7th Review Pt. 1- TX Settlement and Causes

The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the U.S.

The land that used to border Spanish territory was now U.S. territory

The Adams-Onis Treaty fixed border disputes between TX and the U.S.

It set the boundary between their territories. The US also gave up all claims to Texas in exchange for the Neutral Ground and Florida. 

Once the border disputes were solved, Mexico had to solve the issue of populating TX to protect it from attack.

To populate TX and therefore protect their claim to Texas, MX needed a fast way to bring people to TX.

They decided on the Empresario system.

After the death of Moses Austin (Stephen F. Austin's father), Stephen F. Austin decided to take up his father's contract to settle 300 Families in TX.

Stephen F. Austin succeeded in bringing 300 families to his colony located on the Brazos and Colorado rivers.

He became very successful and soon after there were many other Americans wanting to become Empresarios.

Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1824.

The New Mexican government adopted the Federal Constitution of 1824 and became a republic.

The new Mexican government turned Texas into the combined state of Tejas y Coahuila.

Coahuila overshadowed Texas in government, which bothered many Texans.

The National Colonization Law of 1824 allowed each Mexican state to set its own colonization policies.

New U.S. immigrants could not establish colonies near the nation’s borders or along the coast. 

The State Colonization Law of 1825 further opened up Texas to colonization.

With loose colonization laws and lots of eager empresarios, there was a massive influx of Americans that came into Texas.

In a very short amount of time, Americans/Anglos outnumbered Tejanos/Hispanics in Texas 10 to 1.