That’s How WeGot to Texas!

Mrs. Neuschafer’sFourth Grade Social Studies Class

By Amanda Neuschafer, EDUC 5131

In the mid-1800’s, European settlers left their

native countries and immigrated to Texas, hoping to fulfill their dreams of prosperity.

Heading West

Throughout the early 1800’s, many European-American settlements were established in and around Travis County.

This is the area near where Austin is today.

Texas at this time did not look the way it looks today.

Early 1800’s in Texas

So, why did so many European immigrants

decide to settle in Texas? What was it about our state that made Texas appealing to these people as they made their homes in a new country?

Why do you think they decided to come to Texas?

Why Texas?

There were a variety of reasons that led the

European settlers to Texas in the mid-1800’s:

Why Texas?

- The state’s geography

- Pre-settled towns in Texas

- Free or cheap land

- Historical events

Texas was a colorful state

with geographical features that attracted European settlers in the 1800’s.

The Brazos River, which flows north-south into the Gulf of Mexico, created fertile farm land for settlers.

Geography

This modern map of Texas shows the Brazos

River.

Early Texas settlers chose to live around the Brazos

River and become farmers. Cotton became one of Texas’s staple crops and

produced many wealthy farmers. Cotton plantations began popping up all over the state. The Brazos provided water and irrigation for the cotton crops.

Geography

Many settlers decided to come west to Texas because there were already towns established here.

Immigrants wanted to stay close to towns, railroads, and trade posts, where they could settle with their families.

Pre-Settled Towns

Early Texas trade post, where furs were sold and traded.

As more immigrants arrived in these towns,

communities were created. Trails were made into roads, schools were built, and families flourished.

Pre-Settled Towns

Stephen F. Austin is considered to be the founder of Anglo-American Texas.

He was an Empresario, which means Mexico gave him land to settle in Texas, as long as he recruited new settlers and governed his new town.

In 1823, Austin received a grant from Mexico to begin a colony near the Brazos River.

This became one of the first established towns in Texas.

Stephen F. Austin

Stephen F. Austin, 1830’s

The Mexican government offered free or cheap

land to settlers who came to Texas. This helped many Texas towns, such as Austin,

quickly grow to populations of over 8,000 people in the mid-1800’s.

Free or Cheap Land

In 1837, the city of Austin was officially

incorporated. An auction was held to sell the town’s first 306 plots of land.

Austin, Texas

This

advertisement promised 800

acres of land to any settlers who came to Texas.

It refers to Texas as the “Garden

of America.”

Come to

Texas!

The offer of free land resulted in a Land Rush

– when settlers would rush across the plains to claim their piece of Texas.

The following video from the movie Far and Away, shows what these land rushes were like. While the video depicts the Oklahoma Land Rush, it also illustrates the excitement and anticipation of Texas settlers at this time, racing to claim their new home.

Land Rush

Click here to view a video clip of the Land Rush

In 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico and became its own country. Settlers were attracted to Texas, which was now independent and full of possibilities and freedom.

Historical Events

Texas Independence Flag

Click here to see a timeline of Texas History

For the next ten years, the country of Texas

fought many battles against Mexico. Many settlers came to fight and became Texas Heroes during these battles.

Historical Events

Davy Crockett Jim Bowie William Travis

Davy Crockett served on the Tennessee state legislature in 1821, and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives five years later.

He disagreed with President Andrew Jackson’s policy, so he left Tennessee and came to Texas.

Davy Crockett

Crockett fought in the Texas Revolution was killed at the Battle of the Alamo in 1336.

After the War of 1812, Bowie and his brothers went to Texas to help liberate them from the Spanish.

Bowie died a hero at the Battle of the Alamo, fighting in his bed until he ran out of bullets.

Jim BowieJames “Jim” Bowie grew up on a farm in Kentucky. When President Jackson called for volunteers to fight the British in the War of 1812, he signed up and went to war.

William Travis was born in

South Carolina, where he became a teacher.

It is believed that Travis was recruited as a spy and filibuster, who was sent to Texas to help prepare for the revolution.

Travis fought at the Alamo, famously telling his soldiers to never give up – “Victory or Death!”

William Travis

Plaque honoring Travis’s life and death, located at

the Alamo.

Texas officially became the 28th state in the

United States in 1845. The population of Texas grew rapidly at this time, as more and more migrants moved to the cotton farms in the state.

European immigrants continued to come to Texas, looking for a favorable economic, social, and political location. By 1848, these settlers were known as the “forty-eighters.” Many were educated artisans and businessmen who would help develop more towns in Texas.

Historical Events

Now, how did YOU get to Texas? You will work with your group “family” to

decide how you and your family members came to Texas.

That’s How We Got to Texas!

What factors influenced where your family

decided to settle in Texas?

The state’s geography? Pre-settled towns? Free or cheap land? Historical events or battles in Texas?

How Did You Get to Texas?

Texas or Bust!