USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Settlers were supposed to own property or have a craft or useful profession, and all people wishing to live in Texas were expected to report to the nearest Mexican authority for permission to settle. The rules were widely disregarded and many families became squatters.

Detailed explanation-2: -Stephen Austin’s contract to bring settlers to Texas, June 4, 1825 (Gilder Lehrman Collection) In order to settle Texas in the 1820s, the Mexican government allowed speculators, called empresarios, to acquire large tracts of land if they promised to bring in settlers to populate the region and make it profitable.

Detailed explanation-3: -From the beginning, the American settlers (and many of the Mexican Tejanos as well) wanted full Mexican statehood for Texas, as the state capital was far away and difficult to reach. The Americans outnumbered the Tejanos by as many as four to one.

Detailed explanation-4: -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.