Stephen F. Austin's Role in the Colonization of Texas

The women in the square watched as the stranger dismounted his gray horse and strode with great purpose toward the imposing palace of Antonio Martinez, the governor of Coahuila y Tejas. As the residents of San Antonio bargained in the marketplace that day, one of the most important events in Texas history was taking place. It was 1821. The stranger was a man named Moses Austin.

After gaining its independence from Spain, Mexico was so preoccupied with domestic affairs that it had little time for matters such as exploration and colonization of the area known as Tejas. From time to time, Mexican troops or mission priests made their way to and from Nacogdoches, but for the most part the vast expanse of land remained undeveloped. Enter Moses Austin, a Missouri businessman whose dream of bringing 300 American families into Texas changed forever the face of history.

Moses met with the governor of Coahuila y Tejas in early 1821 and presented his plan for bringing a small group of families into Texas from the United States to settle and work the land. Governor Martinez was hesitant to allow foreigners into Mexico, having only recently succeeded in driving out the Spanish. The governor's fears were allayed, however, when an advisor persuaded him that such a move would benefit the local economy.

Governor Martinez agreed to allow Moses Austin to bring 300 American families into Texas. Each family would receive at least 640 acres at low cost with no tax for six years. In return, the settlers would become Mexican citizens and convert to Catholicism. Special privileges granted to this group were the right to keep slaves and protection by the Mexican government against debts accrued in the United States before coming to Texas. Needless to say, with such incentives as these, there was no lack of applicants for a place in the "Old Three Hundred."

Moses Austin returned to Missouri where, in June of 1821, he died of pneumonia. The one thing that did not die was his dream. In his will, he bequeathed the land grant to his son, Stephen Fuller Austin, who went on to become "The Father of Texas."