Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

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Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.1 Austin Establishes a Colony
• In 1821, Moses Austin paved the way for Anglo
  American colonization of Texas
• He was the first Anglo American to secure
  permission from Spain to bring American settlers
  into Texas
• Born in Connecticut, Moses Austin moved to
  present-day Missouri in 1798, when that area of
  Louisiana still belonged to Spain
• As a result, he was familiar with Spanish laws
  and regulations
• Austin prospered in Missouri until a depression
  swept the United States in 1819 and ruined his
  business
• Austin set out to Texas in 1820 to meet with
  Governor Antonio Martinez, hoping to secure a
  contract from Spanish authorities that would
  allow him to bring 300 families to Texas
• Austin was at first turned down
• While leaving Martinezs office, Austin met an
  old friend, Baron de Bastrop

• Moses Austin Paves the Way

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Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.1 Austin Establishes a Colony
• Baron de Bastrop, whose real name was Philip
  Hendrik Nering Bogel, was an important man in San
  Antonio and promised to help Austin
• Bastrop helped convince the governor that his
  plan was not an excuse for the United States to
  grab land
• After returning to Missouri, Austin received word
  that the Spanish had approved his request
• Before he could carry out his plans, however, he
  became seriously ill with pneumonia
• The long, difficult journey to San Antonio and
  his work in preparing for colonization had
  exhausted him
• On June 10, 1821, Moses Austin died.
• His last request before dying was that his son,
  Stephen, carry out the plans for settling Texas

• Moses Austin Paves the Way

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Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.1 Austin Establishes a Colony
• At the time of his fathers illness, Stephen was
  living in New Orleans, studying law and working
  for a newspaper
• When he learned that the colonization contract
  had been approved, he left for San Antonio to
  help his father explore the country and set up
  the colony
• He was near Natchitoches, Louisiana, when he
  learned his father had died
• Stephen F. Austin was determined to carry out his
  fathers colonization plan and decided to go to
  San Antonio to see Governor Martinez
• When Austin arrived in August of 1821, Governor
  Martinez warmly greeted him and then discussed
  Austins plan for settlement

• Stephen F. Austin Continues His Fathers Work

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Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.1 Austin Establishes a Colony
• After spending most of September exploring Texas,
  he decided that the region between the Colorado
  and Brazos Rivers was a good place for a colony
• He said that it had
• fertile soil
• abundant water
• natural resources
• a mild climate
• and no other settlement
• Austin wrote a full report and sent it to
  Governor Martinez, outlining the boundaries he
  wanted for the colony
• Austin made a specific request for land along the
  coast, although he planned most settlements to be
  in the Colorado and Brazos Valleys

• Austin Sets Colony Boundaries

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Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.1 Austin Establishes a Colony
• Austin began advertising for settlers to come to
  the colony
• The advertisements appeared mainly in newspapers
  in the southern newspapers in the United States
• The land policy proposed by Austin was very
  generous. It stated
• Each man would receive 640 acres
• 320 acres for his wife
• 160 acres for each child
• 80 acres for each slave
• People of special value would receive additional
  grants of land (merchants, doctors, mill
  operators, and ferry operators)
• Settlers would pay Austin 12.5 cents per acre
• Austin was willing to extend credit to the
  settlers, allowing individuals time to pay

• Advertising for Colonists

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Chapter 7 - Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.1 Austin Establishes a Colony
• Settlers coming to Texas were required to
• become citizens of their new country
• take an oath of allegiance to the Spanish (later
  Mexican) government
• become Catholic
• be of good moral character
• be willing to work hard

• Advertising for Colonists

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• On March 19, 1823, Mexican emperor Agustin de
  Iturbide was overthrown
• Federalists formed the new Mexican government
  they believed in sharing power between the states
  and the national government
• Their opponents, Centralists, believed that power
  should be concentrated in the national government
  of Mexico City
• The Federalists wrote a new constitution for
  Mexico in 1824
• Divided the nation into 19 states and 4
  territories
• The provinces of Coahuila and Tejas were combined
  into one province Coahuila y Tejas
• Tejas would be able to become its own Mexican
  state once its population grew large enough
• Tejas would only select 1 of 12 representatives
  for the state legislature that met in Saltillo

• The Constitution of 1824

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• In 1824 the congress in Mexico City passed a new
  colonization law that set up new restriction for
  colonization and had the states work out the
  details
• No family could receive more than 48,708 acres of
  land
• No colony could be established within 30 miles of
  the coast or 60 miles of an international
  boundary without permission
• Only those who intended to live permanently in
  Texas could receive land
• Upon learning of this new law, many people set
  out for Saltillo, the capital of Coahuila y Tejas

• Mexico Passes Colonization Law

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• In 1825, Coahuila y Tejas passed a new state law
  for colonization within the state
• Foreigners were invited to immigrate to Texas and
  could receive land through an empresario or on
  their own
• For a payment of 30 a family could receive as
  much as 4,428 acres of land
• Single men would receive 1,107 acres
• When they married they would receive another
  3,321 acres
• If he married a Mexican woman, he would receive a
  bonus 1,107 acres
• Colonists had to show evidence of good moral
  character and be Roman Catholic
• Most families came through an empresario contract
  because
• Most of the desirable land was held by them
• Most families did not speak Spanish

• How State Colonization Laws Worked

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• Stephen F. Austin continued to be the most
  successful empresario
• By 1828, he had received 4 more contracts
• He was allowed to settle 500 families within the
  boundaries of his first colony in 1825
• Founded the town of Bastrop in 1827 while
  settling 100 families east of the Colorado River
  and north of the San Antonio Road
• Settled 300 families along the coast in 1828
• Settled 800 families in a large area northwest of
  his original colony in 1831
• For every 200 families brought in, Austin was
  given around 67,000 acres of land for himself

• The Most Successful Empresario

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• Several reasons contributed to Stephen F.
  Austins success as a colonizer
• Ability to deal successfully with Mexican
  authorities
• His colonists had little trouble getting the
  title to their land
• He dealt with native Americans to eliminate
  threats
• In addition to these traits, the land Austin had
  claim to was important
• Some of the most fertile soil in Texas
• Well watered
• Contained large amounts of timber
• Crossed by roads and rivers to provide
  transportation

• Why Austins Colonies Succeeded

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• The second most successful empresario was Green
  DeWitt of Missouri.
• In 1825 he was authorized to bring 400 families
  into Texas
• His colony was situated west of Austins first
  colony and south of the San Antonio Road
• The town of Gonzales was established as
  headquarters for the colony
• Native Americans began a series of raids, which
  slowed the early growth of DeWitts colony
• By 1831, he had issued 166 titles to land

• Green DeWitts Success

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Chapter 7.2 The Colonies Grow
• Another successful empresario was Martin de Leon,
  an expert horseman and rancher
• He settled between 100 and 200 families along the
  Guadalupe River near the coast
• He founded the town of Victoria, which was named
  for the first president of the republic of Mexico
• Native American raids also troubled de Leons
  colony, which was southeast of the DeWitt
  settlement
• His colonists prospered by farming and ranching
• Victoria became an important center for trade
  between Texas and Mexico
• He later becomes famous for his help in the Texas
  Revolution but is forced to flee due to
  anti-Mexican sentiments

• Martin de Leon, Empresario

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Chapter 7 Age of Empresarios

• Other Contracts