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 form 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