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14 The Alamo: Symbol of Freedom

California—the govern- ment of Spain did not care very much about its posses- sions north of the Rio Grande River. This is a long waterway that today sepa- rates modern Mexico from the United States. Few Spaniards wanted to live in this area. Eventually, American settlers in search of cheap land found their way west and established homesteads in Texas. Moses Austin and his son, Stephen F. Austin, arrived in Texas in 1821, establishing a homestead between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers. Moses Austin approached the Spanish government for permission to stake out an American colony in the rough Texas landscape, but died before receiving approval. His son continued his efforts, but before he received permission for the new colony he learned that the Spaniards would no longer be making decisions for Mexico. In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain. Austin soon found himself dealing with a number of government representatives. None of them remained in Make Connections The name Texas comes from the Caddo Indian word tejas , which means “friends.”

power long enough to give Austin permission to estab- lish an American colony. Finally, in 1824, Austin received permission for 300 American families to stake

Make Connections Mission San Antonio de Valero is the actual name of the Spanish mission that came to be known as the Alamo