Stephen F. Austin Notes

1. Stephen F. Austin Notes Page 43

2. I. Stephen F. Austin takes control *Before Stephen took over for his father’s colony, he was in the legislature and a judge *Austin’s new career was as a Texas Empresario * Empresario is the Spanish word for contractor, a person who puts together business deals

3. II.Austin chooses a site for the colony • Ideal land for agriculture ( crops and livestock) site sits between the Colorado river and Brazos river • Site is far from Comanche tribes III.Settlers for Colony *Found plenty of eager people who wanted cheap land

4. Settlers had to pledge loyalty and citizenship to Mexico and adopt the Roman Catholic religion • Austin had the ship Livelyto bring settlers and supplies to the colony • The ship never arrived it got lost and then was shipwrecked near Galveston • The first settlers to arrive were Andrew Robinson, Kuykendall brothers, Josiah Bell, and Jared Groce (who brought 90 slaves)

5. *Spanish/Mexican government did not allow slavery but did over look slavery to increase settlers *Mexico won its independence while Austin was setting up his colony in 1821. *Mexican government was not stable, it kept changing military leaders.

6. IV.Problems in Colony • Austin spent a full year away • Drought in the region • Karankawas saw the colonist as intruders, several died in fights • Numbers decreased • Militia was formed in the colony, a group of armed citizens to protect from Native Americans

7. VI. San Felipe de Austin * 1823 Austin created a town, a center for the colony near present day Sealy, where official business was taking place. V.1824 • More families were brought in • They were called “Old Three Hundred” • Only families could own land, single men created partnerships to get around the Mexican law.

8. Stephen F. Austin had enormous powerin Texas. He helped settlers and served as a link between the colonist and Mexican government.