American Settlement in Texas: From the 1820s to Annexation in 1845

Anglo-American migration to Texas began in earnest in the 1820s and accelerated through the 1830s and 1840s, fundamentally altering the region's demography and politics.

1. The Empresario System (1821–1835)

Mexico, independent since 1821, encouraged settlement to buffer against Comanche raids and U.S. expansion. Stephen F. Austin brought the "Old Three Hundred" families (1822–1824) to his grant between the Brazos and Colorado rivers. By 1835, ~30,000 Anglos and ~7,800 Tejanos lived in Texas, plus ~5,000 enslaved Africans.

2. Tensions and Texas Revolution (1835–1836)

Centralist policies of Santa Anna (abolishing 1824 Constitution) sparked revolt. Key battles: Gonzales, Alamo, Goliad, San Jacinto. Texas declared independence March 2, 1836; won it April 21.

3. Republic of Texas (1836–1845)

Immigration surged: land grants (headrights), cotton boom, slave-based plantations. Population reached ~140,000 (1847 est.). U.S. annexation debates intensified (slavery issue).

4. Annexation and Statehood (1845)

U.S. Congress approved annexation (Joint Resolution, Feb 1845); Texas voters ratified (Oct 1845); statehood Dec 29, 1845. Mexican–American War (1846–48) followed.

Demographic Shift

• 1820: <5,000 non-Native (mostly Tejano).
• 1836: ~35,000 Anglo, ~8,000 Tejano.
• 1850: ~150,000 Anglo, ~14,000 Tejano, ~58,000 enslaved.
• 1860: ~420,000 Anglo, ~25,000 Tejano, ~182,000 enslaved.

By the 1850s, Anglo-Americans were the dominant group—a transformation driven by Mexican colonization policy, then U.S. expansionism.