User:Nstefanoni/sandbox

Article Evaluation
Notes about observations and learnings.

Wikipedia Article chosen - Spanish missions in California. Spanish missions in California

For the most part everything in this article is quite relevant. The topic is quite broad, so most things in the article are connected to the topic. Yet, some of the history components that included elements of Russian and English exploration were quite distracting from the main point of the article.

I do not see any bias in the article, as most of it is very neutral and simply conveying information.

The links work throughout the article and the sources support the claims throughout the article.

The talk page is very limited and there is almost no discussion between the people who commented. One user emphatically makes a case for not being able to use the word "father" when referring to a priest in a wikipedia article.

This article is B-rated and high or low importance for different categories.

The main difference with this article compared to what we have seen in class when talking about Spanish missions is that this article fails to include relations between Natives and the missionaries. Our authors talk extensively about how many natives had an allegiance to the missions, even though the missionaries would physically abuse them. The wikipedia article does not include any of this information.

Sandbox.

This is the link I will be using for my sandbox https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Nstefanoni/sandbox to write my Wiki article.

Topic.

I have chosen to write about Moses Austin's motivations for settling a colony in Texas in the early 1820's.

Here is a bibliography I have created with sources for my research: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bibliography,_Moses_Austin%27s_Motivations.pdf.

My Wikipedia Article

Moses Austin

Motivation for Settlement
Austin attempted various economic ventures before his plans to settle in Texas came to fruition. Mary Austin, Austin's wife, grimly described their family's financial condition following the death of her husband’s bout with pneumonia. Austin failed to successfully maintain the St. Louis Bank and his financial situation suffered from unfavorable shipment deals. Broke, yet committed to his family, Austin began his new venture in Texas to gain support from Spain. Ultimately, Austin intended to create a trading venture on the coast of Texas to allow the United States to trade with New Spain. On December 23, 1820, Austin arrived in San Antonio to begin negotiations with the Spanish government to establish a trading post. Austin and a Spanish interpreter, Baron de Bastrop, agreed to join together and plan a settlement called "Austina" which would be located somewhere on the coast of Texas. Austin's intentions to get rich were evident, as he believed the wealth in New Spain would make a merchant of the port wealthy very quickly.

Plans for Settlement
Austin's motivations become clear in his “Form of Contract for Emigration to Texas” which details the obligations of each member joining Austin's settlement in Texas. Although each emigrant earned forty acres of land, Austin took 640 acres for himself. Austin required emigrants to help build community structures. He also ordered the settlers to own a “Spanish carbine”, a type of gun, to protect the settlement. Austin's relationship with the settlers he recruited was not one of mutual respect, but rather he employed the settlers to work for him. Austin contracted his settlers to work from their departure in May, until the following January. In return, Austin guaranteed transportation along with the necessary tools and provisions to begin the settlement. Ultimately, Austin's settlement was successful because he worked tirelessly to reinstate the impresario system in Texas. This outdated reward system granted tracts of land to immigrants who pledged their allegiance to the Spanish crown. Austin triggered such a substantial movement of people into Texas, as the land became inundated with Americans. Austin's push to settle Texas contributed to the Texas Revolution in 1836 which foreshadowed Texas's integration into the United States in 1845.