Ok Dad… I’ll carry out your plans for settling Texas. What was an Empresario? A person who was in charge of dividing up Mexican land and selling it to American settlers Ok Dad… I’ll carry out your plans for settling Texas. Stephen F. Austin Moses Austin (Stephen F. Austin’s Father)

REQUIREMENTS FOR SETTLING IN TEXAS: You had to become a citizen of your new country (Spain, and later Mexico) You had to become Catholic You had to be of good moral character

What are some things that make land good for settling? After securing his contract with Mexico, Austin traveled around Texas and found what he thought was the best land for settling What are some things that make land good for settling? -Good Soil -Access to water and good rainfall for the crops and animals -Ability to ship goods down rivers and into the Gulf of Mexico

How was land handed out by the empresarios How was land handed out by the empresarios? How much land did people get? The deal that Stephen F. Austin worked out with Spanish (and then Mexican) officials included the following: Every man who came to Austin for land would receive 640 acres for himself 320 acres for his wife 160 acres for each child 80 acres for each slave

-Most of the desirable land was held by the empresarios Why did most people get their land through an empresario, instead of just negotiating with the Mexican government by themselves? -Most settlers could not speak Spanish and needed the empresarios help getting the title to their land -Most of the desirable land was held by the empresarios

How did the population of Texas change after the empresarios recruited people to come to Texas in the 1820s? Population of Texas in 1821 (When SFA started): 7,000 Population of Texas in 1833 (around the end of empresarios) 20,000

Who was The Old Three Hundred? Austin’s first colony of three hundred families Austin’s choice for his first colony was between the Colorado and the Brazos Rivers Austin’s colony included a port because he knew he would need it to get settlers and supplies to the colony

Based on the map and taking notice of the number of settlements in a colony, who was the most successful empresario? Stephen F. Austin

What was the capital of Austin’s colony? San Felipe de Austin