Chapter 8 Section 2

Stephen F. Austin in Texas

The Story Continues…• Erasmo Seguin (mayor of San

Antonio de Bexar) had traveled to Louisiana to meet with Moses Austin and he never showed

• He wrote Stephen, Moses’s son, to see if he knew anything

• Suddenly Stephen arrived wanting to help out his father

• The two of them headed to Texas when a rider caught up with them telling them Moses had passed away.

Tomb of Moses Austin in Potosi, Missouri

Stephen F. Austin Goes to Texas

• 27 years old when he learned of his father’s death

• Was determined to carry out his father’s plan to bring U.S. settlers to Texas

• As he entered Texas in 1821 he promised himself, “I determined [decided] to fulfill rigidly all the duties and obligations of a Mexican citizen.”

• He arrived in San Antonio de Bexar in August 1821. Erasmo Seguin the alcalde led Austin to governor Martinez who gave him a warm welcome.

• Because Mexico had won its independence from Spain since Austin’s contract, a new one would have to be made with the government.

• In just a few days Austin had a proposal worked out and Martinez helped him get the approval from the officials in Mexico city.

Time to Check It Out• After he received

approval, Austin spent the next few months exploring the land east of San Antonio.

• He picked the rich farmland in the area of the Brazos and Colorado River Valleys

• 11 million acres in the Gulf Coast Plain

Austin Readies His Colony

• Austin hurries back to the U.S. to make final preparations

• Once back in Louisiana he writes a report to Governor Martinez specifying the colony’s location, how much land a person could get based on different terms.

Different Amounts for Different People

• Austin gave land to people based on different circumstances:

• Head of household= 640 acres of land

• Married man= additional 320 acres and 120 acres for each child

• Slave holders= 80 acres per slave

Terms of Land- U.S.

• In the U.S. land cost $1.25 per acre

• U.S. law stated a minimum of 80 acres

• Pay the full price in cash up front

• Not many people had $100 in cash after the Panic of 1819

Austin’s Terms of Settlement

• Austin would accept goods as payment for land

• Allowed settlers to pay their fees over time• After the Panic of 1819 many settlers did

not have cash so these terms looked great to them compared to the terms of the U.S.

But… He had strict guidelines for his settlers

You Had To Be…• Hard working• Law abiding• A Mexican citizen• Willing to convert to

Catholicism

Final Preparations• Austin goes to New

Orleans to make final preparations for the colony’s finances

• Forms a partnership with Joseph H. Hawkins who is a friend and a lawyer

• Hawkins gave Austin financial support

The Lively• Austin uses some of

the funding to buy and outfit a small ship called the Lively

• Late 1821- the Lively sails from New Orleans with colonists, cargo of seeds, tools, and building materials

Slight Change of Plans• Austin was to meet the Lively at the mouth of the

Colorado River • The crew had accidentally landed at the mouth of the

Brazos River• Unable to find Austin the crew left the settlers and

supplies to return to New Orleans• Many settlers eventually made their way back to the

United States

• The Lively takes a second attempt at reaching Texas but wrecks near the tip of Galveston Island

• This loss of supplies was very hard on Austin’s colony

• By March 150 people had settled along the Brazos and Colorado Rivers

• Austin tried to help them adjust to the hardships of life in the Texas wilderness

• Food and supplies were scarce because of the shipwreck

• Austin returns to San Antonio to report on the colony’s status

• He finds out he has to reaffirm his contract with the Mexican government

• He decides to go to Mexico City to convince the government leaders to approve his colony

• He leaves Josiah Bell in charge

• Over a year will pass before he sees Texas again

• Because the government was trying to organize they had little time for Texas affairs

• Austin faced many delays so he studied Spanish and met with officials

• January 1823- Mexican government passes the Imperial Colonization Law- Secured Austin’s land grant and allowed him to continue bringing in settlers

• But Agustin de Iturbide fell out of power and the new government canceled the colonization law

• Austin continued pressing the issue with the officials

• His patience paid off because the new government decided to uphold the contract under the terms of the cancelled law

Imperial Colonization Law• Couples= 4,428 acres for ranching, 177

acres for farming• Settlers are exempt from paying taxes for 6

years• Austin receives 100,000 acres once he

completes his contract for settling 300 families

• He also received the power to organize a militia

• April 1823- Austin heads back to Texas