How Did Moses Austin Try To Colonize Texas?

A man named Moses Austin started a colony of three hundred men and women, slaves and famers from many different places in the US that would soon forever change that place into the land we now know as Texas. This man, Moses Austin, sent the people he gathered, known as the “Old Three Hundred” to colonize Texas and they have been very important to what Texas has become into today.

Moses Austin, a Missourian and one of the early founders of America’s lead Industry, was one of the first people to try to colonize Texas. He lost money in the Panic of 1819 and he was thinking that starting a colony would be a good way to regain the fortune that he had. Moses Austin received a land grant for 300 families from the Spanish after he got denied by the

After finding out of the death of his father Stephen F. Austin made sure that his father’s work would still be played out. Austin went to the Spanish governor Antonio Maria Martinez who knew he was Moses Austin’s son and he let him do it. Austin advertised his colony and some people wanted to come over there. They were meant to go to Matagorda Bay but ended up at the mouth of the Brazos River. When Austin got to the Brazos river a problem surfaced Mexico had gained their freedom. The Mexican government, which was now headed by Iturbide, told governor Martinez that Mexico didn’t recognize Austin’s contract since was signed by the Spanish government, which wasn’t in control of the land Austin’s colony was on anymore. This would mean that Austin would have to get approval from the Mexican government now. Stephen then had to go all the way back to Mexico City, were the Mexican capital was, to get the grant approved. But unfortunately for him the country was in a state of disorder meaning that he would have to stay another year in Mexico City to get the Grant approved from the government at Mexico City. At last in early 1823, Austin was given an Empresario Grant for settling 300 families in Texas. Austin was named empresario to look over the land. Most of the colonists were from the Trans-Appalachian South, mostly being from Louisiana and were originally of British ancestry. Most of

They had to agree to be in the side of The Government of Mexico and they had to become Catholic since it was the religion that the Mexicans kept because of their Spanish heritage. Austin in the beginning told his colonists to agree with the laws but later he secretly said that they could practice their own religion and do what they wanted to do if they wanted to. Also, the government was also going to give liberty, civil rights, secure land titles, and wouldn’t tax them for six years. When Austin came back to Texas he gave land titles to the immigrants that had come to Texas. Baron de Bastrop being chosen by Don Luciano Garcia to became land commissioner and recorded the titles. Baron de Bastrop left in August 1824 and the work remained unfinished until the year of 1927, when the new commissioner Gaspar Flores de Abrego issued the titles that remained. All 300 titles had been issued by 1825.In the following few years. Austin gained three more Empresario Grants with also 900 more families his colony had grown immensely by 1936 reaching form Matagorda Bay to Galveston Bay and as far north as what is now present-day Byron. The land that Austin made his colony on is now were 9 different counties stand. Austin’s colony was one of the most important colonies since it has also impacted all the colonies around it as well as the fact that some of the other colonies owe to Austin’s colony being