Читать книгу Texas Got It Right! - Sam Wyly - Страница 23

What filled the empty expanses of early Texas with

Scots-Irish and other migrant settlers wasn’t just a

hunger for land; it was a longing for the security

and livelihood that land ownership brought to a

family. The father of the Texas Republic, Stephen F.

Austin, recognized that early on. So did Austin’s

cousin, Mary Austin Holley, who was so inspired by

the magnanimous opportunity that Texas offered

newcomers of every background that she wrote a

book about the place in order to inspire more

people to come here: Texas, a History, the first

English-language chronicle of Texas, published in

1836. Three years later, Stephen Austin, as presi-

dent of the young republic, pushed through a

homestead act, which protected homesteaders from

creditors who might seek to possess their land and

property. The act also guaranteed every citizen or

head of household “fifty acres or

one town lot, including his or her

homestead, and improvements

not exceeding five hundred

dollars in value.” Similar provi-

sions and protections have been

enshrined in Texas’s state constitu-

tion ever since. They’ve also guided Texas policy

when it comes to property ownership—for example,

protecting homeowners from overleveraging them-

selves to the banks by setting a commonsense

minimum for down payments, a fact that helped

steer Texas clear of the housing meltdown that trig-

gered the Great Recession.

Top: The “Lone Star Flag” was adopted as the national flag of

the Republic of Texas in 1839. Today it is the Texas state flag.

Above: Mary Austin Holley.

TEXAS GOT IT RIGHT!

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