Stephen F. Austin (Profiles in American History)

Stephen F. Austin is a man few people have heard about. They may know that the Texas state capital of Austin is named after him, but they don t know why. When people think of Texas, it is the Alamo they think of, the doomed battle bravely fought by Crockett, Bowie, Travis, and others, and of the subsequent heroism of Sam Houston and his army at San Jacinto. Austin isn t mentioned in either of those accounts. Yet without Austin there may never have been a Texas. Without this small, frail man from Missouri, the history of Texas would likely be quite different. It was Austin who initially brought colonists into Texas . . . Austin who dealt with the Mexican government to clarify matters that threatened the survival of Americans in Texas . . . and Austin who braved bad weather, starvation, hostile tribes and rebellious settlers to maintain the American presence in Texas. The story of Stephen Austin is the story of Texas.