Stephen F. Austin prided himself as being one of the USâs first emigrants to Texas. He also played his part in establishing Texasâ independence from Mexico. In this defense, he describes Texasâ reasons for rebelling against Mexican forces and affirms that the potential new nation would have the necessary resources to gain and maintain independence. Though beat out for the first Texas presidency by Sam Houston, Austin went down in history as the âFather of Texas.â