ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the people, culture, geography, and economy of Texas. Texas women have a reputation for strength and determination that goes far back into Texas history. Texas is big, complex, multifaceted, and utterly fascinating state. Intruders arrived early in sixteenth century. The Spanish came first, but others, more numerous and more powerful, followed. Native people successfully resisted the Spanish attempts to draw them to the missions of early Texas, but they could not resist the rising Anglo immigration of nineteenth century. Americans began drifting into Texas in small numbers beginning about 1800. The first major Anglo settlement, organized by Moses Austin and carried forward by his son, Stephen F. Austin, was established in 1823. By early 1836, Santa Anna had crossed the Rio Grande at the head of large army. The real fight for Texas was about to begin. Spain and Mexico outlawed slavery by the 1820s, so Anglos were reluctant to bring slaves into Texas before the 1830s.
