User:Karanacs/Calore

Calore, Paul (2014), The Texas Revolution and the U.S.-Mexican War: A Concise History, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, ISBN 978-0-7864-7940-5

p 1

After getting independence Mexico was very unstable politically. Usually rebellions/riots/etc when the govt changed again economic programs changed frequently

p 2

Mexico had huge area and not much to offer tried empresario system to improve economy by bringing in people to develop the land - farms, ranches

Chapter 1: Austin colony to the convention of 1833

p 4

Moses Austin an empresario in Missouri - was a contract with the Spanish - 1797

1819, land values in US very low, many banks failed

p 5

applied for a similar contract - now in Spanish Texas, a province near Coahuila

Moses Austin got to Bexas in Dec 1820 - Gov Antonio Maria Martinez wasn't that enthused with the plan. Long expedition was about the same time - Long thought Texas should be part of the US and to heck with the Adams-Onis Treaty

Gen Jose Joaquin de Arredondo (commandant of the eastern provinces) told Martinez to turn down the empresario request and make Austin leave

Austin, though, ran into Baron de Bastrop ("a well-known Louisiana land developer who, fortunately, had direct access to the governor"

Bastrop agreed to intercede Dec 26, 1820, Martinez approved the request and sent it to Arredondo

only several thousand people in Spanish Texas Indians led frequent raids - Comanche, Apache, Karankawa, Tonkawa

p 6

Austin's empresario plan would help bring people to the territory, which was poorest area of the country promote growth of the economy, more armed men to help patrol against Indians

Arredondo approved the app on Jan 17, 1821 permission to settle 300 families - must be Catholic, must respect Spanish constitution, be citizens of good character, must cultivate land within 2 years

Moses died Jun 10, 1821

Stephen then journeyed to Texas, met with Erasmo Seguin (acting on behalf of the governor) Martinez reauthorized the grant in August 1821, now to Stephen

p 7

the Spanish govt didn't have a specific law for empresarios yet - SFA proposed his own contract: 640 acres for head of house, 320 for wife, 320 per kid, 80 per slave

colonists would pay 12.5 cents/acre to SFA for managing the colony Martinez endorsed

Manuel Becerra, Seguin and Austin went to Colorado River to look for appropriate land. Also brough 3 Aranama Indians

Austin selected land at confluence of Lavaca River and Matagorda Bay, then NE 120 mi along Gulf Coast (abt Galveston Bay), then inland in total, 15k square miles

agreed to settle 300 families

US, land cost $1.25/acre - Austin charging 10% of that

at the time, no agreement to let American creditors get money from settlers in Mexico

posted ad at NO

within 3 months, had most of the colonists chosen

now a bigger problem - Mexico free

p 8

contract put on hold while Mexican authorities developed their own immigration law

May 19, 1822 - 8 months later - Iturbide named emperor

Imperial Colonization Law finally passed Feb 1823 it now said: settlers would get 1 labor (abt 177 ac) for farming, 1 league (abt 4428 ac) for ranching, including some on the river (most said they were doing both - got more land) no taxes for 6 years for 6 years after that, only pay half of the taxes slaves' kids would be free at age 14

empresarios would get 67k acres for every 200 families they brought

Austin still getting the service charge

the law was repealed Oct 1824 by new Pres Guadalupe Victoria

p 9

Govt said Austin could keep his contract anyway

Called the new area Austin Colony along the Brazos, 100 mi inland

the town was San Felipe de Austin - in 1824, about 50 homes, hotel, saloons, blacksmith, post office, stores

1825, Congress said that states got to do their own public lands laws now, settlers had to pay $127/league for the land title, and a flat fee of $30 - had 6 years to pay

other families decided not to pay Austin the 12.5 cents since he got free land when they settled anyway

p 10

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