In 1833, Stephen F. Austin traveled to Mexico City to present the requests of the Convention of 1833. Austin had generally urged Anglo-American settlers in Texas to be patient with the Mexican government and work for change through legal and political means. He still believed that Texas could remain part of Mexico if its concerns were addressed.
The convention had asked the Mexican government to make several changes. Delegates wanted immigration from the United States reopened, continued relief from some tariffs, improvements to government services, and separate statehood for Texas instead of remaining joined with Coahuila.
Austin arrived in Mexico City during a period of political instability. Mexico was dealing with changes in leadership, disease, and conflict over how the country should be governed. Because of these problems, Austin had difficulty getting quick decisions on the Texas requests.
While waiting, Austin became frustrated with the delays. In October 1833, he wrote a letter to leaders in Texas recommending that they begin organizing a separate state government without waiting for approval from the Mexican government.
The letter became especially important. Mexican officials later obtained a copy and interpreted it as evidence that Austin might be encouraging Texans to act against the authority of the national government. Although Austin continued to argue that he wanted Texas to remain part of Mexico, officials suspected that his actions could encourage resistance or rebellion.
Some of Austin’s requests did receive favorable responses. The Mexican government agreed to changes that allowed immigration from the United States to resume and addressed some other concerns. However, the request for Texas to become a separate state was not approved at that time.
Austin left Mexico City to return to Texas, but Mexican authorities ordered his arrest because of the letter he had written. He was taken back to Mexico City and imprisoned in early 1834. He was held for months while officials investigated whether he had encouraged rebellion.
Austin was eventually released from prison, although he was required to remain in Mexico for additional time before he was allowed to return to Texas. He finally arrived back in Texas in 1835.
Austin’s experience changed his views. Before his imprisonment, he had generally encouraged cooperation with the Mexican government and believed Texas could remain part of Mexico. By the time he returned to Texas, tensions had increased and he had become much less confident that the disputes could be resolved peacefully.