Gone to Texas - Empresarios

Gone to Texas

Age of Empresarios

(2)(E) identify the con tributions of significant individuals, including Moses Austin, Stephen F. Austin, Erasmo Seguín, Martín De León, and Green DeWitt, during the Mexican settlement of Texas; and (2)(F) contrast Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo purposes for and methods of settlement in Texas

Spanish Tejas

1519-1821

• Spain had claimed Texas as a Spanish

territory since 1519, when Alonso Pineda had mapped the Gulf Coast.

• Spain had difficulty settling Texas, because it was in the middle of nowhere and dangerous.

• Spain had used the Mission System in an attempt to settle Texas. The missions brought some people, but Texas still had a very small population by 1820.

• On December 23, 1820, Spain approved the empresario grant of Moses Austin in a continued attempt to bring more settlers to Texas.

• Moses Austin died before he could bring settlers to Texas, so his son, Stephen F. Austin, took over Moses' empresario grant.

Mexican Coahuila y Tejas

1821 - 1836

• In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain and became its own country with its own constitution and laws.

• Because Mexico was now an independent country with its own constitution and laws, Stephen F. Austin had to ask the Mexican government to re-approve his empresario grant.

• In 1821, the grant was re-approved and transferred to Stephen F. Austin.

• In order to be able to move to Texas with Stephen F. Austin, or any other empresario, you had to:
• Be a person of good, moral character
• Catholic or willing to convert to Catholicism
• Swear allegiance/loyalty to Mexico (become a Mexican citizen)

Empresario Colonies

1821 - 1830

• After moving the Old 300 (the first Anglo families to move to Texas under an empresario grant) to Texas, word began to spread about Stephen F. Austin's success.

• Other people began to apply for empresario grants with the Mexican government, in an attempt to match Austin's success.

• The two most important empresarios after Austin were Green Dewitt and Martin de Leon.

• Each colony had the same requirements to be a settler:
• Be a person of good, moral character
• Catholic or willing to convert to Catholicism
• Swear allegiance/loyalty to Mexico (become a Mexican citizen)

Empresario Colonies

1821 - 1830

• Click on the number icon for each colony to learn about it
• Go in numerical order; 1-3
• As you review each colony, complete the correct section in your graphic organizer' 1-3

Buy why are peoplpe moving to Texas now?

CHEAP CHEAP! Y'all this land is CHEAP CHEAP!

• Spain was unable to persuade its citizens to settle in Texas for hundreds of years.

• Why were people wanting to settle in Texas now?

• A little birdie told them that land was CHEAP CHEAP!!
• an acre of land in Texas was between $0.04 - $0.12
• an acre of land in the USA was $1.25

Where were the colonies located?

• From 1821 - 1835, 41 empresarios were given land grants to settle people in Texas.

• The majority of successful empresario land grants were located in the Coastal Plains region of Texas.

Impact of Empresarios on the Population of TExas

• Empresarios were very successful in quickly increatin the population of Texas in just 13 years.

• In 1821, the popultion of Texas was 3,500 families.

• In 1834, the population had spiked to 24,700 families.

• This population spike was due largely to the activites of the empresarios.

• In 1834, the popultion was Texas was made up of:
• 75% Anglo
• 23% Tejano (Mexican living in Texas)
• 2% African slave

24,700

African Slave

Tejano

Anglo

7,092

5,642

Anglo

3,500

Anglo

Tejano

Tejano

Tejano

Mission System

Empresario System

Empresario System

Empresario System

Martin de Leon's Colony

• The only Mexican empresario.
• Brought 100 families from Mexico to settle in Coahuila y Tejas.
• Located along the lower Guadalupe and Lavaca rivers.
• Victoria was established as the colony's capital in 1824. The city was an important trade center between Mexico and Texas.
• Unfortunately, his colony was often raided by Apaches and Comanches, and anti-Mexican sentiment was very common in the surrounding Anglo colonies.
• He had an extensive cattle ranch and his cattle carried the first brand in Texas "Espíritu de Jesús."
• His ranchland provided a foundation from which Texas' massive cattle industry would be started.

Stephen F. Austin

• Most successful empresario.
• Had 4 empresario contracts and settled 1,500 families in Texas.
• Settled the first Anglo settlers under an empresario contract (the Old 300).
• Located between the Lavaca and San Jacinto rivers and the coast.
• When Stephen F. Austin visited his colony in 1823, many of the settlers were unhappy because of recent droughts and attacks by the Karankawa and Tonkawa.
• Austin created a militia in order to protect his colony against Native American attacks.

• San Felipe de Austin was established as the colony's capital in 1824.

Green Dewitt's Colony

• 2nd most successful empresario.
• Had 1 empresario contract and settled 166 families in Texas.
• Located between the Guadalupe, San Marcos, and Lavaca Rivers.
• Gonzales was established as the colony's capital in 1825.
• Unfortunately for the colony, constant Tonkawa and Comanche raids made his colony much more dangerous than Austin's.
• Dewitt had a longstanding border dispute (argument) with Martin de Leon about the location of his colony.