Only a few times in the course of human history has a single man been able to shape the destiny of millions. Even fewer have been able to change the fate and lives of millions for the better. Stephen F. Austin was one of those select few. Stephen F. Austin was able to create a country out of nothing but the wild untamed west. That country would ultimately become the 28th state of the Union and today is home to more than 27 million people with a GDP comparable to Australia. To better understand Stephen F. Austin is to better understand not only the state of Texas but the people that call it home.
Stephen F. Austin was born to Moses and Maria Austin in Virginia on November 3rd, 1793. If not for his father, Moses, Stephen might never have
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Austin did, as he handled most everything. When disputes between Mexican officials and the settlers arose, Austin made compromises. When Indian attacks threatened the settlers, Austin commanded a militia to defend them. However, despite Austin’s best efforts in attempting to keep the peace, events transpired that would send Texas to war.
For years Austin had attempted to keep the peace by convincing the citizens to be good Mexican citizens, hushing up criticism of the often corrupt and incompetent Mexican government and even helping the Mexicans in putting down an insurrection. Austin had used these as a show of good faith so that he could obtain concessions from the Mexican Congress. By 1832 though with more than 8,000 American immigrants in Texas, Austin’s sometimes cautious leadership was not working. The passage of The Law of April 6, 1830 had prohibited furture immigrants from America from coming to Texas. This law was passed in large part due to the fact that the Americans far outnumbered the Mexican population in Texas. This coupled with the fact that the United States continually attempted to buy Texas led to increasing Mexican anxiety about a possible revolution. Those fears as it turned out were well founded. However the Mexican government in a way continued to aggravate the situation by not only prohibiting American immigration but also by placing several other regulations on the settlers. While not as major as the
In times before the confrontation at the Alamo, the Mexican government welcomed settlers into Texas. The motive behind Mexico’s act was to create a buffer zone between Mexican settlements and the Indians. Settlers were able to come to Texas as long as they promised to convert to Catholicism and become Mexican citizens among other
Mexico had just recently won their independence from Spain. Soon Mexico wanted Texas. America wanted Texas too, because a lot of her citizens had moved there. In document D paragraph 2 it says,” At this period, citizens of the United States had already begun to move into Texas… The idea was that this extensive province ought to become a part of the United States.”
The battle for Texas’ independence was a hard battle. Many lives were taken, home destroyed, and families were torn apart. Texas residents wanted to break away from Mexico and become a self-governing republic inside of Mexico because they did not like Santa Anna’s laws. Mexico did not allow slave immigration, so Texas wanted to be a part of the United States that allowed slavery. But the main reason was that Mexico would not change or consider any government ideas that the Anglos and Mexicans had for Texas, and resulted in Santa Anna ruling and making all the laws and decisions. Santa Anna also overthrew the Mexican government and made himself the Mexican dictator. Stephen Austin came to try and settle the trouble caused by the suggestion of Texas’ constitution, but instead Santa Anna imprisoned him for a year.
When President of Mexico, Antonio Lopez Santa Anna, abolished the Constitution of 1824 and turned the government towards centralism; Texians and Tejanos rebel to bring back the Constitution of 1824. However, before they can begin their fight to Goliad and San Antonio, the men need a leader; someone with great fame and popularity in Texas. The man they choose is Stephen F. Austin, who has much renown in the region. Austin has an outstanding knowledge in many areas, whom the people of Texas will always follow. They are always willing to listen to his advice on certain situations and topics. Austin’s history is what makes him the great man that people still believe and love. Today, he is seen as the Father of Texas because his work and dedication lead to its future growth.
With this palpable demonstration of land and authority, the relative degree of intolerance that were conventional policies between Mexico and Anglo residents of Texas that there was no immigration or slavery allowed seems perfectly natural. With so much land and numbers on the side of the Mexican government, as well as support from other nations which included at various times the indignant British (which had recently lost the colonial war) as well as the Spanish, there really appears to be no good reason for any sort of tolerance or kindness on the part of Mexican officials to Anglos in Texas.
Stephen f. Austin looked around for a new business opportunity, eventually deciding to go to New Orleans in the late 1820 to study law. His father moses had a dream of leading the first anglo american families into texas however at that time texas was still a part of mexico so his father moses had to go to mexico to get permission to emigrate the first anglo american families into texas but in 1821 soon after moses stephen’s father returned when Stephen was 27 Moses became very ill and his only wish was that his son would take on and the chance to bring the first anglo american families to texas that was his father’s dream so even though he was reluctant to take on his father’s dream he knew it was what his father wanted so he went ahead with his father's dream of leading the first anglo americans to the unknown wilderness of texas, so after the death of his father Austin traveled to san antonio where he received permission from governor Antonio Martinez to proceed under his father's prior arrangement. Austin was given the title empresario or land grant agent after he received this title the next step was to choose land so Austin chose land between the Brazos and the San Jacinto river . It was some of the best farmland in the area. Austin and Governor Antonio Martinez decided that
The Anglo-American settlers in Texas saw themselves as Americans. They felt they were superior to the Mexicans, and because of this they tried to undermine the Mexican government.
First essay explains how many people became to settle into Texas. The relationship Between Stephen F. Austin and the patriarch of the Seguin family succeed in Bring Texas immigrants into to Texas. Austin convinced the Mexican Government to uphold their contract to the Spanish regime. Under that law Under that contract 67,000 acres of land for every 200 families to come into the colonies. The families would be clear of debt the incurred in the United States. Throughout the negotiations of the colonies. Austin created friendship among the
Sam Houston was a man of many faces. Whether it was a friend to the Indians, governor of two States, or president of the Republic of Texas, he always stayed true to his practicality and fought for what was right. Because of this Sam Houston’s name will synonymously remain with Texas Independence, and forever be immortalized in textbooks and novels alike.
Moses Austin would not live to see it come to fruition as he was attacked my highway men and died shortly thereafter. That would fall on his son, Stephen F. Austin, who is often referred to as the “Father of Texas”. Austin and the other settlers were drawn to the territory by grants and deferred taxation provided by the Spanish government; however, in 1821 Mexico declared independence from Spain. Austin was concerned that the new independent Mexican government would not recognize the previous arrangements made with his father. He would have to travel all the way to Mexico City to make his case, and in 1823 the Mexican Congress confirmed Austin’s grant.
Political conflict, was a key component in multiple uprisings during the time. Economic motivations, grew to a point where it never reached prior to the Jacksonian era. Social changes, divided a significant amount of people within Texas itself. Cultural differences were notable and existed, but they took on a smaller role compared to politics, economics, and social changes. While cultural differences were present, they were not nearly enough to spark an entire rebellion. The cultural differences made it difficult to easily assimilate, but hardly impossible. The inability to quickly adjust to preceding expected cultural norms was a very unlikely reason for the rebellion. Weber, initially presents a very valid argument of the cultural differences between Anglo Texans and Mexican Texans. However, he makes it clear in his essay that despite the cultural differences, the main fight was between the Mexican Texan and the centralist Mexican government (MPTH, 139). There is more than enough evidence to support that the Texas rebellion would occur inevitably, as the discontent with the Mexican leadership rose. Consequently, it appeared that both cultures were able to coexist exceptionally. It is also leaves a curious question on whether culture assimilation, rather than cultural differences lead to the Texas
Yet another reason why Texans might have revolted was that they were trying to preserve and maintain the political values and economic gain while under the Constitution of 1824. It gave Texas a steady population flow of American migrants moving onto Texas soil. It also gave them political liberty, freedom to own slaves and a steady economic progression. But Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, president of Mexico, wished to impose a stricter rule which could also explain why Texas felt the need to separate from Mexico.
While Texas leader Stephen Austin initially had no contempt toward Mexicans, the Anglo-American citizens in the area did. The American Texans of the 1800’s defined Mexicans as “a race alien to everything that Americans held dear” (De Leon 4). This sentiment would serve as the primary catalyst to the Texas secession from Mexico. When Austin began colonizing the area, he envisioned a place in which Anglo-Americans and Tejanos, Mexicans living in Texas, could live together. Eventually, though, the public opinions of North American settlers in the territory and in Washington would make him realize that the goal of unity between the two groups was impossible.
In 1820 the Spanish who controlled Texas granted Moses Austin, Stephen F Austin’s father, permission to bring a number of American settlers to Texas but he died before he was able to. (http://www.tsl.texas.gov/treasure/giants/austin-1823plan-1.html) So Stephen lead the colonization of Texas. He was a settler and was eager and patient. He learned Spanish and
At first, Mexicans welcomed them to stay. The number of Texans had expanded quickly and outnumbered the Mexican population. By 1830s, 20,000 settlers lived in Texas. However, somehow, Texans and Mexicans could not get along due to many reasons. The Mexican government wanted to do the crazy things.