San Felipe and American Settlement

Stephen F. Austin took over for his father in the enterprise of bringing Anglo colonists to settle under-populated Texas and provide a buffer zone for the Mexican interior. Colonists came not only from the United States, where the economy was in crisis, but also from areas in Europe. With them, they brought new customs and attitudes, new ways of agriculture and the contentious institution of slavery, something that was supported by wealthy Mexicans who had invested in Texas cotton. Relationships were established with the Tejanos, but much of Texas became an extension of American lifestyle in a Mexican nation. Communities rose up in Austin’s Colony and in those lands controlled by several other empresarios. Life centered around the headquarters of his colony, complete with amenities such as a newspaper, on land that today is a county bearing his name.