1. Ch. 8 Texas on the Mexican Frontier

2. Section 1: New Policies Toward Texas
The creation of independent Mexico in 1821 marked the beginning of the Mexican National period in Texas.
Government created new policies in Texas
Goal: attract new settlers
Texas was vital as a buffer zone against attacks by the United States or American Indians: Territories on the Mexican frontier: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California
To increase the Texas population
Mexican citizens were encouraged to move to Texas but they were fearful of harsh frontier and Indian attacks
Offered land to American farmers (Anglos) through empresario system

3. Purpose: wanted to reinforce their claim to the northern parts of New Spain (the French) and to make Indians into Spanish subjects
Method: built missions, presidios, ranches, and towns
Spanish
Purpose: wanted to defend Mexico from attack
Method: tried to attract settlers (and from other countries) to Texas by offering cheap land
Mexican
Purpose: wanted to profit from living in Texas; tried to drive Indians out of TX
Method: businessmen created settlements of farms, ranches, and ports (to ship goods to U.S.)
Anglo

4. Section 2: The Austins Come to Texas
Prior to Mexican Independence: Austin came in 1820
Section 2: The Austins Come to Texas
What helped Spanish officials approve Austin’s Colony?
knew Austin had been a loyal Spanish subject before
hoped colony would improve the Texas economy and help protect the region from American Indian attacks and U.S. invasions 
Why Moses Austin Wanted to Start a Colony in Texas
had suffered financial ruin
had profited before by moving to Spanish Missouri
hoped to regain wealth by collecting fees from U.S. settlers 
1. Who helped Moses Austin convince Spanish Governor in Texas to propose the plan Spanish officials in Mexico City? Baron de Bastrop
Who was the Spanish Governor in Texas in the early 1820’s?
Antonio Martinez
Governor Martinez hesitated at first to approve Moses Austin’s plan. He thought it was an excuse for Americans to grab land in Texas.

5. Shortly after Moses Austin learned that Spain had approved his request for a colony, he dies from pneumonia.

6. Requirements to live in Austin’s Colony
Stephen F. Austin’s Colony
Location:
Between Brazos and Colorado Rivers
Size:
11 million acres
Cost (to settlers):
12.5¢ per acre
Advertised in:
New Orleans (newspapers)
Land Policy: Each male could purchase up to 640 acres
For Wife = up to 320 additional acres
Per Child = up to 160 additional acres
Per Slave = up to 80 additional acres
Requirements to live in Austin’s Colony
A. Settlers had to become citizens of Spain/Mexico
B. take an oath of allegiance to the Spanish/Mexican government,
C. become Roman Catholic,
D. to be of good moral character.
Settled 150 families prior to Mexican independence

7. Why did he pick this area?
Colony had mild weather, fertile soil, water, plenty of timber, wild game, and a port near the coast so settlers and supplies could arrive by ship.
1821 Original Settlement
Approximately 150 settlers
Food & supplies scarce
SFA travels to San Antonio to make a report to Governor Martinez. When he arrives in San Antonio, he learns that Mexico has won independence from Spain.
March 1822, SFA traveled to Mexico City to convince the new Mexican leaders to approve his continuing the colony.

8. January 1823: Imperial Colonization Law
Austin’s land grant was secure and he could continue to bring in settlers from the U.S.
Farming families could buy 177 acres
Ranching families could buy 4,428 acres
Single men could buy 1/3 of these amounts
Most settlers claimed to be both farmers and ranchers. Why?
Settlers exempt from paying taxes for 6 years.
Austin would receive 100,000 acres after settling 300 families.
Austin could form a local government and act as judge.
He could also form a militia.
Only empresario to operate under Imperial Colonization Law
Ruler Augustin de Iturbide lost power and new government made different plans for settlement.
Austin was allowed to maintain his colony under the old law.

9. Chapter 8, Section 3: The Austin Colonies
When Austin returned to Texas, he found problems in his colony:
Settlers were discouraged,
Several families returned to the United States,
Drought had ruined the colony’s first crops,
Low on food,
American Indians raided the colony.
Fall of 1824, Austin fulfilled his contract and had 297 families in his colony. These settlers were called the Old Three Hundred.
Jane Long (widow of James Long) moved to TX and was a member of Old 300!

10. Empresario: Stephen F. Austin 5 Contracts *Most Successful Empresario*
Father of Texas

12. Location of Colony, Important Towns, & Number of Families
Colony located between the Brazos & Colorado from the coast northward into TX—300 families—Capital: San Felipe de Austin
500 more families in original colony
100 families east of Colorado River and north of the San Antonio Road. Capital (headquarters) was Bastrop & called “Little Colony”
300 families in 10-league zone along the coast
Settled 800 families in a large area north and northwest of Austin’s original colony

13. Nationality of Settlers
Anglo-American Families
SFA settled approximately 2,000 families

14. Empresario:
Green DeWitt
2nd Most Successful Empresario

15. Location of Colony, Important Towns, & Number of Families
Colony located west of Austin’s original colony & south of the San Antonio Road
Authorized to settle 400 families in Texas (166 titles issued)
Capital (or headquarters): Gonzales

16. Nationality of Settlers
Anglo-American Families

17. Successful Mexican Empresario
Martin de León
Successful Mexican Empresario

18. Location of Colony, Important Towns, & Number of Families
Colony located along the Guadalupe River near the coast
Settled between 100 and 200 families in Texas
Founded the town of Victoria, which Martin and (his wife) Patricia, named after the first president of the Republic of Mexico

19. Nationality of Settlers
Mexican Families

20. Coahuila y Texas: One Mexican State
Capital: Saltillo

21. Section 4: Empresarios and Tejanos
Federal Constitution of 1824 (Federalists believed in sharing power with the state governments)
Mexicans formed a republic, and they divided Mexico into 19 states and 5 territories.
Texas was joined with Coahuila as one state. Capital was in Saltillo
State Colonization Law of 1825
Empresarios received 67,000 acres of land for every 200 families settled,
Head of household could buy 4,428 acres of land for pennies an acre,
new settlers would not pay taxes for 10 years
new settlers required to become Catholics, Mexican citizens, and of good moral character
National Colonization Law of 1824
Allowed each Mexican state to set its own colonization policies, 
restricted Anglo immigrants from establishing colonies near the borders of the coast
Effects on Settlement in Texas
huge wave of immigration, particularly Anglo immigration
several new colonies established 
soon Anglos outnumbered Tejanos 3 to 1