Why did the independent government of Mexico encourage Americans to settle in Texas? A) They wanted Texas to be annexed by the U
nited States and felt that American settlers would make this possible. B) The Mexican population was very small and there were not enough Mexican people to settle Texas. C) Settlers would help to control hostile Native Americans and pay a taxes to the Mexican government. D) The land was not good for planting crops, and they hoped Americans would open factories in Texas.
The answer is Option C: Settlers would help to control hostile Native Americans and pay a taxes to the Mexican government.
Explanation:
To encourage the settlement of Texas, the Mexican government encouraged immigration from the United States. By 1834 there were more Anglophones living in Texas than Mexicans. There were over 30,000 settlers from the USA compared to just 7,800 Mexicans. However, Mexican authorities became concerned about Anglo-American settlers who wanted to bring slaves into Texas as slavery was illegal in Mexico. The Mexican legislature prohibited further immigration by U.S. citizens as a result in 1830. This however led to resistance from the existing settlers and eventually led to the Texan Revolution in 1836.
