LESSON 2 The Colonies Grow. ESSENTIAL QUESTION How do governments change?

LESSON 2The Colonies Grow

LESSON 2The Colonies Grow

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION How do governments change?

Mexican Rule and Colonization

• How did colonization laws change under the independent government of Mexico?

Mexico’s Government and Constitution

• Disputes arose over who should lead and how Mexico should be governed.

• On May 19, 1822, Agustín de Iturbide declared himself emperor of Mexico. Iturbide’s reign lasted only 10 months before he was overthrown on March 19, 1823.

• A new government was formed by a party known as the Federalists,who believed in a weaker central government that shares power with the states.

• The Centralists opposed the new government. They believed that the central government should be stronger than the states. These two groups struggled for control of Mexico’s government for several years.

Constitution of 1824

• The Federalists created a new constitution that would directly affect Texas. According to the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824, Mexico would be divided into 19 states and 4 territories.

• Two former Spanish provinces, Coahuila and Texas, were united as the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas.

• The constitution allowed Texas one representative in a 12-member state legislature. Baron de Bastrop would represent Texas.

New Federal Colonization Laws

• Stephen F. Austin had been in Mexico in 1823 when Emperor Agustín de Iturbide was overthrown. At that time, Austin negotiated a colonization contract with the Mexican government.

• The 1824 colonization law allowed states to make decisions about issuing land grants. The requirements from the federal government imposed some restrictions for colonization:– Land grants had size limits of 48,708 acres (19,711 hectares) per person.– Some location restrictions from the coast or boarders– Under the new colonization law, people only had to make their way to Saltillo,

the capital of the state of Coahuila y Tejas, to receive contracts. Decisions made at the capital would play an important role in the development of Texas.

The State Colonization Law of 1825

• Hoping to increase the state’s population, the legislature made rules designed to attract settlers.

• Foreigners, such as settlers from the United States, were invited to immigrate, or move, to Texas.

• Settlers in Texas could gain title to land by themselves or through empresarios.

According to the law,

• A family could obtain up to 4,428 acres (1,792 hectares) of land for just $30.

• Colonists would not have to pay general taxes for a set amount of time.

• Most single men would receive 1,107 acres (448 hectares) of land. Another 3,321 acres (1,345 hectares) would be given to them when they married.

• A man who married a Mexican woman would receive a bonus of an additional 1,107 acres (448 hectares).

• As with the Spanish colonization laws, the new Mexican law required colonists to have good moral character. They also had to be Christian, and that was understood to mean Catholic.

Mexican Rule and Colonization

Main Ideas

• Mexican independence led to internal conflict over how the country should be governed.

• The Federalists, or those who believed in the sharing of power between the state and national lawmakers, ultimately formed the new government.

• The federal government passed a colonization law in 1824 allowing the states to make their own decisions about land grants, although it did include some federal restrictions.

• The following year, the state legislature of Saltillo passed its own colonization law.

• Explaining What was Coahuila y Tejas?

Austin’s Many Colonies

• Why was Austin a successful empresario?• By the time these new colonization laws were

passed, Austin had nearly fulfilled his original contract to bring 300 families to Texas. Austin used the new laws to obtain four additional contracts.

• In 1824 the town of San Felipe de Austin was founded as the colony’s unofficial capital. Austin’s colony became the most successful Anglo American colony in Texas.

More Contracts for Austin• In 1825 Austin agreed to bring 500 new families.• In 1827 he receive a contract for 100 families to live

east of the Colorado River and north of the San Antonio Road.

• The next year another contract for 300 families and special permission to establish a colony along the coast.

• In 1831 Austin and his partner Samuel M. Williams received permission for one last contract, to allow 800 families to settle in Texas.

The last Austin Contract

• In 1831 Austin and his partner Samuel M. Williams received permission for one last contract, to allow 800 families to settle in Texas.

• A conflict with Sterling C. Robertson, who had already settled families from Tennessee on some of those lands. By 1835, over 600 families had made their homes in the Robertson colony, settling at Salado, Viesca (later Milam), and Nashville.

• Disputes about the land continued between Austin and Robertson for years. Texas courts finally settled in favor of Robertson in 1847.

Austin’s Success• Fortunate timing, good leadership, excellent land, plentiful wood, and

access to water were the secrets to Austin’s success as an empresario. • Austin’s leadership helped his colony grow and succeed. • His ability to speak Spanish and knowledge of how to do business

with governments made him effective at gaining contracts, making land claims, and resolving problems.

• His settlers were mainly farmers from the southern parts of the United States. Cheap, fertile land was very attractive to these settlers, who eagerly joined Austin's colonies.

• Austin’s colonies had enough trees to provide lumber for building homes. Water allowed farmers to grow cotton and other crops, while rivers and roads made transportation possible. Although Native Americans were an early threat to his colonies, conflicts with the groups eased over time.

Austin’s Many Colonies

Main Ideas

• Austin had so much success with his first colony that he was granted several additional land contracts.

• A dispute arose over Austin’s last contract, and Texas courts eventually decided against Austin.

• Overall, good leadership and excellent resources made Austin one of the most successful empresarios in Texas.

• Citing Text Evidence About how many families did Stephen F. Austin bring to Texas? Describe how you arrived at your answer.

OTHER EMPRESARIOS

How did empresarios other than Austin help to settle Texas?

• Colonies continued to grow in Texas during the Mexican National era. By 1833, the population of Texas was estimated at around 20,000. Land in Texas was cheap compared to the United States. Also, many Americans believed that the United States would someday buy Eastern Texas from Mexico.

Green DeWitt• In April 1825, Green DeWitt and his partner James Kerr were granted

permission to settle 400 families on property next to Austin’s original colony.

• Set backs:• Raids on the town by Native • Law of April 6, 1830, which limited immigrants entering Texas• The population did not meet the contract’s requirement of 400

families. DeWitt and his family did not gain financially from the colony. DeWitt’s colonists also suffered from the colony’s failure to prosper.

• Gonzales was the colony’s only town, and it never became a commercial center. Although his contract required it, DeWitt never managed to build a church. A school was not established in the colony until 1831.

• In spite of all its difficulties, the DeWitt colony is considered one of the most successful Anglo American colonies in Texas.

Martín De León• In 1824 Mexican native Martín De León received a grant

to establish a colony of 41 Mexican families on the lower Guadalupe River near the Texas coast. De León’s colony was the only Texas colony settled mainly by Mexican families.

• In 1824 they founded the town of Victoria and built both a school and a church. Martín De León later received permission to bring more families to his colony.

• De León was a cattle rancher who was known for giving beef to Native Americans in hopes of easing tensions with them.

• De León had brought over 100 families to his colony. He and Austin became the only empresarios to fulfill their contracts.

Stories of Success

• Other empresarios included:– Irish natives James Power and James Hewetson

along the Gulf Coast. Their town of Refugio was named after an old Spanish mission located there.

– Irish immigrants John McMullen and James McGloin. They settled a colony at San Patricio.

– They included David G. Burnet, Haden Edwards, Joseph Vehlein, Lorenzo de Zavala and Arthur Wavell.

Other Empresarios

Main Ideas

• The opportunity to become an empresario and the promise of inexpensive land contributed to the continued growth of Texas through the Mexican National era.

• Although Green DeWitt encountered many setbacks, his is considered the second most successful Anglo American colony in Texas.

• Martín De León’s colony was the only one in Texas to be settled mainly by Mexican families.

• Describing How did Green DeWitt contribute to the settlement of Texas?

Reviewing Lesson 2• 1. Contrast the beliefs about government of the

Centralists and Federalists.• 2. Categorizing Why is the period of Texas history that

included the settling of the area by empresarios called the Mexican National era?

• 3. Identifying Identify the effects of the Mexican federal Constitution of 1824 on Texas.

• 4. Analyzing How did Mexico’s State Colonization Law of 1825 reflect the ideas of the Federalist government?

• 5. Making Connections Identify the factors that made Stephen F. Austin a successful empresario during the settlement of Texas.

• 6. Analyzing What groups settled Texas under the empresarios? Why did they come?

EXPOSITORY WRITING Write a short essay explaining the purpose and the terms of the

State Colonization Law of 1825.