MA, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

In response to his father's dying wish, Stephen Austin took up the responsibility of being the first empresario of Texas with the job of bringing Americans into the region. The arrival of American settlers over fifteen years drastically shifted the population of Texas as more Americans moved into the region. The events of fifteen years of mistrust between the Mexican government and its new citizens came to an end when in 1836, Texas declared independence and became the Republic of Texas. The events of Texas were recorded and lived by Austin as he remained one of the most influential figures in Texas, acting as a bridge between the Anglo settlers and the Mexicans. This thesis uses Austin to study and understand how the free nation of Texas was not inevitable, and Texas could have remained a state in Mexico. I present several arguments throughout this thesis. First, while other historical works give the idea of inevitability, I argue that an examination of Austin shows how a free Texas was not inevitable. The question of loyalty of the Anglos, as seen by Austin, clashes against the idea that the Americans who emigrated did so planning to free Texas from Mexico. Second, that the Texas Revolution should be examined as two separate wars. When Texas declared war in 1835, they joined the already existing Civil War between the liberal and conservative parties. This war was not for independence or against all of Mexico but was against the centralist party that led Mexico and aimed to remove the Constitution of 1824. The second war would not happen until 1836, when the Texans decided to declare independence, and the war moved to being against all of Mexico. Breaking the revolution up also supports the argument that Austin and the colonists were loyal to the Constitution and their oaths to Mexico. I argue that pressures outside of Texas caused them to declare independence. I believe it is essential to distinguish these two events from each other as they each posed different fu (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kim Gruenwald (Advisor) Subjects: History