Events from the year 1836 in the United States. Exceptionally, this page covers not only the history of the United States, but also that of the Republic of Texas in 1836. Incumbents Federal Government President: Andrew Jackson (D-Tennessee) Vice President: Martin Van Buren (D-New York) Chief Justice: Roger B. Taney (Maryland) Speaker of the House of Representatives: James K. Polk (D-Tennessee) Congress: 24th Events January–March January 5 – Davy Crockett arrives in Texas, which at this time is not part of the United States. January 18 – Dade County, Florida, is formed. February 3 – United States Whig Party holds its first convention in Albany, New York. February 5 – Henry Roe Campbell builds the first 4-4-0, a steam locomotive type that will soon become the most common on all railroads of the United States. February 23 – Battle of the Alamo: The siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas. February 25 – Samuel Colt receives an American patent for the Colt revolver, the first practical adaptation of the revolving flintlock pistol. March 1 – At the Convention of 1836, delegates from 57 Texas communities convene in Washington-on-the-Brazos to deliberate independence from Mexico. March 2 – At the Convention of 1836, the Republic of Texas declares independence from Mexico. March 6 – The Battle of the Alamo ends; 189 Texans are slaughtered by about 1,600 Mexicans. March 17 – Texas abolishes the slave trade. March 27 Texas Revolution: Goliad massacre – Antonio López de Santa Anna orders the Mexican army to kill about 400 Texans at Goliad, Texas. U.S. Survey of the Coast returned to U.S. Treasury Department as the U.S. Coastal Survey. March 31 – Marshall College, named for John Marshall, opens in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. It later merges with Franklin College to become Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. April–June April 20 – U.S. Congress passes act creating the Wisconsin Territory. April 21 – Texas Revolution: Battle of San Jacinto – Republic of Texas forces under Sam Houston defeat troops under Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. (Santa Anna and hundreds of his troops are taken prisoner along the San Jacinto River the next day.) April 22 – Texas Revolution: A day after the Battle of San Jacinto, forces under Texas General Sam Houston capture Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna. May 4 – The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic fraternal organization,