USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -By 1800, the minimum lot was halved to 320 acres, and settlers were allowed to pay in 4 installments, but prices remained fixed at $1.25 an acre until 1854.

Detailed explanation-2: -Anglo-Americans were drawn by inexpensive land and believed annexation of Texas to the United States was likely and would improve the market for the land. Some settlers were fleeing debts and sought refuge in the Mexican colony, where they were safe from American creditors.

Detailed explanation-3: -Rich soils and open spaces along with rivers and springs supported farms and ranches in Texas. Crops flourished, and cattle first arrived with Spanish missionaries in the 1700s. Promises of plentiful land attracted thousands of settlers throughout the 1800s.

Detailed explanation-4: -In 1821, the Mexican War for Independence severed the control that Spain had exercised on its North American territories, and the new country of Mexico was formed from much of the lands that had comprised New Spain, including Spanish Texas.