Many know Stephen F. Austin as the father of Texas, but not many know his experiences that led to this. Stephen F. Austin was the child of Moses and Maria Austin. He was born on the third of November in 1793, in Virginia. He and his family moved to Missouri, and by the age of eleven Stephen was sent off to Connecticut to attend a school called Bacon Academy. Stephen graduated with honors at the age of fourteen. He then spent two years at Transylvania University located in Lexington, Kentucky. Stephen returned in the year 1810 and served several years as a member of the Missouri territorial legislature. Stephen wasn't a member for long, and because of this he was looking for new opportunities in Arkansas. Being as successful as he was, Stephen …show more content…
Stephen, despite being in shock but wanting to honor his dad, went anyway to San Antonio to give the loan for the enterprise. He arrived in August 1821, and the governor allowed Stephen to colonize under his dad’s grant. Stephen headed back to New Orleans where he got the terms published and was telling colonists where his colony would be located (on the Brazos and Colorado rivers). In the month of December of the same year, Stephen found out that Mexico did not approve the grant, because it did not fall under the general immigration law. Hearing this, Stephen went to Mexico City to fulfill the law. On January 3,1823 the law was fulfilled, and within the years 1825-1828, Stephen had settled 900 families in addition to his 300. In the year of 1830, congress prohibited immigration. Stephen tried to tell colonists about the evils of slavery but failed. Under the law of 1833, Texas had to be a slave state, and because Texas was now a slave state, it had problems with Mexico. Stephen F. Austin then held the Convention of 1833 in hopes of fixing the problems with Mexico. Much happened at the Convention of 1833, because Texas wanted its own independence, but Mexico refused. This led to a fight for independence. On October the 2nd, 1835 the battle of Gonzales took place. Stephen F. Austin was elected to command the volunteers there to help Texas go into battle. Texas won in the
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
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.
He brought about three hundred families to settle Texas. The location was on the Colorado and Brazos Rivers. First, the settlers had to agree to the following rules from Mexican government. To be qualified for Texas resident, they must become Roman Catholics and Mexican citizens. They also must obey all Mexican laws.
In the 1830’s, Texas fought for their independence from Mexico. This sparked the Mexican revolution. There were three main reasons why Texans wanted independence: Mexico outlawed slavery, high taxes, and the Mexicans wanted everyone to join the Catholic Church. One of the major players in Texas was Stephen Austin. He had 300 land grants which he gave to the Texans. After some time, Stephen Austin went all the way to Mexico to present petitions for a greater self-governing government for Texas. Even though Stephen Austin was known as the father of Texas, the President of Mexico harshly denied his request.
On February 15 and 16, 1836, General Santa Anna and his men crossed the Rio Grande to put down the uprising and prevent Texas from becoming its own state. The Mexican Army successfully won multiple skirmishes and battles, to include the Alamo and Goliad (Hardin, 2004).
families that the Spanish government had allowed to settle in Texas. The migration of U.S. citizens to Texas increased over the next decades, sparking a revolutionary movement that would erupt into armed conflict by the mid-1830s.In December 1835, in the early stages of Texas’ war for independence from Mexico, a group of Texan (or Texian) volunteers led by George Collinsworth and Benjamin Milam overwhelmed the Mexican garrison at the Alamo and captured the fort, seizing control of San Antonio. By mid-February 1836, Colonel James Bowie and Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis had taken command of Texan forces in San Antonio. Though Sam Houston, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Texan forces, argued that San Antonio should be abandoned due to insufficient troop numbers, the Alamo’s defenders–led by Bowie and Travis–dug in nonetheless, prepared to defend the fort to the last. These defenders, who despite later reinforcements never numbered more than 200, included Davy Crockett, the famous frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee, who had arrived in early February.On February 23, a Mexican force comprising somewhere between 1,800 and 6,000 men (according to various estimates) and commanded by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began a siege of the
On the issues, Ted Cruz holds many unique positions, often stirring controversy amongst Democrats and fellow Republicans alike. Ted Cruz identifies strongly with the Tea Party Movement, leaning to the far right on many social, domestic and international issues. He particularly emphasizes his bold stances on issues like fighting ISIS, reducing taxes, and lifting regulations on business. However, one area that Cruz is especially passionate about is the many social issues that are debated by American citizens. On gay marriage, Cruz has maintained that he as a believer in traditional marriage between a man and a woman. He sponsored and passed a bill in the United States Senate to leave the decision of marriage to individual state legislatures.
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.
Houston, a Democrat, Southerner, veteran of the Mexican-American War, and hero of San Jacinto reigned unmatched and indefatigable in the Senate at his time, able to stimulate his colleagues even after it appeared as if they lost all faith. Before holding his position as the first Senator from Texas, Houston held the role of Commander in Chief during times of hardship during the Mexican-American War, undermining his disadvantageous amount of Texan recruits by achieving a victory against the entirety of the Mexican Army and claiming its independence. Afterwards, he held plenty of roles in the growing republic, elected as the first president of the Independent Republic of Texas, a member of its Congress, and for another term of presidency before the territory amalgamated with the United States. There, he rose to position as a Congressman from Tennessee, who, in 1820, supported the ratification of the Missouri Compromise, and later on in the Senate as a representative of Texas, eventually stated that he did not support the abandoning of the Compromise of 1850 regardless of his political party’s views. The democrats were outraged, accusing him of traitorous
Every Texan knows the legends of Stephen F. Austin that lead him to become the “Father of Texas.” Few Texas would try to say anyone else deserves this honor even though Texas is not short of larger than life legends. Such names include Lorenzo Zavala, Thomas Rusk, Juan Seguin, William Travis, James Bowie, and Sam Houston. Even “In his eulogy for Austin, Houston called him, "The Father of Texas"” (Areas of Interest). But despite this many would argue that Houston deserves the title.
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.
In first chapter explains the history of African Americans in Texas and stability of Texas to the slave culture. Discusses the first slaves brought in by Stephen F. Austin and his colonist, where Stephen concluded Texas as a slave country. Even though Austin was not a fan of slavery, Texas was and had
General Sam Houston did not see San Antonio as an area worth holding because most of the Anglo settlements were in the eastern section of the region. Because of the General Houston sent Jim Bowie to San Antonio with orders to destroy the Alamo and return with the rebels and their weapons. Bowie along with William B. Travis disregarded the general’s orders and took refuge
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.
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.