Austin’s Texas Colony

Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Austin's Texas Colony
Students learn about Moses and Stephen Austin and their roles in the settlement of Texas. They read about the Austin colony and land grant conditions and requirements. Then they work in small groups to prepare a recruitment poster on behalf of the Austin colony.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Here are the teacher pack items for Austin’s Texas Colony:

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Overview

In this experience, students learn about Moses and Stephen Austin and their role in the settlement of Texas. They read about the Austin colony and land grant conditions and requirements. Then they work in small groups to prepare a recruitment poster on behalf of the Austin colony.

Students will collaborate in small groups for scene 3 and scene 4.

Note that there are three interrelated experiences that deal with settlement of Texas in the period of 1821–1830:

  • Colonizing Texas, 1821–1830: focuses on the legal side of settlement
  • Austin’s Texas Colony (this experience): focuses on Austin and recruitment of settlers
  • Life in the Texas Settlements: focuses on life in the settlements

There are two general resources provided to students in the pack of all three experiences: a timeline of events in Texas history from 1826–1842 and a video (30 minutes). You can refer students to these resources at any point during these experiences.

Objectives:

  • Identify the contributions of Moses Austin to the settlement of Texas.
  • Explain how Stephen F. Austin attracted immigrants to Texas.


Stephen Fuller Austin is called “the Father of Texas,” but it was actually his own father, Moses Austin, who first had the dream of colonizing Texas. In this experience, you will learn about their roles in the settlement of Texas. You will read about the Austin colony and land grant conditions and requirements. Then you will work in small groups to prepare a recruitment poster on behalf of the Austin colony.

Objectives:

  • Identify the contributions of Moses Austin to the settlement of Texas.
  • Explain how Stephen F. Austin attracted immigrants to Texas.


streets in a grid

Map of Austin, Texas, 1873


The Texas state capitol, Austin, was named after Stephen F. Austin. The streets that border the two sides of the capitol building are Colorado Street and San Jacinto Blvd., both named for major Texas rivers.


What do you think are names of other streets in downtown Austin?

Post your answer

All the north-south streets are named for major Texas rivers: Red River, Trinity, Brazos, Rio Grande, Lavaca, Guadalupe, San Antonio, Nueces, Rio Grande, Neches, and Sabine.

Students who are familiar with Austin may know that the east-west downtown streets are all numbered: 1st Street (renamed Caesar Chavez and running along the Colorado River), and then the streets run from 2nd Street to 19th Street (renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and forming the border between downtown and the University of Texas campus).


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The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Mexican National Era Unit.
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Life in the Texas Settlements
Life in the Texas Settlements
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Mexico-United States Relations in the 1820s
Mexico-United States Relations in the 1820s
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Texas During the Mexican War of Independence
Texas During the Mexican War of Independence
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Colonizing Texas, 1821–1830
Colonizing Texas, 1821–1830
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras The Weakening of Spanish Rule
The Weakening of Spanish Rule
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Austin's Texas Colony
Austin’s Texas Colony
Texas History The Spanish and Mexican Eras Unit Review
The Spanish and Mexican Eras: Unit Review
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