Texas Settlers

Immigrants moving to Texas could purchase land at 10 cents an acre. They were originally allowed to bring slaves to the new territory, but by 1829, Mexico outlawed slavery in Texas. These settlers were severely underrepresented in local government. By 1835 the number of new immigrants had reached 30,000, while the rest of the population was less than 8,000. Conflict between the two groups over politics, culture, and religion was common. Although Protestant settlers were required to give up their religion, most did not. All official government actions were supposed to be conducted in Spanish, but few immigrants made any effort to learn the language. All of this contributed to the Texans’ desire for independence and eventually resulted in war.