Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________
Unit 5: Study Notes
Era in History: Mexican National
Nationalism—Representation is important to a democratic government
Immigration—There are many reasons people immigrate to other countries.
Leadership—leaders have many responsibilities.
Vocabulary
Constitution—a written statement outlining the basic laws or principles by which a
country or organization is governed.
Empresario—an agent who makes all arrangements to bring settlers to a colony.
Filibuster—an adventurer who engages in a private rebellious activity in a foreign
country.
Immigration—the act of people moving to another country to settle.
Representative government—a representative government is one that allows its
citizens to elect other citizens to make decisions for a large group of citizens. This
allows the business of government to get done.
Tejano—a person of Mexican descent living in Texas
Defining Characteristics of the Mexican National Era
 Mexican Constitution of 1824—Constitution written after Mexico’s
independence from Spain; the republic took the name of United Mexican
States, and was defined as a representative federal republic with Catholicism
as the official religion; it created the state of Coahuila y Tejas, merging the
two provinces.
 Old Three Hundred—Original 300 families allowed to move to Texas under
Austin’s grant from Spain.
 Moses Austin—first American to work with the Spanish government to settle
Americans in Texas.
Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________
 Stephen F. Austin—first American to recruit and settle Americans in
Texas/Mexico. He settled 300 families and was known as an empresario.
This led to the colonization of other American settlers in Texas/Mexico.
 Erasmo Seguin Sr.—helped Moses Austin obtain approval from Spanish
officials to settle American colonists in Texas.
 Martin DeLeon—a Mexican empresario who settled 200 Mexican families in
South Texas (between the Lavaca and Guadalupe River). He and his wife
founded the town of Victoria in 1824.
 Empresarios— an agent who makes all arrangements to bring settlers to a
colony.
 Agriculture— the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock; a large-scale
farming enterprise; the federal department that administers programs that
provide services to farmers (including research and soil conservation and
efforts to stabilize the farming economy); created in 1862
 San Felipe de Austin-- San Felipe de Austin, on the west bank of the Brazos
River, was founded in 1824 by Stephen F. Austin as the unofficial capital of his
colony; it became the first urban center in the Austin colony.
 Battle of Medina—Fought August 18, 1813, along the Medina River south of
San Antonio between the republic forces of the Gutierrez-Magee expedition
and the Spanish royalist army; The Republic army lost miserably, but it
encouraged others to participate in the revolution.
Important Dates During the Mexican National Era
 1820—Moses Austin gets permission from Spanish authorities to colonize
Texas with Americans but dies before he completes his plans
 1821—Mexico independent from Spain—important date to know.
 1821—Stephen F. Austin continues his father’s dream by settling 300 families
from the United States. They are known as the “Old Three Hundred.” There
were three requirements for settlement (must convert to Catholicism; must
become a Spanish/Mexican citizen; must be of good, moral character)
 1823-1825—National Colonization Laws
 1824—Mexican Constitution of 1824
 1825-1830—30 Empresario Contracts granted
Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________
Individuals, Issues, Events Related to Mexico Becoming an
Independent Nation and Impact on Texas

Texas involvement in the fight for independence
o Philip Nolan—a filibuster from the United States that was sent to
Texas with Spanish approval, but Spain was suspicious of the U.S.
taking control of Texas
o Gutierrez-Magee Expedition—Jose Bernardo Gutierrez (follower of
Father Hidalgo) and Augustus Magee (former U.S. soldier)
organized the Republic of the North and proclaimed Texas
independent of Spain, but were defeated. It encouraged others to
free Texas and Mexico from Spanish rule.
o Galveston Pirates—Jean Lafitte and other pirates attacked Spanish
ships
o Long Expedition—Dr. James Long led a group from Mississippi to
Nacogdoches where he declared Texas independent from Spain.
While looking for military support, he was captured, taken to
Mexico city, and shot.

Jose Gutierrez de Lara
o Leader of the Mexican Republican Army of the North and opposed
Spanish Rule
o Joined Agustus Magee and his men, which became known as the
Gutierrez-Magee Expedition
o Supported several filibuster expeditions
o First Governor of Mexican Texas

Battle of Medina
o Fought August 18, 1813, along the Medina River south of San
Antonio between the republic forces of the Gutierrez-Magee
expedition and the Spanish royalist army;
o The Republic army lost miserably, but it encouraged others to
participate in the revolution.

Mexican Federal Constitution of 1824
o Constitution written after Mexico’s independence from Spain;
o the Republic took the name of United Mexican States, and was
defined as a representative federal republic with Catholicism as
the official religion;
o it created the state of Coahuila y Tejas, merging the two
provinces.

Merger of Texas and Coahuila as a state
o Merger stated in the Mexican Federal Constitution of 1824
o Texas was not organized as a separate state because of its small
population
Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________

State Colonization Law of 1825
o Law that set up guidelines to the colonization of Coahuila y Tejas
o Allowed Stephen F. Austin and other empresarios to receive land
grants in Texas

Slavery
o 1821—colonists could bring slaves to Texas and buy land
depending on the number of slaves brought.
o Mexico offered full citizenship to free blacks, including land
ownership and other privileges.
o 1823—the sale or purchase of slaves was forbidden in Texas, and
required that the children of slaves be freed when they reached
age fourteen.
o 1827—the legislature of Coahuila y Tejas outlawed the
introduction of additional slaves and granted freedom at birth to
all children born to a slave.
o 1829—Mexico abolished slavery, but it granted an exception to
Texas.
o 1830—importation of slaves was illegal in Texas.
Contributions of Significant Individuals During the Mexican Settlement of
Texas





Moses Austin (1820)—first American to work with the Spanish
government to settle Americans in Texas
Stephen F. Auston (1821)—first American to recruit and settle
Americans in Texas/Mexico. He settled 300 families and was known as
an empresario. This led to the colonization of other American settlers in
Texas/Mexico; known as the Father of Texas
Erasmo Sequin—helped Moses Austin obtain approval from Spanish
officials to settle American colonists in Texas
Martin De Leon—a Mexican empresario who settled 200 Mexican
families in South Texas (between the Lavaca and Guadalupe River). He
and his wife founded the town of Victoria in 1824
Green DeWitt (1831)—an important American empresario who settled
166 familes in the area near present-day Gonzales
Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________
Purposes for the Methods of Settlement in Texas



Spanish
o To lay claim to Texas
o Missions, presidios, and civil settlements
Mexican
o Economic opportunities—large ranches and small businesses
o Civil Settlements and empresarios grants
Anglo
o Economic opportunities—large farms to grow cash crops and small
businesses
o New start
o Escape debt
o Empresarios grants
Spanish Settlement
Purpose:
 Secure Spanish
control in New
World
 Gold, Silver, and
resources
Method:
 A colony of Spain
 Resettled other
Spanish colonist
(e.g., Canary
Islanders)
Mexican Settlement
Purpose:
 Increase population
in northern Mexico
Anglo Settlement
Purpose:
 Increase population in
Texas

Method:
 Empresario grants
 Supporting towns
already in the area
 Large ranches
Method:
 Allowed because of
the National
Colonization Law
 Empresario grants
 Settled in northern
Texas
 Farming/agriculture
Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________
Map: Mexican National Period
 Empresario Grants
 Settlements in Texas by 1821
Name:______________________________________________________
Tx History, Period:__________
Date:_______________________________________________________
Geographic Distribution and Patterns in Texas During the 19th, 20th, and
21st Centuries

Suggested question for the Mexican National Period
o What do you think will be the impact of the Texas colonist settling so far
from Mexico City?
o What happened with Mexico being so far away from Spain?
How people from racial, ethnic, and religious groups attempt to maintain
cultural heritage while adapting to the larger Texas culture:


Maintained food, music, traditions, language, and religion over many
generations
Celebrations practiced in new world
Example Questions:
What are 3 characteristics of the Mexican National Era? (Students are given
a multiple choice question with 4 answer choices. Students are asked to identify
which characteristic out of the 4 choices given is NOT a characteristic of the
Mexican National Era.)
Use the information in the box and your knowledge of social studies to answer the
following question.



He is the second most successful
empresario.
He established the town of
Gonzales
His colony became prosperous in
farming and ranching.
Who is described above?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Green DeWitt
Stephen F. Austin
James Long
Philip Nolan
These tests are not easy tests. These test require the students to apply the
information learned in class within different critical thinking scenarios. It
is not a basic matching/fill in the blank style test.