By Friedrich H.H.

Chapter One

In the last years of the XVIII century and the first years of the XIX century, the richest, most prosperous and biggest of Spanish colonies: the New Spain had nearly 5 million square kilometres of territory which included the actual countries of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, along with the states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas and some little parts of Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, which are now part of the United States of America. However, this extremely rich territory had a big problem: its population was not adequately spread, nearly all the population was concentrated in the Southern and Central regions of the country, meanwhile the vast North was not largely populated, making its defence very difficult.
After the Seven Years War (1756-1763) France had given Louisiana —the territories West of Mississippi river— to Spain as compensation for the defeat. Then, the New Spain had a common frontier with the new United States of America, a clearly expansionist nation. Then the need to increase the population of the Northern territories became more important and more new people were allowed to colonise; not only Franco-Canadians or Catholic Irish, bust also protestant colons, such as Dutch, British —opposed to the USA independence— and some Prussians. One of these, Freiherr von Steuben was one of the first who asked for ‘religious tolerance’ in these territories. These ended when the French Revolution came. The excesses of the French revolutionaries caused fear among the Spaniards and the colonisation was reduced to Catholics and Spaniards only.
When Napoléon Bonaparte came to power in 1800 the problems began. He rapidly forced Spain to give Western Louisiana back to France. And even if the treaty of San Ildefonso gave priority to its return to Spain, Napoléon sold Western Louisiana to the USA in 1803 to finance a new war against Great Britain and Austria. Suddenly, the USA’s territory of 2.305.000 square kilometres increased to 4.631.000 square kilometres.
Charles IV was very worried about this. He told his old citizens of Western Louisiana that whoever might wanted could go into Texas and get free land. Many Indian tribes, some Irish, the famous pirate James Lafitte and the Dutch baron Van Bastrop went into Texas. When the USA bought Louisiana they wanted to include Texas in their purchase. This and the fact of American pirate raids against Spain provoked that it closed her frontiers. Also, many independence conspiracies were wiped during 1811-1813. Every try to increase Texan population failed. Its 3.122 inhabitants and 1.033 soldiers couldn’t live peacefully because of the Indian tribes constant attacks and the menace of their Northern neighbour. The New Spaniard deputy, Miguel Ramos Arizpe, elected for the Cadiz courts insisted in the need of increasing the Northern territories’ population and taking some measures as opening the free-trade and the suppression of the local military commander. Then, absolutism was restored in Spain and the new laws were abandoned.
The French invasion of Spain in 1808 didn’t help the situation and many more foreigners entered in Texas, therefore, the Spanish minister in Washington, Luis de Onís advised to give away the provinces to the USA to secure the Northern frontier of the New Spain. Then, in 1817, Luis de Onís and John Quincy Adams negotiated a territorial treaty which became valid in 1819. This treaty defined the new frontier between the USA and the New Spain. Ferdinand VII encouraged all his citizens affected by the treaty to establish in Texas. The new American expansionism had become a real headache for the Spanish government.
In 1820, a military coupe obliged King Ferdinand VII to accept the liberal Constitution of 1812 and in 1821, at the same period of Mexican independence the colonisation law was revived and it became effective. Article 28th of this law specified: “that no slaves were to be introduced in New-Spaniard-Mexicican territory and declared free men those who went into the country. Both laws, the Spanish and the Mexican one forbade non-Catholics to colonise Texas.

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Chapter Two

The law that New Spaniard citizens were able to get into Texas after their territorial losses due to Onís-Adams treaty sounded very good for the ears of Moses Austin, an old colon of the Spanish territory of Missouri. Austin, affected by USA’s economic depression of 1817 had seen his business going into bankruptcy and as solution he ask permission to establish in Texas with some other 300 American families. The governor Antonio María Martínez didn’t like the idea, but baron Van Bastrop helped convincing the council at San Antonio Béjar, worried by Indian raids to support Austin’s pretension. After the military commander of the region, general Joaquín de Arredondo, accepted the motion, it became effective on January 17th 1821. Moses Austin was dead, but his son Stephen carried on his father’s wishes and explored Texan territory on August 12th. Governor Martínez ratified the agreement: 640 acres per colon, 320 per wife and 160 per every son. Austin asked for 80 acres for every slave. All this was accepted. The new colons, —300 families from Louisiana, Roman Catholics, well raised—also swore to “obey and defend the government of His Majesty, the King of Spain” and the Political Constitution of the Spanish Kingdom, which clearly said in its 12th article that the religion was and always would be “Catholic, Apostolic, Roman, Unique and True”. It is important to point this out, because the later protests of the new colons because of religious intolerance were absolutely out of place. Then, that very same year, governor Martínez and general de Arredondo had to swear loyalty to the Iguala Plan and the Trig rant Army. On September 27th 1821 the New Spain ceased to exist. Mexico was born.
The New Mexican Empire had many difficulties to approve some coherent laws for the Northern territories. The military and the nationals were to be favoured. All slaves were to be released, only Catholics were going to be accepted and foreigners were going to be forced to change their language to Spanish. These proposals were not discussed. The Congress was soon replaced by a Constitutional Assembly which rapidly came to the elaboration of a ‘colonisation law’. Austin’s contract was ratified: “300 families were allowed to live in Texas, but they had to be Roman Catholics and live along the other population and adopt their culture” for reasons of “national security”.
Stephen Austin, ignoring all the political changes of 1821 went back to the USA and came back with more families in 1822. The governor advised him to ratify the agreement with the new government. Then, Stephen Austin appeared in Mexico City were he rapidly made some powerful friends; because he was familiarised with the culture and was a mason. Then emperor de Iturbide abdicated and the Congress was restored. Austin knew how to take advantage of his mason friends and the agreement was ratified on April 14th 1823. Austin went back to Texas.
After many territorial ‘fragmentations’ the Congress elected in 1822 had to create another Constitutional Congress that established a weak federation.

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Chapter three

In 1824, Texas, despite of its low population aspired to become an estate but it was annexed to the state of Coahuila instead, with the possibility of becoming “a single state whenever it feels capable of being a state”. Then, Texas lost its autonomy. The dependence from the state capital, Saltillo became a problem because of the big distances. Militarily speaking, the state of Coahuila was included, along with Nuevo León and Tamaulipas under the command of the man in charge of the Internal Eastern Provinces. Fortunately, this charge was occupied by two man very capable and honest: Anastasio Bustamante and Manuel de Mier y Terán until 1832.
The stinky subject of slavery was discussed in 1824 and only the slave traffic was forbidden. There were no slaves in Mexico, except for those brought by the American colons and it became a problem whether to release them or not.
By 1825 the 150 colons brought by Austin had become 1.800 —443 slaves. The American business men were worried because they couldn’t bring more slaves into Texas nor keep their own after they were 14-years-old. However, the chaotic Mexican government, had many more priorities and the fact that San Antonio and Saltillo were 2.000 kilometres away didn’t help. So, the laws were not being respected. The new colons were all Protestants, brought more and more slaves and were selling lands!
Since 1822 there had being mayors and military commanders of every province and in 1823, Austin was appointed lieutenant colonel of the militias by the Internal Provinces commander. He had plenty of authority until the promulgation of the state-constitution. Austin extended his powers and divided the colony in provinces with respective mayors and he redacted some ‘instructions and regulations’ that were valid until the Constitution of the state of Coahuila-Texas was published in 1827.
The local authorities trusted Austin and gave him more power. In 1825 he got a new contract to bring another 300 families, another for 500 in Galveston bay and other one for 100. In 1828, another contract for 300 families… Except for the colonies like those of Austin, Martín de León and Green De Witt, there was illegality in the rest. People were selling inexistent lands, were permitting thugs and fugitive gangs to get into Texas and of course, they could not get on well with people of a very different culture. By example, Haden Edwards had got in 1825 a contract to establish 500 families in Nacogdoches. Edwards, an illiterate and violent cowboy overrated his authority as militia commander. In his lands, many people from many nations lived and that required some caution, that he, of course, didn’t have. He had just gone into power when he ordered that everybody showed him their property tittles and menaced to take their lands away. Of course, the old Mexicans didn’t accept it and the state-government immediately fired and deported him. His brother, Benjamin Edwards succeeded him.
By mid 1826 the news of Edwards brothers’ abuses had reached the ears of the Internal Provinces’ commander, Anastasio Bustamante and the War Ministry. The government decided to revoke his contract. Austin advised Benjamin Edwards to look for a conciliation but the latter declared the Republic of Fredonia on December 16th 1826. The government troops and Austin’s militia smashed the rebels, but the incident was a clear warning of the dangers of American colonisation. This fact, and minister Joel R. Poinsett proposal of BUYING Texas increased the distrust of Mexico towards the USA.

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

Thanks for the information General. Read it over and over again.

__________________

Well, there are many more chapter to come. I only have to WRITE them...

__________________
"War is less costly than servitude, the choice is always between Verdun and Dachau." - Jean Dutourd, French veteran of both world wars

"A mon fils: depuis que tes yeux sont fermes les miens n’ont cessé de pleurir." - Mère française, Verdun

With "F"s posts--I feel like I had been transported back to my 7th grade Texas History class. I aced that class with the highest marks in it. That was the year a few of us got together and built a HO scale model of the Alamo. I sure wish it had survived--and wish I had pics of it.

__________________
Lost are only those, who abandon themselves) Hans-Ulrich Rudel.