The Colonies Grow
Essential Questions:
How do governments change?
Mexican Rule and Colonization
• Mexican National Era – Began in 1821 with
Mexican Independence
• During this period, Texas was part of Mexico,
and the Mexican government attempted to
control the settlement of Texas.
Mexico’s Government and
Constitution
• Agustín de Iturbide declared himself
emperor of Mexico (May 19, 1822 – March
19, 1823)
• Federalists (who believed in a weaker
central government that shares power
with the states) formed a new
government.
• The Centralists opposed the new
government. They believed that the
central government should be stronger
than the states.
Mexico’s Government and
Constitution
• According to the Mexican federal
Constitution of 1824, Mexico would
be divided into 19 states and 4
territories. Two former Spanish
provinces, Coahuila and Texas, were
united as the Mexican state of
Coahuila y Tejas.
• Baron de Bastrop would represent
Texas.
New Colonization Laws (1824)
• Allowed states to make decisions about issuing land
grants (Federalism)
• Some restrictions for colonization were given:
– Land grants could not exceed 48,708 acres per person.
– Colonies could not be established too close to the
coastline or an international boundary without the
government’s permission.
– Become permanent residents of Texas to receive land.
• People only had to make their way to Saltillo, the
capital of the state of Coahuila y Tejas, to receive
contracts. (Before: had to travel to Mexico City)
The State Colonization Law of 1825
• In the hope of increasing the state’s population,
the state legislature in Saltillo made rules designed
to attract settlers.
• Settlers in Texas could gain titles to land by
themselves or through empresarios.
• A family could obtain up to 4,428 acres of land for
just $30.
• Colonists would not have to pay general taxes for a
set amount of time.
• Most single men would receive 1,107 acres of
land. Another 3,321 acres would be given to them
when they married. A man who married a
Mexican woman would receive a bonus of an
additional 1,107 acres.
The State Colonization Law of 1825
• Requirements:
– Colonists to have good moral character.
– They also had to be Christian, and that was
understood to mean Catholic.
• Benefits of using empresarios
– Knew the Spanish language or had translators
– Knew how to go about receiving claims to the land
– Held the best lands
• Empresarios received:
– 23,000 acres of land for every 100 colonists they
settled in Texas (Had six years to settle 100
colonists)
Austin’s Many Colonies
• 1st Colony Contract: Bought over 300
families (Old Three Hundred)
– San Felipe de Austin was founded as
the colony’s unofficial capital. Austin’s
colony became the most successful
Anglo American colony in Texas.
More Contracts for Austin
• 2nd Colony Contract: 1825 – Austin agreed to
bring 500 new families to settle within his
original colony
• 3rd Colony Contract: 1827 –100 families to live
east of the Colorado River and north of the San
Antonio Road. “Little Colony,” as it was called,
made its headquarters in the town of Bastrop.
• 4th Colony Contract: 1828 –300 families and
special permission to establish a colony along
the coast.
• 5th Colony Contract: 1831 – Austin and his
partner Samuel M. Williams received permission
for one more contract, which turned out to be
Austin’s last. (800 families)
Austin’s Success
• Fortunate timing
• Good leadership
– Speak Spanish
– Knowledge of how to do business with
governments
• Excellent land
• Plentiful wood
• Access to water
Other Empresarios
• By 1833, the population of Texas was estimated
at around 20,000.
• Land in Texas was cheap compared to the United
States. (10 acres for the price of 1)
• Many Americans believed that the United States
would someday buy Eastern Texas from Mexico.
Green DeWitt (Gonzales)
• April 1825 – Green DeWitt and his partner
James Kerr were granted permission to settle
400 families on property next to Austin’s
original colony (Gonzales)
• Late into DeWitt’s six-year contract, Mexico
passed the Law of April 6, 1830, which limited
immigrants entering Texas. (1831- Gonzales
had 531 people)
Green DeWitt (Gonzales)
• Difficulties – Never became a commercial center or
built a church; no school until 1831
– Sara DeWitt (wife) petitioned the government to
grant her land in her own name to protect the family
from poverty (one of few grants made to a woman)
– Green DeWitt died in 1835 (probably of cholera,
dehydration)
• In spite of all its difficulties, the DeWitt colony is
considered one of the most successful Anglo
American colonies in Texas.
Martín De León (Victoria)
• Mexican native - De León’s colony was the only
Texas colony settled mainly by Mexican families
• In 1824, they founded the town of Victoria (over
100 families) and built both a school and a church
• De León was a cattle rancher who was known for
giving beef to Native Americans in hopes of easing
tensions with them (Capitán Vacas Muchas, or
“Captain Plenty of Cows”)
• Like DeWitt, Martín De León became ill with
cholera, and he died in 1833.
Stories of Success
• Irish immigrants (Refugio and San Patricio)
• Empresarios and the settlers they brought
contributed their time, energy, and resources
to make Texas what it is today.
1. Why is the period of Texas history
that included the settling of the area
by empresarios called the Mexican
National era?
• Texas was part of a state in the nation of
Mexico at the time.
2. Identify the effects of the Mexican
federal Constitution of 1824 on Texas.
• Coahuila y Tejas formed; a high population
could allow Texas to be a state; Texas given
state representation
3. How did Mexico’s State
Colonization Law of 1825 reflect the
ideas of the Federalist government?
• It allowed individual states to write their own
laws
4. Identify the factors that made
Stephen F. Austin a successful
empresario during the settlement of
Texas.
• Austin had good timing, strong leadership
skills, and experience with government
officials. He could speak Spanish.
5. What groups settled Texas under
the empresarios? Why did they
come?
• Many Anglo American settlers came from the
southern US; some came from Ireland. They
wanted cheap farmland and thought it would
be a good investment.