offered for sale.