The Mexican government was opposed to slavery, but even so, there were 5000 slaves in Texas by the time of the Texas Revolution in 1836. By the time of annexation a decade later, there were 30,000; by 1860, the census found 182,566 slaves -- over 30% of the total population of the state.
When not engaging in skirmishes, early Texas settlers spent most of their time doing backbreaking labor from sun up to sundown. The "white gold" cotton and the staple corn crops had to be planted, tended, and harvested. Chickens, pigs, cows, and goats required care. Daily food had to be hunted and caught.
The recorded history of Texas begins with the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadors in the region of North America now known as Texas in 1519, who found the region occupied by numerous Native American tribes.
There were only three settlements in the province of Texas in 1820: Nacogdoches, San Antonio de Béxar, and La Bahía del Espíritu Santo (later Goliad), small towns with outlying ranches.
The French feared that their colonies were vulnerable to a potential attack from its neighboring colonies. In 1681, French nobleman Robert Cavelier de La Salle launched an expedition down the Mississippi River from New France, at first believing he would find a path to the Pacific Ocean.
He was the father of Stephen F. Austin, one of the earliest American settlers of Texas, which was at the time part of Mexico.
| Moses Austin |
|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Businessman, empresario |
| Known for | Being awarded the first land grant to settle Anglo-Americans in Spanish Texas |
Moses and Stephen Austin contracted to bring "500 families on the vacant lands remaining within the limits of the colony already established." The contract stipulates that "The families which are to compose this Colony besides being industrious as he offers in his petition must be Cat[ho]lics, and of good morals."
In 1825, Mexico gave land agents 67,000 acres of land for every two hundred families that they brought to Texas. To obtain land grants, the immigrants agreed to become Mexican citizens, obey Mexican laws, learn Spanish, and become Catholics. By 1830, there were sixteen thousand Anglo-Americans in Texas.
Anglo-Americans were drawn by inexpensive land and believed annexation of Texas to the United States was likely and would improve the market for the land. Some settlers were fleeing debts and sought refuge in the Mexican colony, where they were safe from American creditors.
The Spanish Colonial era in Texas began with a system of missions and presidios, designed to spread Christianity and to establish control over the region. The missionaries hoped to spread Christianity and the Spanish culture to native groups. Presidios were the missions' secular counterpart.
1821--- In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain. The leaders of Mexico and the United States met to talk about American settlers moving into the area of Texas.
San Antonio was founded May 1, 1718, when a Spanish expedition from Mexico established the Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission, later called the Alamo (Spanish: “Cottonwood”), was one of five founded in the area and was named for St. Anthony of Padua.
Spanish Texas
| Pre-Columbian Texas | |
|---|
| Spanish Texas | 1690–1821 |
| Mexican Texas | 1821–1836 |
| Republic of Texas | 1836–1845 |
| Statehood | 1845–1860 |
Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas, he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States to the region in 1825.
In response to Manuel de Mier y Terán's report, the Mexican gov- ernment passed the Law of April 6, 1830. It banned U.S. immigration to Texas and made it illegal for settlers to bring more slaves into Texas.
Hoping to recover from bankruptcy with a bold scheme of colonization, Moses Austin meets with Spanish authorities in San Antonio to ask permission for 300 Anglo-American families to settle in Texas. Unfortunately, the economic collapse following the War of 1812 destroyed the lead market and left him bankrupt.
Institute of Texan Cultures' Texans SeriesThe Anglo-Americans were people who moved from the United States to Texas. They spoke English. Their parents or ancestors had come from northern Europe to America. Most of the Anglo-Americans did not come to Texas in large groups.
Anglo settlers believed that their culture was superior to that of Tejanos and Mexicans alike, and racial prejudice was rife.
In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain, and Austin negotiated a contract with the new Mexican government that allowed him to lead some 300 families to the Brazos River. Under the terms of the agreement, the settlers were to be Catholics, but Austin mainly brought Protestants from the southern United States.
Steven F. Austin is probably the best known and most successful empresario in Texas. The first group of colonists, known as the Old Three Hundred, arrived in 1822 and settled along the Brazos River, ranging from the Gulf of Mexico to near present-day Dallas.
James Long (February 9, 1793 – April 8, 1822) was an American filibuster who led an unsuccessful expedition to seize control of Spanish Texas between 1819 and 1821.
James Long (filibuster)
| James Long |
|---|
| Born | February 9, 1793 Culpeper County, Virginia, United States |
| Died | April 8, 1822 (aged 29) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Nationality | American |
The largest land grant in what is today Texas, the 601,657-acre “San Juan de Carricitos” tract titled to José Narciso Cabazos in 1793 is a notable example. The area of south Texas comprises about 170 porciones grants and 33 larger land grants issued by Spain.
The Empresario System EndsThe empresario system dramatically increased the population of Texas: Less than 3,000 people in 1820. About 25,000 by 1835 (including 2,000 slaves)
Anglo landowners took advantage of the animosity toward Tejanos and used fear and intimidation to steal their land. Because many Tejanos had come into their property through Spanish land grants—often secured with a handshake or old, obscure documents—they found it difficult to prove ownership.
The Mexican government worked with empresarios, who operated as land agents in Texas. Empresarios worked to bring settlers who would develop Texas for the Mexican government. In exchange, those settlers would receive title to land – a resource that was abundant.
