Stephen F. Austin, Founding Father of Texan Independence

Stephen F. Austin, Founding Father of Texan Independence Stephen F. Austin (November 3, 1793–December 27, 1836) was a lawyer, settler, and administrator who played a key role in the secession of Texas from Mexico. He brought hundreds of U.S. families into Texas on behalf of the Mexican government, which wished to populate the isolated northern state. Fast Facts: Stephen F. Austin Known For: Key role in the U.S. colonization of Texas and its succession from MexicoBorn: November 3, 1793 in VirginiaParents: Moses Austin and Mary Brown AustinDied: December 27, 1836 in Austin TexasEducation: Bacon Academy, Transylvania UniversitySpouse: NoneChildren: None At first, Austin was a diligent agent for Mexico, but later he became a fierce fighter for Texas independence and is today remembered in Texas as one of the most important founding fathers of the state. Early  Life Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia on November 3, 1793, the third child and first of two sons of Moses Austin and Mary Brown. Moses was a businessman and lead mine owner, and he began his working life in Philadelphia, where he met in 1784 and married Mary Brown, known as Maria. Moses ran a mercantile business in Richmond, Virginia with his brother Stephen. Moses and Marys first daughter Anna Maria was born and died in Richmond in 1787. In 1788, Moses and Stephen and their families moved to Wythe County, Virginia to own and operate a lead mine. In a settlement which would become known as Austinville, Moses and Mary had Eliza (1790–1790), Stephen (1793–1836), and Emily (1795–1851). In 1796, Moses Austin traveled to the Spanish colony of St. Louis on the Mississippi River now in eastern Missouri, where he finagled permission from the commandant to search for a new lead mine near Ste. Genevieve. He moved his family to Ste. Genevieve in 1798, where the last Austin sibling, James Elijah Brown, was born (1803–1829). Education In 1804, Stephen, age 11, was sent off by himself to Connecticut, where relatives found him a good school to attend: the Bacon Academy in Colchester, where he studied English grammar and writing, logic, rhetoric, geometry, geography, and a little Latin and Greek. He graduated in 1807 and was then sent to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, where he studied math, geography, and astronomy. He then in 1810 with a certificate. Stephen arrived back in Ste. Genevieve in 1810, where his father put him in a prominent role in the mercantile business. For the next several years, Stephen Austins informal education included time spent in New Orleans with a shipment of lead during the War of 1812, as a militiaman harassing Native Americans in what is today central Illinois, and taking over the lead mine when his father grew too ill to continue. In New Orleans, he contracted malaria, which he never fully recovered from. And, in 1815, Stephen Austin ran for a seat in what was now the Missouri territorial legislature, taking his position in the lower House in December. Moses Austin eventually lost his fortune in lead mining and traveled westward to Texas, where the elder Austin fell in love with the ruggedly beautiful lands of Texas and secured permission from Spanish authorities- Mexico was not yet independent- to bring a group of settlers there. Moses fell ill and died in 1821: His final wish was that Stephen complete his settlement project. Settlement of Texas Stephen Austin’s planned settlement of Texas hit many snags between 1821 and 1830, not the least of which was the fact that Mexico achieved independence in 1821, meaning he had to re-negotiate his father’s grant. Emperor Iturbide of Mexico came and went, leading to further confusion. Attacks by Native American tribes such as the Comanche were a constant problem, and Austin very nearly went broke meeting his obligations. Still, he persevered, and by 1830 he was in charge of a thriving colony of settlers, nearly all of whom had accepted Mexican citizenship and converted to Roman Catholicism. Although Austin remained staunchly pro-Mexican, Texas itself was becoming more and more American in nature. By 1830 or so, mostly Anglo-American settlers outnumbered Mexicans in the Texas territory by almost 10 to 1. The rich land drew not only legitimate settlers, such as those in Austin’s colony, but also squatters and other unauthorized settlers who simply moved in, selected some land, and set up a homestead. Austin’s colony was the most important settlement, however, and the families there had begun raising cotton, mules, and other goods for export, much of which went through New Orleans. These differences and others convinced many that Texas should leave Mexico and become part of the U.S. or independent. The Trip to Mexico City In 1833 Austin went to Mexico City to clear up some business with the Mexican Federal government. He was bringing new demands from the Texas settlers, including separation from Coahuila (Texas and Coahuila were one state at the time) and reduced taxes. Meanwhile, he sent letters home hoping to placate those Texans who favored outright separation from Mexico. Some of Austin’s letters home, including some telling Texans to go ahead and begin to declare statehood before the approval of the federal government, made their way to officials in Mexico City. While returning to Texas, Austin was arrested, brought back to Mexico City, and thrown into jail. Austin was in jail in Mexico City for a year and a half: he was never tried or even formally charged with anything. It is perhaps ironic that the Mexicans jailed one Texan who was at least initially inclined to keep Texas part of Mexico. As it was, Austin’s jailing probably sealed Texas’ fate. Released in August of 1835, Austin returned to Texas a changed man. His loyalty to Mexico had been ground out of him in prison, and he realized now that Mexico would never grant the rights his people desired. Also, by the time he returned in late 1835, it was clear that Texas was on a path destined for conflict with Mexico and that it was too late for a peaceful solution. When push came to shove, Austin would choose Texas over Mexico. The Texas Revolution Not long after Austins return, Texas rebels fired on Mexican soldiers in the town of Gonzales: the Battle of Gonzales, as it came to be known, marked the beginning of the military phase of the Texas Revolution. Not long after, Austin was named commander of all Texan military forces. Along with Jim Bowie and James Fannin, he marched on San Antonio, where Bowie and Fannin won the Battle of Concepcià ³n. Austin returned to the town of San Felipe, where delegates from all over Texas were meeting to determine its fate. At the convention, Austin was replaced as military commander by Sam Houston. Even Austin, whose health was still frail after 1812 bout with malaria, was in favor of the change: His brief stint as General had proven decisively that he was no military man. Instead, he was given a job much better suited to his abilities. He would be the Texas envoy to the United States, where he would seek official recognition if Texas declared independence, purchase and send weapons, encourage volunteers to take up arms and head to Texas, and see to other important tasks. Return to Texas Austin made his way to Washington, stopping along the way at key cities such as New Orleans and Memphis, where he gave speeches, encouraged volunteers to go to Texas, secured loans (usually to be repaid in Texas land after independence), and met with officials. He was a big hit and always drew a large crowd. Texas effectively gained independence on April 21, 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto,  and Austin returned not long after. Death He lost the election to be the first president of the Republic of Texas to Sam Houston, who appointed him Secretary of State. Austin fell ill of pneumonia and died on December 27, 1836. Legacy Austin was a hardworking, honorable man caught up in times of sweeping change and chaos. He was a skillful colony administrator, a canny diplomat, and a diligent lawyer. The only thing he tried that he did not excel at was war. After leading the Texas army to San Antonio, he quickly and happily turned command over to Sam Houston, who was much more suited to the job. Austin was only 43 when he died: the young Republic of Texas could have used his guidance in the years of war and uncertainty that followed its independence. It is a little misleading that Austins name is usually associated with the Texas Revolution. Up until 1835, Austin was the leading proponent of working things out with Mexico, and at that time his was the most influential voice in Texas. Austin remained loyal to Mexico long after most men in Texas were rebelling. Only after a year and a half in jail and a first-hand look at the anarchy in Mexico City did he decide that Texas must set out on its own. Once he made the decision, he threw himself wholeheartedly into revolution. The people of Texas consider Austin one of their greatest heroes. The city of Austin is named after him, as are countless streets, parks, and schools, including Austin College and Stephen F. Austin State University. Sources: Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence.New York: Anchor Books, 2004.Cantrell, Gregg. Stephen F. Austin: Empresario of Texas. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1999.Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United StatesNew York: Hill and Wang, 2007.

Work out vs. Workout

Work out vs. Workout Work out vs. Workout Work out vs. Workout By Maeve Maddox A reader who frequents health and fitness sites is disturbed by a lack of professional editing: Ive noticed that nobody, literally nobody makes a distinction between the noun workout and the verb work out. On every website, I find statements like You have to workout three times a week. So I was wondering if you could address that issue in one of your upcoming posts. The reader is not exaggerating by much. Here are some examples from health and fitness sites and forums that I visited: How often should you workout per week? Should be: How often should you work out per week? Where do you workout? Should be: Where do you work out? First, warm up with some joint rotations, in order to lubricate your joints and prepare them for  the work out.   Should be: First, warm up with some joint rotations, in order to lubricate your joints and prepare them for  the workout.   I’m a night person and prefer to workout at night. Should be: I’m a night person and prefer to work out at night. A few people have asked me what  my work out  routine is. Should be: A few people have asked me what  my workout  routine is. NOTE: One-word workout is also used as an adjective as in â€Å"my workout routine.† One way to avoid the error is to look for words that precede the terms. The noun workout is often preceded by an article or an adjective: â€Å"the workout,† â€Å"my workout.† The verb is often used in its infinitive form, so the preceding to provides a useful clue. Here are some examples of other noun/adjective/verb combinations that are confused in this way: 1. turnout (noun) / turn out (verb) Big turn out  for launch of new play area Should be: Big turnout  for launch of new play area We had many parents turnout for the second high school informational meeting Should be: We had many parents turn out for the second high school informational meeting. 2. washout (noun) / wash out (verb) It is during this time that most  recruits washout. Should be: It is during this time that most  recruits wash out. Authorities concerned over wash out rate. Should be: Authorities concerned over washout rate. Three more such combos are: rollout/roll out, checkout/check out, and cutout /cut out. I’m sure you can think of more. Here’s a mnemonic written in pig propaganda style (Animal Farm) that may help: One word, Noun, Two words, Verb. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant Names50 Types of Propaganda45 Idioms with "Roll"

How does Zillow.com fulfill these drivers of the internet economy Essay

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Emergency Management Plan - Essay Example â€Å"Communication lines are often knocked out altogether or if not they are either overloaded or sketchy or busy† (Lalrokima, 2013, p.176). This is because most people attempts to use the lines when a disaster strikes. â€Å"Wireless system is the obvious choice when normal telephone and mobile phone does not exist† (Lalrokima, 2013, p.176). Wireless communication of a radio is based on radio waves that use the satellite or terrestrial system. Another option of communication that can be adopted is Radio frequency spectrum that covers very minimum to extreme maximum frequencies (Lalrokima, 2013). It is significant to consider the distance between the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and the Incident Command Posts. It is because EOC manages the community-wide resources necessary to complete the rescue operations. The EOC requests resources through mutual aid and establishes traffic control points at critical evacuation junctions. In addition, the EOC locates the resources, directs them to staging areas set up by the ICP operation, and releases them to the Incident Commander’s control. Meanwhile, the EOC requires status updates from the Incident Commander to determine how long the shelters must remain open. In addition, the EOC determines resource distribution of food and sanitation facilities among the shelters operating on the ICP network (Zobel, 2008). In many occasions when an incident occurs, whether major accidents or minor incidents such as a house fire or major calamities such as hurricanes and earthquakes, it needs responses from a variety of agencies. Despite how big the incident is, all calamities require a well-organized and determined attempt to ensure a successful response and achieve the maximum use of available resources. In other words, no single agency can handle an emergency of any scale alone. Therefore, having a multiple incidents command posts ensures that there is efficient use of all of the available

Operations Managemen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operations Managemen - Essay Example The challenge gets even worse with the great variety of products presented with every single wear vendor. Product lines vary in styles, cloths and sizes - the range of goods a vendor must produce to attract the attention of buyers is enormous. Minding the fact that only a small part (50% in the case of Jossey Menswear) of the whole stock is sold at full price it becomes clear that wear vendors put up with significant wastes. And because of what Because of inaccuracies and misconceptions of fashion forecasts. Since the production cycle of clothes is rather long (it takes 18 months from the first sketch of a designer) companies have wear in their stores, which were presumed to be popular a year and a half ago. Obviously, there are two ways a company can take to improve its chances of hitting the bull's eye of customers' popularity. The first one, extensive, lies in broadening its product range and increasing volumes of production. The second path is intensive, and tries to improve the accuracy of forecasts, which only can be made through shortening the production cycles. Of course, the second path is better for Jossey Menswear since it leads to full price sales proportion increasing, while keeping the production volumes the same, or even lower than before, which increases profits for the company. Meanwhile, the first way simply increases revenues along with manufacturing costs. Thus, the efficiency of forecasts falling over time and wastes associated with manufacturing of unpopular products are the main reasons behind the choice of quick response (QR) manufacturing system. The main driving factor between the strategies based on QR manufacturing is the reduction of lead time - this business concept is also known as 'agile manufacturing' (Suri, 2003). Another business concept, known as 'lean manufacturing' uses wastes elimination as the main driving factor. Despite the common opinion these two theories are not mutually exclusive and can be applied together (Martin and Towill, 2000). So the question for Jossey Menswear is not stated as "agile or lean approach" - both concepts should be used, because the main objectives of supply chain improvement for Jossey are both reducing lead time and eliminating wastes. Inevitably, every improvement action taken by the company should be monitored in order to learn lessons from it. The implementation of QR manufacturing requires to be monitored from several dimensions: informational, financial and external (customer). The informational perspective can be considered primary, as it reflects the main goal of improvement increase the speed of information flow between different segments of supply chain. Financial perspective can be analysed with the help of total cost analysis. TCA assessment offers a final statement reflecting not only the cost of improvement but all aspects in the further use and maintenance of inventory. For instance, TCA may show that while direct costs of the improvements may be high, a further reduction of material and inventory costs acquired from the increased velocity will be beneficial (Kauffman, 2004). The customer perspective may be reviewed through customer profitability analysis (CPA). This technique assigns revenues and costs to groups of customers rather than to organisational units, products, etc. By doing so, CPA gives its users the information, which customers are the most beneficiary for them, which in our case will show how helpful is the improved supply chain in adding revenue from customers. 2. It is

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