Age of Empresarios

1
Age of Empresarios

• Austin Establishes a Colony

2
Moses Austin Paves the Way

• 1st Anglo-American to get permission from Spain
  to bring Americans to Texas
• Went to San Antonio with slave (Richmond)
• Turned down first Baron de Bastrop (friend)
  convinced Gov. Antonio Martinez to allow 300
  families
• Got ill had to send son (Stephen F.) to carry
  out his plans

3
Stephen Continues Fathers Work

• Father of Texas founded 1st Anglo American
  colony in Texas
• 27 took over Moses work
• Went to San Antonio with Erasmo Seguín

4
Austin Sets Colony Boundaries

• Region between Colorado and Brazos Rivers
• Many pluses
• Fertile soil
• Abundant water
• Natural resources
• Mild climate
• No other settlements

5
Advertising for Colonists

• Southern states due to similarities
• No drunkard, no gambler, no profane swearer, no
  idler
• Man 640 acres
• Wife 320 acres
• Child 160 acres
• Slave 80 acres

• 12 ½ cents per acre
• Requirements
• Oath to Spain/Mexico
• Catholic
• Good moral character

6
Good Land Low Prices

• Some came by boat (The Lively) others by land
• 1st here Andrew Robinson (set up ferry crossing
  at Washington-on-the-Brazos)
• Wealthiest Jared E. Groce

• Set backs
• The Lively wrecked
• Mexico gained independence
• Colony contract cancelled

7
Austin Impresses Mexico

• Mexican Law of 1823
• Family 4,605 acres
• Austin received 100,000 acres as an empresario
  (land agent who brings in new settlers)
• Mexican leaders impressed with Austins honesty
  and sincerity (he learns customs and Spanish)

8
Problems Develop in Colony

• Drought
• Land not surveyed
• Disagreements over ownership
• Karankawa/Tonkawa attacks
• Militia (temporary army) established

9
Age of Empresarios
Stephen F. Austin
Green DeWitt
Martin de Leon
James Power and James Hewetson
John McMullen and James McGloin

• The Colonies Grow
• Chapter 7 Section 2

Lorenzo de Zavala
Haden Edwards
David G. Burnet
10
The Constitution of 1824

• 1823 Mexican emperor Agustín de Iturbide
  overthrown
• Federalists sharing power between states and
  national government
• Centralists power should be concentrated in
  the national (central) government
• Mexico divided into 19 states and 4 territories
• Coahuila and Texas united as one Mexican state
  Coahuila y Tejas
• If Texas population grew then it could become a
  separate state
• Baron de Bastrop chosen as the 1st representative
  from Texas

11
Mexico Passes Colonization Law of 1824

• Certain restrictions
• No one could receive more than 48, 708 acres of
  land
• No colony could be established within 30 miles of
  the coast or 60 miles from an international
  boundary without permission
• Only those who intended to live permanently in
  Texas could receive land contracts

12
How State Colonization Law Worked

• Foreigners invited to immigrate
• After 30 payment family receives as much as
  4,428 acres
• Would not have to pay general taxes for a set
  number of years
• Single men receive 1,107 acres but given the rest
  upon marriage
• If a man married a Mexican woman, he would
  receive an additional 1,107 acres

• Colonists had to show evidence of good moral
  character and a Roman Catholic
• Too few priests for Mexican authorities to check
  out colonists
• Use of empresarios best land and spoke Spanish
• Empresario contracts cancelled after 6 years if
  failure of getting 100 families to settle

13
The Most Successful Empresario

• S. Austins most successful
• Received additional contracts
• 500 more families added to Old 300
• 100 families to Little Colony Bastrop
• 300 families along the coast
• 800 families with Samuel Williams northwest of
  original colony

14
Why Austins Colonies Succeeded

• Demonstrated ability to deal successfully with
  Mexican authorities
• Colonists had little difficulty getting titles to
  land and making improvements
• Native Americans became less of a threat
• Contracts included most fertile lands
• Well watered, plentiful timber, roads and
  rivers provided transportation

15
Green DeWitts Success

• 2nd most successful
• 400 families settled west of Austins original
  colony
• Gonzales headquarters
• Native American raids slowed early growth

16
Martín de León Empresario

• Native to Mexico, expert horseman/rancher
• Settled 100-200 families along Guadalupe River
  near the coast
• Wife (Patricia de la Garza de León) helped
  establish the town of Victoria
• Gave for first church in Victoria
• Later sided with Texans during war with Mexico
• Forced to flee after Texas Revolution
• Native American raids troubled colony

17
Other Contracts

• James Power and James Hewetson
• Settled Irish immigrants along Gulf Coast
  (Refugio)
• John McMullen and James McGloin
• 2nd colony of Irish at San Patricio
• Haden Edwards, David G. Burnet, Joseph Vehlein,
  Arthur Wavell, Lorenzo de Zavala
• Some became active in Texas Revolution
• Noah and Nancy Tevis
• No help from empresario
• Settled along Neches River
• After Noahs death, Nancy founded Beaumont

18
Various Nationalities Settle in Texas

• Americans
• Southern states (Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas)
• Farmers
• Looking for new start with cheap land
• African Americans (enslaved)
• Imperial Colonization Law recognized slavery but
  outlawed slave trading
• ? 2000 enslaved mainly on plantations
• Mexican government opposed, but Americans argue
  that slave labor was necessary to clear land
  cultivate cotton, corn, and sugarcane and to
  make a profit
• African Americans (free)
• Greenbury Logan, Samuel H. Hardin, Lewis B.
  Jones, William Goyens, Hendrick Arnold

19
Women Play Important Roles

• Mary Austin Holley
• Cousin of Stephen Austin
• Wrote a series of letters about her visit to
  Texas
• María Calvillo
• Became sole owner of fathers ranch
• Expanded and improved ranch through courage,
  organizational
  skills, and talents
• Jane McManus German empresario with brother
• Tamar Morgan
• Came to Texas as a slave
• Purchased her freedom
• Became successful landowner with husband Samuel
  H. Hardin
• Life
• Worked along side the men building houses,
  tending livestock, and defending their land
• Had few rights could not vote, hold public
  office, or serve on a jury
• Slave women labored long hours without pay,
  with no prospect of freedom (families often split
  up because of slave sales)

20
Education in the Colonies

• Lack of prevented Mexican government from
  providing public education
• Job of educating children left to colonists
• Wealthy colonists some hired private teachers
  while others sent children to U.S. schools
• Thomas J. Pilgrim opened 1st school in San
  Felipe de Austin (1829)
• Frances Trask opened one of first girls schools
  in Texas (mid- 1830s)
• By 1830s almost every town had at least one
  teacher (reading, writing, and arithmetic)