The Convention of 1833 met at San Felipe de Austin beginning on April 1, 1833. About 56 delegates attended. William H. Wharton served as president of the convention, and Thomas Hastings served as secretary. Sam Houston attended as a delegate from Nacogdoches. Stephen F. Austin did not attend, but he supported the convention’s goals.
The delegates renewed several requests that had been discussed at the Convention of 1832. Their resolutions included:
repealing the part of the Law of April 6, 1830 that restricted immigration from the United States
improving security in areas where conflicts with Indigenous nations occurred
reforming the court system
improving mail service
continuing tariff exemptions for Texas
prohibiting the further trafficking of enslaved Africans into Texas
The delegates also renewed their request for Texas to become a separate state from Coahuila. They believed a separate state government would allow Texas to manage its own local concerns more directly.
Because they hoped the request for statehood would be approved, the delegates prepared a proposed constitution for the new state. A committee led by Sam Houston helped draft it. The proposed constitution included trial by jury, freedom of the press, and habeas corpus, which protects people from being held in jail without being brought before a court. It also proposed broad voting rights for eligible free men.
The convention selected Juan Erasmo Seguín, James B. Miller, and Stephen F. Austin to present its requests to the Mexican government. Seguín and Miller were unable to make the trip, so Austin traveled to Mexico City alone.
The Convention of 1833 ended on April 13. Like the Convention of 1832, it showed that delegates were still seeking political reforms within Mexico, especially changes involving immigration, trade, courts, and separate statehood for Texas.