The "Old Three Hundred" were 297 grantees who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin in Mexican Texas. Each grantee was head of a household, or in some cases, a partnership of unmarried men. Austin was an American approved in 1822 by Mexico as an empresario for this effort, after the nation had gained independence from Spain. By 1825, the colony had a population of 1,790, including 443 enslaved African Americans. Austin negotiated with the Mexican government to gain approval, as Mexico abolished slavery in 1829.
- Country
- United States, Republic of Texas
