RUBÍ & EAST TEXAS
Spain sent this inspector to study its northern frontier and recommend changes to Texas settlements.
MARQUÉS DE RUBÍ.
Which agreement settled the U.S.–Spanish boundary dispute and gave Florida to the United States?
THE ADAMS–ONÍS TREATY.
What name was given to Father Miguel Hidalgo’s 1810 call for revolt against Spain?
THE GRITO DE DOLORES, or Cry of Dolores.
Which Austin first gained permission to bring American families into Texas but died before carrying out the plan?
MOSES AUSTIN.
What was an empresario in Mexican Texas?
An AGENT who arranged to bring settlers to a colony, often under a government contract.
What year did Mexico gain independence from Spain, changing which government controlled Texas?
1821.
Which East Texas town did Antonio Gil Y’Barbo and other settlers establish after returning east?
NACOGDOCHES.
Which river became the eastern border of Spanish Texas under that treaty?
THE SABINE RIVER.
Which Mexican leader joined the independence movement and helped bring an end to Spanish rule in 1821?
AGUSTÍN DE ITURBIDE.
Who took over the settlement plan and brought the first large group of Anglo-American families to Texas?
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN.
After Mexican independence, Texas was joined with Coahuila as one state. What was it called?
COAHUILA Y TEJAS.
Which empresario established a colony made up mostly of Mexican families and helped build Texas cattle ranching?
MARTÍN DE LEÓN.
An inspector argues that scattered missions are hard to defend. What change would Rubí most likely recommend for most Texas missions?
Close most missions and concentrate Spanish settlement and defense around SAN ANTONIO and GOLIAD.
A man claimed to be catching wild horses in Texas, but Spain suspected he was gathering information for the United States. Who was he?
PHILIP NOLAN.
A force recruited in Louisiana entered Texas, took Nacogdoches, and later fought for Goliad. What was this force called?
THE REPUBLICAN ARMY OF THE NORTH, formed through the Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition.
Stephen F. Austin selected land between the Brazos and Colorado rivers for a colony. What practical advantages did that location offer settlers?
FERTILE LAND, water from rivers, wood and access for farming and travel.
Mexico offered an agent land for bringing families into Texas. How did this arrangement benefit BOTH the agent and the Mexican government?
The EMPRESARIO gained land or compensation; Mexico gained settlers who would develop and populate Texas.
After the Louisiana Purchase, Spanish officials see more Americans near East Texas. What concern would they most likely have?
The United States and its settlers might challenge Spain’s border or control of Texas.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. Spain wanted East Texas settlers to move toward San Antonio. Why might Y’Barbo and the families resist that order?
They wanted to remain near their East Texas homes and livelihoods; moving meant abandoning their communities. Their return led to Nacogdoches.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. After the United States gave up its claim to Texas, one American organized fighters and captured Nacogdoches. Explain why he opposed the border agreement.
JAMES LONG was angry that the Adams–Onís Treaty left Texas under Spanish control; he wanted Texas taken from Spain, and his force entered Nacogdoches.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. The Republican Army won early victories but suffered a major defeat near the Medina River. What happened to the independence effort in Texas afterward?
The BATTLE OF MEDINA weakened or destroyed the Republican Army; Spain regained control and cracked down on people who had supported the rebellion.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. Mexico became independent after the Austins received Spanish permission. Why did Stephen F. Austin travel to Mexico City and learn Spanish?
Mexico might not honor Spain’s earlier land agreement. Austin needed approval from the new government and built relationships so he could secure a contract for the colony.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. A Mexican law offers inexpensive farmland and temporary tax relief to new families. Predict its likely effect on Texas and explain Mexico’s reason for offering it.
More families would immigrate and farm in Texas. Mexico hoped a larger settled population would develop the region and strengthen its hold on a vulnerable frontier.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. A source says Mexico gave land to families brought in by empresarios. Explain why that policy was a peaceful way to maintain control of Texas.
It increased permanent settlement and development in a sparsely populated, vulnerable area without relying only on soldiers. Settlers were expected to live under Mexican authority.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. Explain how Rubí’s frontier recommendations could help Spain defend Texas while also creating a new problem for Spanish officials.
Concentrating missions and settlers could make defense easier, but displacing East Texans angered settlers. Y’Barbo led families back east and founded Nacogdoches without permission.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. The Louisiana Purchase put the United States next to Spanish Texas. Explain how that purchase and the later Adams–Onís Treaty changed the border question, yet failed to end all conflict over Texas.
The purchase created a shared, disputed frontier. The treaty fixed the border at the Sabine River and the United States gave up claims to Texas, but filibusters such as James Long still tried to take it from Spain.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. Compare Hidalgo’s 1810 call and the Gutiérrez–Magee Expedition: how did each challenge Spanish rule, and how did their immediate results differ?
Hidalgo rallied people to fight for independence and inspired a continuing movement despite his execution. Gutiérrez and Magee formed an army that briefly captured Texas towns before its defeat at Medina.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. A historian calls Stephen F. Austin the “Father of Texas.” Give TWO distinct pieces of evidence for that title and explain their effect on settlement.
He secured Mexican approval and led the first large Anglo-American colony, bringing about 300 families. His leadership and successful settlement encouraged further immigration and changed Texas’s population.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. Mexico offered land but expected settlers to become residents, follow religious requirements, and obey limits on settlement near borders. How did these incentives AND conditions serve the government’s goals?
Cheap land attracted people to populate Texas; residency, Catholic/religious expectations, and location limits helped Mexico keep authority and manage security on the frontier.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. A map shows the Sabine River boundary, while a later map labels Coahuila y Tejas. Explain what EACH map reveals about a different change in who controlled Texas.
The Sabine boundary came from the U.S.–Spanish Adams–Onís Treaty, clarifying the eastern border. Coahuila y Tejas reflects Mexico’s independence and its new federal organization of Texas with Coahuila.
THINK FIRST — BUZZERS CLOSED. It is 1825. Mexico wants to keep control of sparsely populated Texas near the United States, while families are asking to settle there. Identify TWO actions Mexico used to attract or govern settlers. Explain one benefit Mexico expected and one concern that could grow as immigration increased. Every team answers; wager before the clue is revealed.
Strong answers identify two actions with explanation: Mexico used empresarios and land grants or low-cost land to attract families; it required residency, loyalty or religious qualifications and placed limits near borders; it organized Coahuila y Tejas under its constitution. Benefits included population, farming, development, and a stronger presence on the frontier. A concern was growing U.S. influence and distrust as many Anglo-American settlers arrived. Accept well-supported equivalent answers.