Anglo American
Colonization of
Texas
1800-1830
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
MOSES AUSTIN BEGINS
COLONIZATION IN TEXAS
• Moses Austin was from
Connecticut.
• Austin was interested in
lead mining.
• After hearing about George
Morgan’s colony in current-day
Missouri, Moses Austin moved
there to operate a lead mine.
www.dallashistory.org/.../ texas/colonization.htm
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.
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.)
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
• At 27, Stephen F. Austin put aside his
plans of practicing law and went to
Texas to fulfill his father’s wishes.
• Austin’s 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
• Where would Austin put these colonists he
was bringing to Texas?
• Austin’s 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/austin/index.shtml
• 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.
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 Austin’s
colony which was untraditional for that time.
One of the most influential was Jane Long, the
widow of James Long.
• 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
didn’t see Austin. These colonists were
frustrated and returned back to their
homes in New Orleans.
Old Three
Hundred
mostly U.S.
southerners
Characteristics of
The Old Three
Hundred
mostly
farmers
many
slaveholders
mostly
law-abiding
fairly well
educated
• 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.
Austin’s Leadership
• The first years in the colony were
tough.
– drought
– attacks by Karankawas
– many colonists returning to the United
States
•Austin’s colony was successful.
•This success was due to Austin’s leadership.
• 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.
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.
Mexico’s New Colonization Laws
National Colonization
Law of 1824
-allowed each Mexican state
to set its own colonization
policies
-restricted new U.S. immigrants
from establishing colonies near
the borders or the coast
State Colonization
Law of 1825
-Empresarios received 67,000
acres of land for every 200
families
- heads of household received
4,428 acres of land for $30 and
exempt from paying taxes
for 10 years
Effects on Settlement in Texas
-huge wave of immigration, particularly U.S.
immigration to Texas
-several new colonies established
Early Problems in
Austin’s 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.
Austin’s 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.
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 1830’s, 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
• Austin’s Colony WAS A SUCCESS!!
Austin’s 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 Austin’s
Little Colony. The main town
was Bastrop.
• Austin’s Little Colony suffered
several Comanche raids due to
it’s location (right next to the
Indians hunting grounds) and
never managed success.
“My ambition has been to succeed
in redeeming Texas from it’s
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)
Stephen F Austin’s
Contributions to Texas
• Over 40 Empresarios were granted land during
the 1820’s 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”
If you were an
empresario, which
land grant would you
have wanted and
why?
Mexican Land Grants, 1821-1836
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.
Expanding the Empresarial System
• The second most important
empresario was Green DeWitt.
– DeWitt founded a colony southwest of
Austin’s original grant.
– DeWitt’s headquarters were in
Gonzales.
– Although DeWitt had permission to bring
400 settlers to Texas, he had only really
settled 166 settlers.
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
• 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.
What did you Learn??
1. 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.
2. 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.