JUMP STARTIn your notebook, imagine that you are a U.S. citizen. You dream of moving out West, but
the western territories are controlled by Spain. If you decided to move, you must agree to
become a Catholic citizen of Spain. Would you give up your American citizenship or stay
where you are? Why?
WRITE IN YOUR NOTEBOOK!WRITE IN YOUR NOTEBOOK!
Spain (until 1821) and Mexico
United States
United States
Mexico
• U.S. gains freedom from Great Britain in 1783 & people start “eyeing” lands across the Mississippi River….which alarms SPAIN!
•They fear Anglos will outnumber the Spainards.
•Anglo Americans - people whose ancestors moved from many European countries to the U.S. who share common culture/language
•1st attempt to control immigration in Missouri – (1) pledge loyalty to Spain and (2) become Catholic
•George Morgan – 1st empresario to recruit from the U.S.
and founder of New Madrid in 1789 on the west bank of
the Mississippi River in what is now Missouri
IF ONLY IT WERE THAT EASY…•Enter the filibusters to threaten Spanish rule!
•Suspected them of plotting to seize control of TX
•1st filibuster – Philip Nolan
•Ignoring commands, he and his men meet up with Spanish soldiers and Nolan is killed while his men are sent to prison.
Neutral Ground Agreement• Land bought in 1803 in the
LA Purchase• Sabine River border
between U.S. & Spanish TX, but both can’t agree
• 1806 compromise sets a neutral zone between Arroyo Hondo & Sabine River
• Neither country will control or patrol it.
BAD NEWS BEARS
• Became a shelter for lawless citizens of both nations
• So many problems that Spain lets U.S. army start making arrests
• Led by Lt. Augustus Magee
Revolutionaries, Pirates, and Revolutionaries, Pirates, and Filibusters….Oh My!Filibusters….Oh My!
• Revolutionaries/Gutierrez-Magee Expedition – made up of the Republic of the North Army, proclaimed TX independent from Spain – FAILURE, but did encourage others to try to free TX & Mexico from Spain
• Pirates/Louis Michael Aury and Jean Lafitte in Galveston, claimed for independence but really after Spanish treasure
• Adam-Onis Treaty – Spain cedes Florida to U.S. and the Sabine River becomes boundary between TX & LA
• Filibusters/Long Expedition – sought Lafitte’s help but w/out lg. # of men, surrounded & shot. Long was last filibuster in TX
FilibustersFilibusters
SUCCESS – SUCCESS – • Encouraged many Americans to move to TX• Did more to loosen Spanish and later
Mexican control
FAILURE –FAILURE – • Did not make any part of TX free from Spain
LET’S REVIEWLET’S REVIEW
• PRE-AP – Most of these men were considered criminals by the Spanish gov’t. In your group, create a wanted poster with details about the crime committed for one of today’s filibusters.
• On-LEVEL – 3-2-1 Historical Figure Review
• 3 important facts about a person
• 2 questions you would ask
• 1 similarity/difference between you and that person.
Stephen F. Austin and the Empresarios
Nacogdoches
San Antonio Goliad
Saltillo
• San Antonio
• Goliad
• Nacogdoches
• Saltillo (captial of CyT)
Why didn’t Mexico have the Mexicans move into Texas? Why did they bring in Americans?
• They would have been too far from Mexico City and “civilization”
• The Natives were hostile… it was safer to stay home
Towns already in Texas when Moses Austin showed up
Moses Austin (Stephen F. Austin’s Father)
Stephen F. Austin
• Moses Austin - The first Anglo American to get permission from Spain to bring American settlers to Texas
• Lived in Missouri until a depression hit the U.S. and he lost all his money
• Went to Texas to ask the Spanish government if he could have a contract to bring Americans to settle Texas
• The Spanish were suspicious that Austin was really there to grab land until Baron de Bastrop convinced the Spanish officials otherwise
• Then… Moses Austin died
Empresarios – The BeginningOk Dad… I’ll carry out your
plans for settling Texas.
A person who was in charge of dividing up Mexican land and selling it to American settlers
REQUIREMENTS FOR SETTLING IN TEXAS:
How It Worked… Stephen F. Austin was the first to get his contract approved by the Spanish (and then the Mexican) government… so he was the first empresario (he was also the most successful)
Each empresario would sign a contract with the government of Mexico whereby they promised to settle a certain number of families (in Austin’s first contract he was supposed to settle 300 families)
•You had to become Catholic
•You had to become a citizen of your new country (Spain, and later Mexico)
•You had to be of good moral character
Austin interviewed the settlers and chose the people he thought would be the best for a settlement. If you had an especially useful job (merchant, doctor, mill and ferry operators) they would get extra land)
Each settler paid Austin $0.12 an acre
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?
Austin chose land between the Lavaca and San Jacinto Rivers.
•Unlike the heavy forested area of East TX, it could clear easily.
•Unlike West TX, it received enough rainfall to raise crops.
•It was a good place to grow crops they were familiar with.
•1st settlement would be along the lower Colorado River.
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
•Settlers who were farmers received one labor or 177 acres.
•Those who raised cattle received one sitio or 4,428 acres.
•Many received BOTH.
JUMP STARTJUMP START
• Bring me your “Colonist Survivor” Bring me your “Colonist Survivor” handout. handout.
• Have out your group’s GTT list from Have out your group’s GTT list from yesterday.yesterday.
• In your notebook, create a list of challenges In your notebook, create a list of challenges that you think the colonists might have that you think the colonists might have faced in their first year.faced in their first year.
Austin’s First ColonyAustin’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.
Everything went mostly well until 1822:
• The Lively shipwrecked and Austin lost a lot of supplies and colonists
• Mexico won it’s independence from Spain in 1821… so now Austin had to get permission to colonize Texas from the new Mexican government.
Austin got a ship, the Lively to take people and supplies to the new colony from New Orleans.
Nacogdoches
San Felipe de Austin
San Antonio
Gonzales
Goliad
Saltillo
Population BEFORE Empresarios: 7,000
Population AFTER Empresarios: 22,000
Towns established after the Americans came• San Felipe
• Gonzales
• Victoria
• Refugio
• Galveston
• Bastrop
• San Patricio
• And many more…
While you could come to Texas without the help of an empresario, most families didn’t. Why not?
1. Most settlers could not speak Spanish and needed the empresarios help getting the title to their land
2. Most of the desirable land was held by the empresarios
After Austin opened the door… many more men came to Texas to make money as an empresario… these men brought hundreds of American families to Texas…
Population of Texas in 1821 (When SFA started): 7,000
Population of Texas in 1833 (around the end of empresarios) 20,000
HOW DO YOU THINK THIS CHANGE IN POPULATION AFFECTED THE HISTORY OF TEXAS?
SuccessesProblemsEmpresario CapitalLocation
Major Empresario Grants
McMullen and
McGloin
Along the Gulf Coast San
Patricio
Irish Irish
Power and
Hewetson
South of De Leon along the Gulf Coast
Refugio
IrishNative American Raids
IrishRefugio was built on the site of an old Spanish Mission
Martin De Leon
South of DeWitt along the Guadalupe-Near the coast
Victoria
Native American RaidsForced to leave TX because of anti-Mexican sentiments
Did a lot to promote the cattle industry in TexasVictoria important center for trade between Mexico and Texas
Green DeWitt
West of Austin’s 1
st Colony
Gonzales
Native American
Raids
Settled 166 families2nd in number to
Austin
Stephen F. Austin (Father
of Texas)
Between the Colorado and Brazos Rivers
San Felipe
de Austin
DroughtTonkawa & KarankawaLively shipwreckedDisputes over boundariesMexican gov’t revoked right to settle
Convinced Mexican gov’t to let him settleFather of TX – 1st colonize Americans
Settled nearly 300 families
G.T.T. – “Gone to Texas”G.T.T. – “Gone to Texas”
• Written above abandoned cabins to let others know where to find them (if they went looking, of course)
Settlers came to Texas for many reasons:
•Seeking adventure
•Escaping problems in the U.S.
•Attracted by plenty of cheap land ($1.25 vs. $0.25)
• Colonists came on horseback, covered wagons, boats, and even on foot! (Limited supplies)
• Early Texas colonists were mostly from MEXICO and EUROPE by way of the U.S.
• African American population grew as settlers brought slaves. Even though Mexico made slavery illegal in 1829, it was not enforced.
• Mexican law did protect free African Americans….which would come back to haunt them!
Colonial LifeColonial Life
Diet• Many resources
available• Some brought staples
w/them• Very unbalanced diets
due to growing seasons
• Corn***
Homes• Land offered various
materials• Dog trot or dog run
cabins• Dirt floors, later
elevated due to snakes• Handmade furniture
Colonial Life cont.Colonial Life cont.Religion/Education• Had to agree or become
Catholic for land grants, but very few priests in TX, so they can worship as they please
• No real system of education as they got started, most taught at home by parents.
It wasn’t all FUN & GAMES!It wasn’t all FUN & GAMES!
• DISEASE – far from doctors w/out medical training. Opted for homemade remedies.
• CONFLICT w/NATIVES – some treaties were formed but fear drove Austin to create a militia to fight off raids (Texas Rangers)
• TENSIONS w/MEXICO – related to people not giving 100% efforts to the requirements
