AMERICAN COLONIZATION SETTLEMENT Americans Settle in Texas The

AMERICAN COLONIZATION & SETTLEMENT Americans Settle in Texas

The Austin Colonies AMERICANS SETTLE IN TEXAS

TIMELINE 1798 Moses Austin moves to present day Missouri and becomes part owner of the Bank of St. Louis 1819 The Panic of 1819 led to a depression 1820 Moses Austin sets up a journey to Texas to establish his colony 1821 Mexico gets independence from Spain 1821 Moses Austin gets permission from the Spanish government to found a colony in Texas 1824 297 families and single men receive land in Stephen F. Austin’s colony (The Old Three Hundred)

MOSES AUSTIN BEGINS COLONIZATION IN TEXAS v v v Moved to “Missouri”Spanish Louisiana in 1798 Mined lead Was a Spanish citizen and had strong ties with the Spanish government Wealthy part owner of the Bank of St. Louis by 1803 Panic of 1819 left him in ruins Decided to try to establish a colony in Texas v Charges the settlers fees to regain some of his wealth

MOSES AUSTIN TRAVELS TO TEXAS v Moses Austin presented a petition to the Spanish government asking to allow him to bring 300 American families to settle in Texas. (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. )

MOSES AUSTIN TRAVELS TO TEXAS v The Spanish government said no and ordered Moses to leave San Antonio v Chance encounter saves Moses departure v Meets Baron de Bastrop on his way out of San Antonio v Tells Bastrop of his plan and how he was ordered to leave Texas v Bastrop convinces the governor to allow Moses to stay

MOSES AUSTIN TRAVELS TO TEXAS 1821 - Spanish officials grant him the right to settle 300 families from the U. S. under two conditions - All U. S. settlers must agree v 1. 2. v To become Spanish citizens To become Catholic However, most U. S. settlers were Protestant. They worshipped their Protestant faith privately although they publicly declared themselves Catholic

Moses Austin and Texas Why Moses Austin Wanted to Start a Colony • had suffered financial ruin • had profited before by moving to a Spanish land • hoped to regain wealth by collecting fees from U. S. settlers Why Spanish Officials Approved Austin’s Colony • knew Austin had been a loyal Spanish subject before • hoped colony would improve the Texas economy and help protect the region from American Indian attacks and U. S. invasions

MOSES AUSTIN v Moses Austin becomes very ill and dies before he can establish his colony

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN v After hearing about his father’s death Stephen F. Austin is determined to carry out his father’s colony v He travels to San Antonio de Bexar and meets with the Spanish government v Stephen F. Austin is granted permission to continue with his father’s contract

Stephen F. Austin in Texas 1 Met with Governor Martínez and the Baron de Bastrop in San Antonio and gained their support Created a colonization plan Explored parts of Texas Chose the Brazos and Colorado River valleys Formed a partnership with Joseph H. Hawkins Bought the Lively 7 Set out for his colony in Texas

LOCATION OF AUSTIN’S COLONY v v Austin picks the area of the Brazos and Colorado River valleys Good location because of the mild climate, fertile land, fresh water, plentiful resources, and access to the Gulf of Mexico The rivers provide water for crops, livestock, drinking, cleaning, and transportation It is located near San Antonio

WHY U. S. SETTLERS CAME TO TEXAS v v v PUSH FACTORS U. S. was in the middle of an economic depression People were escaping criminal charges in the U. S. creditors and authorities had no power in Texas v v v PULL FACTORS Texas had a lot of land for sale Land in Texas was cheaper than the U. S. Payments for land in Texas were much easier

AUSTIN’S FINANCIAL TERMS v v v AUSTIN Charged 12. 5 cents per acre Fees covered the cost of surveying the land recording land titles (legal documents of ownership) Willing to accept goods as payment or allowed them to pay over time v v v U. S. Charged at least $1. 25 an acre You had to buy a minimum of 80 acres Had to pay full price in cash upfront

ARRIVAL AT THE COLONY v By 1821 the first US settlers arrived at Austin’s colony v By March 1821, 150 settlers had arrived in Austin’s colony v Life on the colony was hard v Had to re-adjust to the Texas wilderness v Food and supplies were scarce because of difficult transportation to the colony

MEXICO WINS IT’S INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN v v Austin went to San Antonio to report about his colony to the governor The governor informed Austin that Mexico had won it’s independence from Spain Austin now had to go to Mexico City and reconfirm his contract with the Mexican government It took him more than a year to return to Texas

AUSTIN’S TRIP TO MEXICO CITY IN 1822 AND THE RESULTS Purpose v To reconfirm his colonization contract with the Mexican government Results v Gained approval for his contract v Received more favorable land terms v Granted power to form a local government, militia, and serve as colony’s judge v Formed strong ties with Mexican officials

EARLY PROBLEMS IN AUSTIN’S COLONY Austin returned to the colony in 1823 to find many problems had arisen in his absence v. A drought had ruined the colony’s 1 st years crop v. Karankawa, Tonkawa and other Native Americans didn’t like the colonists living on their land v. Many settlers had left or were threatening to leave

EARLY PROBLEMS IN AUSTIN’S COLONY v Austin reassures the colonists that the Mexican government had approved the contract for the colony v He sets up a government, creates rules to guide the colony, and creates a militia v Rules were a mixture of Mexican and U. S. law v Militia leads several attacks against the Karankawa and Tonkawa Militia – a citizen army of volunteers

THE OLD THREE HUNDRED By 1824 Austin had almost fulfilled his contract v He had 297 families and single men in his colony v Most came from the southern U. S. v Mostly farmers and many were slaveholders v Of 1, 790 colonists- 440 were slaves v Fairly educated (only 4 couldn’t read), law-abiding

Characteristics of the “Old three hundred” Old Three Hundred mostly U. S. southerners mostly farmers many slaveholders mostly law-abiding fairly well educated

SAN FELIPE DE AUSTIN v Austin’s colony needed a capital v Austin founded San Felipe de Austin (also known as San Felipe) v Located in present-day Austin County along the Brazos River v By 1830 s it was the largest business center in Texas after San Antonio AUSTIN’S COLONY WAS A SUCCESS

OTHER AUSTIN COLONIES Bastrop “Austin’s Little Colony” v. Located on the Colorado River v. Western edge of Austin colony v. Isolated v. Subject to Comanche attacks v. Grew slowly

AUSTIN’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GROWTH OF TEXAS v v v Brought 1, 500 families to Texas in just 10 years Became a trusted friend advisor to the colonists Won the trust of many different people His skill and drive helped him overcome enormous obstacles Stephen F. Austin is considered the "Father of Texas" due to his continued efforts to settle the territory. KNOWN AS THE FATHER OF TEXAS

1821 Independence from Spain Mexico

MEXICAN CONSTITUTION OF 1824

What is a constitution? A constitution is the basic principles and laws of a government. A constitution effectively controls the powers of the government and guarantees certain rights to the people.

Mexican Constitution of 1824 1. Provision- Formed the state of Coahuila y Tejas with Saltillo as capital v v v 2. Provision- Gave state strong local control v v 3. Local government could adjust to meet local needs, particularly those of U. S. settlers Local government became a mixture of Mexican and U. S. practices Provision- Roman Catholicism the official religion v 4. Capital was far from Texas Hard for Texans to participate in state government Some Texans were angered by this provision Texas and in particular U. S. settlers publicly claimed to be Catholic but privately worshiped as they pleased Provision- Restricted Slavery v v worried angered many Texans who believed that the Texas economy—and in particular cotton farming—required slave labor created a division between U. S. settlers and Mexican government

U. S. & Mexican Constitutions Differences U. S. Constitution v President elected by citizens v Separation of church and state Mexican Constitution of 1824 v President elected by Congress v Established a national religion Similarities • Federalism • Three government branches • President as head of state

Federalism v The distribution of power between the federal government and the state government. v The U. S. Constitution grants certain powers to the national government and others to Texas. .

Separation of Powers

Separation of Powers v Power divided among the different branches of the government (Executive, Legislative, Judicial) v Separation of powers is the division of the national and state government into three branches—the executive, legislative, and judicial—with each branch having different powers and responsibilities. v. The legislative branch makes laws. v. The executive branch enforces laws. v. The judicial branch interprets laws.

MEXICO’S NEW COLONIZATION LAWS

MEXICO’S NEW COLONIZATION LAWS v More people began moving to Texas v Texas gained fame as a land of opportunity v Other business people began to bring settlers v Empresarios v Businesspeople who promoted settlement in Texas v Followed Austin’s example of colonization v Received 67, 000 acres of land for every 200 families brought to Texas

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

COLONIZATION LAW OF 1824 v v allowed each Mexican state to set its own colonization policies Mexico forms the state of Coahuila y Texas v v combines the separate states of Texas Coahuila restricted new U. S. immigrants from establishing colonies near the borders or the coast STATE COLONIZATION LAW OF 1825 v v v opened Texas to settlement and immigration empresarios follow Austin’s example of colonization received 67, 000 acres of land for every 200 families brought to Texas MEXICO’S NEW COLONIZATION LAWS AND STEPS TAKEN TO COLONIZE TEXAS

The Empresarios allowed each Mexican state to set its own colonization policies; restricted new U. S. immigrants from establishing colonies near the borders or the coast empresarios— 67, 000 acres of land for every 200 families; heads of household— 4, 428 acres of land for $30; exempt from paying taxes for 10 years huge wave of immigration, particularly U. S. immigration to Texas; several new colonies established

ERASMO SEGUIN (1782– 1857) v San Antonio political figure, mayor of San Antonio, member of Texas Congress v As a member of the colonization committee he worked on the liberal National Colonization Law of August 18, 1824

EMPRESARIO GREEN DEWITT (1787– 1835) v The second most important empresario was Green De. Witt. v De. Witt had founded a colony southwest of Austin’s original grant. v De. Witt’s headquarters were in Gonzales. v Although De. Witt had permission to bring 400 settlers to Texas, he had only really settled 166 settlers.

EMPRESARIO MARTIN DE LEON (1765– 1833) v v The only Mexican empresario to found a colony in Texas His colonization grant was approved on April 13. De León's colony was the only predominantly Mexican colony in Texas. As a Mexican citizen he received legal preference in the numerous border disputes with American settlements around Victoria.

EMPRESARIO’S DE LEON COLONY DEWITT COLONY v v v Settled 166 families Located near the Gulf Coast Plains and the Post Oak belt along the Guadalupe River More than 525 people lived in Gonzales, the main town by 1831 v v The only empresario founded of primarily Mexican settlers Located along the lower Guadalupe River Became an important ranching center By 1834 300 people lived there v. Both colonies benefited from the fertile soil and plentiful water v. Both suffered from Native American Attacks

EMPRESARIO LAND GRANTS

SPANISH MISSION SYSTEMS & EMPRESARIO SYSTEMS SIMILARITIES v Meant to increase settlement in and control of Texas DIFFERENCES v Mission: v v Used missions and presidios Meant to convert Native Americans to Catholicism Did not promote immigration to Texas Empresario: v v Promoted settlement through private landowners Encouraged immigration

SECULARIZE OF MISSIONS v v v Secularize- the process of moving from religious to civil control 1793 -Spain began to secularize missions Mission San Antonio de Valero was the first mission to be secularize From 1801 -1825 it housed a military unit, the Flying Company of San Jose y Santiago del Alamo de Parras This unit gave the mission its famous nickname: The Alamo All Texas missions were secularized by 1831