Empresario Colonies

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

Empresario Colonies

• 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 three most important empresarios after Austin were Friedrich Ernst, Green Dewitt and Martin de Leon.

• In order to move to an empresario colony, settlers had to become Mexican citizens.

• See the box below on what settlers had to do in order to become Mexican citizens:

Settlers had to become Mexican citziens by:

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• Martín De León, a Mexican empresario, started a colony in Texas in 1824.

• The colony was located near present-day Victoria, Texas, which became its capital.

• Most settlers in De León’s colony were Mexican, unlike other colonies with Anglo-American settlers.

• The colony faced conflicts with Native American groups, like the Karankawa, over land.

• De León’s settlers also clashed with nearby Anglo-American colonies, like Stephen F. Austin’s, over resources and anti-Mexican feelings.

• By 1835, the colony grew to about 200 families, shaping the future of Texas.

• Green DeWitt was an empresario who started a colony in Texas in the 1820s.

• His colony was along the Guadalupe River, with Gonzales as its capital.

• Most of DeWitt's settlers came from the United States, bringing a strong American influence, similar to Austin’s colony.

• The colony faced problems like conflicts with Native American groups and issues getting enough land.

• DeWitt worked with the Mexican government to keep the colony safe and settle land disputes.

• By the 1830s, about 166 families lived in DeWitt’s colony, helping Texas grow.

• Stephen F. Austin is known as the "Father of Texas," because he settled the first anglos in Coahuila y Texas.

• His colony was along the Brazos and Colorado Rivers, near what is now Austin, Texas.

• The capital was San Felipe de Austin.

• Most of Austin's settlers came from the United States, bringing a strong American influence to Texas.

• The colony faced challenges like droughts, conflicts with Native Americans, and following Mexican laws.

• By 1830, about 1,500 families lived in his colony, making it the biggest and most successful in Texas.

• Friedrich Ernst was a German empresario who settled in Texas in the 1830s.

• He set up his colony near New Braunfels, along the Guadalupe River.

• The capital of his colony was New Braunfels.

• Ernst's colony mainly attracted German immigrants, making it unique.

• The colony faced challenges like adjusting to the land and conflicts with Native Americans.

• Ernst worked with the Texas government to help his settlers get land.

• By the mid-1830s, about 1,000 German settlers lived in his colony, adding to Texas's diversity.