Anglo American Colonization of Texas

1

• Anglo American Colonization of Texas
• 1800-1830

2
"Interest in Texas Grows Among Anglo Americans"
3
Americans Move West

• After the United Sates gained its freedom from
  Great Britain in 1783, Anglo Americans began
  searching for new areas to settle.
• Some Americans ventured across the Mississippi
  River.
• They dreamt of new homes in the West.

Anglo Americans People whose ancestors moved
from one of many European countries to the United
States and who now share a common culture and
language.
4
Why were settlers coming to Texas?

• They were attracted to the plentiful and
  inexpensive land.
• They were seeking adventure and personal gain.
• They sought escape from problems in the United
  States.

www.txlandandcountry.com/ browne/browne03.jpg
5
Americans Move West

• Authorities in New Spain wanted to stop the U.S.
  government from claiming land west of the
  Mississippi River.
• New Spain was afraid that if Americans came West,
  they would outnumber the Spaniards and take over.

6
Spain Controls Immigration

• Initially, Spain tried to control the movement of
  American immigrants by allowing Anglo Americans
  to settle in Missouri on generous land grants IF
  they agreed to
• 1. pledge their loyalty to the Spanish
  government
• 2. become Catholics (many were not)

Immigrants a person who comes to a country to
settle
7
Spain Controls Immigration

• By making the settlers agree to the two
  conditions, Spain hoped
• to populate the area to extend Spanish rule and
• the new settlers would help prevent other Anglo
  Americans from entering the territory illegally.

8
Spain Controls Immigration

• Under this plan, George Morgan became the first
  empresario to recruit settlers from the U.S. and
  be responsible to Spanish authorities for them.

empresario an agent who makes all arrangements
to bring settlers to a colony recruit to
persuade someone to join a group

• In 1787, Morgan founded New Madrid,
• which is now Missouri.

9
MOSES AUSTIN BEGINS COLONIZATION IN TEXAS

• Moses Austin was from Connecticut.
• Austin was interested in lead
  mining.
• After hearing about George Morgans colony in
  current-day Missouri, Moses Austin moved there to
  operate a lead mine.

www.dallashistory.org/.../ texas/colonization.htm
10
MOSES AUSTIN BEGINS COLONIZATION IN TEXAS

• Initially things went well for Austin until he
  lost his fortune and was deep in debt.
• He decided that helping colonists locate in Texas
  was a good way to make money and pay off his debt.

11
MOSES AUSTIN BEGINS COLONIZATION IN TEXAS

• He wanted to bring 300 US families to Texas.
• Moses Austin presented a petition to the Spanish
  government.
• (petition formal written request)
• Do you think the Spanish Government is going to
  say, yes to more U.S. settlers to enter Spanish
  Texas? (The Spanish government was skeptical
  because of the filibusters who had attempted to
  seize/take over Spanish lands.)

12
MOSES AUSTIN BEGINS COLONIZATION IN TEXAS

• Believing his petition was going to be approved,
  Moses Austin headed east to start recruiting
  colonists for Texas.
• He became ill and was dying when he learned that
  his petition was officially approved by the
  Spanish officials.
• On his deathbed, Austin asked
  his son, Stephen F. Austin, to
  carry out his dream of colonizing
  Texas.

www.dallashistory.org/.../ texas/colonization.htm
13
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

• At 27, Stephen F. Austin put aside his plans of
  practicing law and went to Texas to fulfill his
  fathers wishes.
• Austins first visited San Antonio de Bexar and
  met with Governor Martinez.
• Governor Martinez appointed Erasmo Seguin (a
  well-known and respected citizen) to help Austin.

photo at www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/
people/a_c/austin.htm
14
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

• Where would Austin put these colonists he was
  bringing to Texas?
• Austins first job was to choose a site for his
  colony.
• He chose the area between Lavaca and San Jacinto
  Rivers.
• area easy for settlers to clear
• received enough rainfall for crops
• area good to grow sugar cane, cotton,
• corn, and other familiar crops

photo at http//www.texas.discodesigns.com/texas/a
ustin/index.shtml
15

• Austin traveled to New Orleans to recruit
  colonists.
• Austin looked for people who were willing to
  accept hard times and could provide for
  themselves.
• Remember, these colonists had to agree to be
  Catholic and loyal to Spain.
• According to the grant, Austin could bring 300
  families to Texas.

16
The Old Three Hundred

• By 1824, Austin had 297 families and single men
  who had received land in his colony. These
  settlers were infamously known as THE OLD THREE
  HUNDRED.
• Among the 1,790 colonists in 1825 about 440 were
  slaves of African and Caribbean decent.
• These colonists were very well educated and law
  abiding and many came from the southern U.S.
  including several from Louisiana.

• Some women even held land grants in Austins
  colony which was untraditional for that time.
  One of the most influential was Jane Long, the
  widow of James Long.

17
Settlers Arrive in Texas

• Beginning in 1821, settlers came to Texas.
• Austin purchased a small vessel named Lively to
  transport the colonists.
• Some colonists landed at the wrong river (the
  Brazos, instead of the Colorado) and didnt see
  Austin. These colonists were frustrated and
  returned back to their homes in New Orleans.

Lively
18
Characteristics of The Old Three Hundred
mostly U.S. southerners
mostly farmers
many slaveholders
mostly law-abiding
fairly well educated
19
OLD THREE HUNDRED

• Settlers who were farmers received one labor, or
  177 acres.
• Settlers who raised cattle received a sitio, or a
  square league of 4,428 acres.
• Many settlers received both.

Once the settlers were selected to come to Texas,
they were given land titles, or proof of
ownership of the land.
20
Austins Leadership

• The first years in the colony were tough.
• drought
• attacks by Karankawas
• many colonists returning to the United States

• Austins colony was successful.
• This success was due to Austins leadership.

21

• Once Austin found out that Mexico had gained its
  independence from Spain, he traveled over 1,000
  miles to Mexico to obtain permission for his
  colony.
• After a year, he received the approval of the
  Mexican government for his colony.
• During this year, Austin learned to speak Spanish
  and won the trust of Mexican officials.

22
Austin deals successfully with Mexican leaders.

• Austin was awarded grants under national
  colonization laws.
• Austin influenced laws that freed colonists from
  taxes.
• Austin also obtained homestead rights for the
  colonists.
• These rights meant that settlers land and tools
  could not be seized to pay back a debt.

23
Mexicos New Colonization Laws
24
Early Problems in Austins Colony

• Stephen F Austin returned to his colony in August
  1823 along with Baron Bastrop to issue the
  official land titles.
• He found that several settlers had already left
  and others were threatening to leave.
• Major droughts had ruined many of the first crops
  and raids by the Karankawa and Tonkawa Indians
  left little food and supplies.

25
Austins Reaction to the Troubles

• To reassure the settlers that they belonged in
  Texas and to regain their support, Austin
  established a central government near La Grange
  including a mixture of U.S. and Mexican laws by
  which to govern.
• He also set up a militia and launched several
  attacks against the Texas Indians. He eventually
  failed at establishing peaceful relations with
  the Indians.

26
San Felipe de Austin

• In 1824 Stephen F. Austin founded San Felipe de
  Austin as the capital of his colony. It was
  located along the Brazos River almost directly in
  the center of the colony.
• San Felipe soon became a booming success as many
  people moved to the capital. By the 1830s, it
  was the second largest business center (next to
  San Antonio). The town housed a newspaper, a
  lumber mill, a post office and a hotel
• Austins Colony WAS A SUCCESS!!

27
Austins Other Colonies

• Austin, with the help of Erasmo Seguin and other
  Tejano leaders, founded four other colonies.
  Several of these overlapped his original colony.
• One colony stood alone and was later known as
  Austins Little Colony. The main town was
  Bastrop.
• Austins Little Colony suffered several Comanche
  raids due to its location (right next to the
  Indians hunting grounds) and never managed
  success.

My ambition has been to succeed in redeeming
Texas from its wilderness by means of the plow
alone in by doing this I hoped to make the
fortune of thousands and my own amongst the
rest. -Stephen F. Austin (per Gregg Cantrell)
28
Stephen F Austins Contributions to Texas

• Over 40 Empresarios were granted land during the
  1820s and the population increased from a mere
  couple thousand to 21,000 by 1834.
• Stephen F Austin alone was responsible for
  bringing more than 1,500 families to Texas.
• He had the ability to get along with almost
  everyone he met including Mexican officials and
  Indian leaders
• He will forever be known as The Father of Texas

29
If you were an empresario, which land grant would
you have wanted and why?
Mexican Land Grants, 1821-1836
30
Expanding the Empresarial System

• Although Stephen F. Austin became known as the
  first real empresario in Texas, he was not the
  only one.
• The state colonization law of 1825 allowed other
  empresarios to receive land grants in Texas.
• By 1830, about 30 people were recruiting
  colonists to Texas.

31
Expanding the Empresarial System

• The second most important empresario was Green
  DeWitt.
• DeWitt founded a colony southwest of Austins
  original grant.
• DeWitts headquarters were in Gonzales.
• Although DeWitt had permission to bring 400
  settlers to Texas, he had only really settled 166
  settlers.

32
Other Empresarios

• Martin de Leon- was the only Mexican empresario
  to found a Texas colony made up of primarily
  Mexican settlers.
• Lorenzo de Zavala- was active in Mexican politics
  and received a grant to settle 500 families in
  East Texas. He sold the land before establishing
  the colonies

33
TEXAS IN 1830

• Population in Texas was almost 20,000 people.
• Towns of La Bahia and Nacogdoches had grown
  considerably.
• There were new towns in San Felipe, Gonzales, and
  Victoria.
• There were many other smaller communities.
• The cotton and cattle industries were growing.
• Working together, the Mexican government, the
  empresarios, and the settlers would continue to
  expand Texas population.

34
What did you Learn??

• Where did most of the Old Three Hundred come from
  and what did they all have in common?
• Most were from the Southern U.S. They were
  mainly well educated, law abiding farmers and
  many were slaveholders.
• How did Austin and the other empresarios affect
  settlement in Texas?
• They brought many immigrants particularly U.S.
  citizens to Texas, increased the population by
  setting up colonies and towns.