Printed decree, in Spanish, one page, 8.258 x 11.5, dated November 21, 1833. Issued by the Secretary of State. The five-article decree reads, in part (translated): “Article 11 of the law of April 6, 1830 is repealed everywhere…The government is authorized to spend the amounts necessary for the colonization of the Territories of the Federation…The repeal of the law contained in Article 1 of this decree shall not take effect until six months following its publication…Included in the authorization conceded by Article 2 is that of erecting fortresses on such areas of the border which the Executive deems useful and proper.” Signed in print at the conclusion, “Garcia.” Scattered creases, toning, and foxing, pencil notations to top border, and a tiny hole in a blank area affecting nothing, otherwise fine condition.
Article 11 prohibited foreign settlement as well as customs reform, recognition of squatters as valid immigrants, and a separate state for Texas, and was repealed on November 21, 1833, allowing American immigrants to again flow into Texas. Five months later, Coahuila y Tejas separated Texas into three departments, San Antonio-Bexar, Brazos, and Nacogdoches, with political chiefs for each department and more representation in the state legislature.
Many historians draw parallels between the law of April 6, 1830, and the Stamp Act in that they both infuriated colonial populations who were compelled to take bold actions that resulted in former colonists achieving their independence. Intended to stem the flood of American immigration into Texas, it was also used to curtail the rights of some existing grantees in settling families.
The law, authorizing a loan to finance the cost of transporting colonists to Texas, seemed reasonable from the Mexican point of view but began to make some Anglo Texans question the good faith of the federal government. Although the law was repealed, this concession proved to be too little, too late. Enforcement of specific provisions of the law was a major cause of the Anahuac Disturbances of 1832 and led indirectly to the Battle of Velasco, the conventions of 1832 and 1833, and a mounting list of grievances that triggered the Revolution. The Robert Davis Collection, read more about Robert Davis. RR Auction COA.
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