The Filibusters

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The Filibusters
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Early Anglo Settlement in Texas
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SPAINS OWNERSHIP OF TEXAS
By 1800, Spain owned most of the American
Southwest including Texas.
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People seeking adventure began coming to Spanish
Texas.
Some of these adventurers came for profit, others
came to establish independent states.
These adventure-seekers were called filibusters.
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In 1800, Philip Nolan, perhaps the most famous
filibuster, came to Texas to catch and sell wild
mustangs. Many others followed suit.
The Spanish were suspicious of many people, and
they thought that all filibusters were trying to
make Texas part of the U.S.
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Spain was suspicious of some people such as James
Long. Long came to Texas, captured Nacogdoches,
and claimed Texas as a free and independent state.
Eventually, the term filibuster became synonymous
with a trouble maker who wanted to start
rebellion.
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Both Philip Nolan and James Long were executed by
the Spanish government because of the fear that
the filibusters wanted to take Texas away from
Spain.
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Jane Long, Jamess wife, learned of his death
while living on Point Bolivar near Galveston.
She was left alone with a young daughter and
servant.
Mrs. Long endured severe weather, scarce food,
and the threat of attack from Native Americans
and Spanish soldiers.
At one point she used a small cannon to frighten
away some Karankawa Indians.
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Later, Jane traveled to Mexico to investigate her
husbands death.
She eventually returned to Texas where she bought
land and became a successful business woman.
Jane Longs bravery and independent spirit has
earned her the nickname Mother of Texas.
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Mexicans living in New Spain had been pushing for
independence.
Father Miguel Hidalgo called for Mexicos
independence from Spain.
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Father Hidalgo was executed by the Spanish
government, and Spain exercised tighter control
of its land.
But, people began to see the cracks in Spanish
control.
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One of Hidalgos supporters, Bernardo Gutierrez
de Lara, and a former U.S. soldier, Augustus
Magee, decided to invade Texas and free it from
Spanish rule. Their effort became known as the
Gutierrez-Magee Expedition.
They raised an army of 800 and successfully
defeated the Spanish over a period of a few
months.
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The expedition members established an independent
state, but could not agree on how to run the
government.
Eventually the larger Spanish army defeated the
Republican army and restored control over Texas.
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There were other means of owning a piece of
Spanish Texas besides rebellion.
In 1820 Moses Austin met with Governor Martinez
of Spain to request permission to establish a
colony in Texas.
Land Grant
Moses was given permission to settle three
hundred families in Texas.
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The new land grant was the fertile farmland
between the Colorado and Brazos Rivers.
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Moses Austin paved the way for Anglo American
colonization of Texas. However, he died in 1821,
before his dream to colonize Texas was realized.
His dying wish was that his son, Stephen, fulfill
his vision to colonize Texas.
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Stephen F. Austin was given permission to
colonize, and thus the first Anglo Americans came
to Texas.
They felt like part of Texas belonged to them
since they had permission to settle and had
purchased land.
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Just as Austin was making headway in establishing
his colony, he learned that Mexico had finally
won independence from Spain.
His land grant was no longer valid in the new
government, so he traveled to Mexico City and
asked the new government of Mexico for permission
to colonize.
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It took a year, but eventually Austin was given
the title of empresario.
Empresario Stephen F. Austin
An empresario was someone who arranged business
deals including the buying and selling of land.
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Austins colony began to flourish. By 1830, over
200 people lived in the capital of the colony,
San Felipe de Austin.
The original three hundred families to settle in
Austin's colony became known as the Old Three
Hundred.
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Austins colony was very successful. Other
businessmen became empresarios and settled more
families on their own land grants around Austins
colony.
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Lets review the progression of the Texas
ownership.
We have now seen three flags fly over Texas, and
various individuals make claims to the land.
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First, both Spain and France had claims to Texas
during the years of exploration from the late
1500s through the late 1600s.
Spain had claims to the American Southwest, which
included most of Texas.
France had claims in East Texas.
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France no longer had claims on America with the
sale of the Louisiana Purchase (1803) to the US.
Eventually, Spain claimed most of the Americas
including all of Texas.
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Meanwhile, adventurous individuals called
filibusters tried to take parts of Texas and
create independent states.
Philip Nolan
James Long
Guiterrez-Magee Expedition
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Empresarios such as Stephen F. Austin were given
land grants to settle Texas.
Land Grant
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Eventually, Mexico won independence from Spain.
France
Spain
Mexico
So by 1821, three flags had flown over Texas-
just three more to go!
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The Anglo American colonization of Texas was well
under way.
However, with colonization came conflict between
the Mexican government and the colonists.
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Review
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What do you think will be sources of conflict
between these two groups?