The President of Mexico issued a law covering the rules of colonization in Mexico. Containing 16 articles, the law covered with issues like settlement, boundaries, who got preference, what the government must do, how much land each settler could have, etc. The general tone of the law was to encourage immigration into Mexico, though with preference for Mexican citizens. Also stipulated a limit to how much land a person could own, forbade out-of-state ownership, and forbade contributions of land to religious communities.

The government in Saltillo issued a decree governing the sale and distribution of tobacco in the provinces of Coahuila and Texas. Article 4 directed that all sales of tobacco except by the state be prohibited and article 5 ordered the government to establish a cigar manufactory for that purpose. In the meantime, the executive was charged with regulating the sale of tobacco for the benefit of the state.

The government of Coahuila and Texas issued a law containing 48 articles which outlined in detail the rules for colonization in its territories. The first few articles encouraged immigration, especially in groups, and smooth the way towards Mexican citizenship by allowing anyone who settled on Mexican land to become a Mexican citizen. Goes on to state the amount of land granted to each person, giving preference to Mexican citizens and families and soldiers, and the divisions into arable, non-arable, and pasture lands. Required all new landholders to pay a certain price per lot and cultivate them or risk losing their lots. Article 34 onward covered the establishment of new towns and corporate bodies. Only reference to slavery is made in passing in article 46.

The Congress in Saltillo passed a law concerning tobacco growers. Authorized the tobacco department to legalize the account books of tobacco merchants and required all such merchants to have their books stamped or face a fine.

This law ordered ayuntamientos to take a census of all slave property in Texas. Next, it required that all slaves who belonged to masters with no heirs be set free and if the master had heirs, a tenth of the slaves would still be set free(except if the master was poisoned). Finally, ayuntamientos needed to ensure that all freed slave children be given education or the former would face a hefty fine.

Authorities passed this law to try to cut down on the smuggling of tobacco. Ordered that anyone caught smuggling tobacco would have their crop seized and then be forced to labor on the public works for a certain period of time depending on the amount he tried to smuggle. The higher the quality of tobacco, the more jail time the smuggler received.

The Congress of Coahuila and Texas decreed that in certain circumstances slaves would be permitted to change their masters if they wished. This did not apply if their former master was assasinated or poisoned.

In order to stimulate more immigration, the Congress decreed that all contracts in foreign countries between emigrants and their laborers were valid in Texas.

The Congress of Coahuila and Texas passed more laws dealing with the tobacco trade. In this case, the legislators required stricter measures in examining tobacco and burning any that was of poor quality. Also stipulated that the executive enter into contracts designed to keep a steady supply of tobacco in government hands and stop all smuggling so as to ensure the government's monopoly in the trade.

The Governor of Coahuila and Texas announced that Congress issued a decree concerning the tobacco trade. Repeated that tobacco should remain a government monopoly and the governor should appoint examiners to ensure the quality of the tobacco received by the government. Also said the articles of decree number 138 remained in force except for article 2.

This law stipulated that all cotton grown in Monclova and Bexar be exempt from taxation for 6 years and all sugar grown in the same provinces be exempt for 12 years.

The Congress of Coahuila and Texas revised an earlier law in order to make cotton exempt from taxation for a further 6 years.

The Council of Texas voted on several different measures. The most comprehensive law passed by the Council dealt with free blacks and mulattoes. The new law prohibited any free blacks from entering Texas and any who were caught doing so would be sold into slavery, with the proceeds going to the government. The law also charged a fine of $5,000 to any ship captains who brought free blacks into Texas. The other measures discussed included appointing officers for a cavalry regiment and submitting communications from different members of the council.

This ordinance sought to prevent any free blacks or mulattoes from coming to Texas. The first section required all citizens to apprehend any free blacks and bring them to a judge, whereby they would be sold as slaves at public auction and the proceeds put into the state treasury. The second section forbade any ships from bringing free blacks within Texas borders. The third section decreed that the ordinance be printed in New Orleans and brought to the attention of all Texas grand juries.

The Convention passed some laws and conducted other business. The first of the provisions declared Texas a republic and outlined taxation procedures for land, which government officials would keep their offices, rules of citizenship(which were lenient), trial procedures, sale of public land for revenue, etc. Other provisions dealt with slavery, including the prevention of any emancipation laws, emigration of free blacks, or the mistreatment of slaves by owners. The Convention also issued a report by a committee concerning efforts to obtain a loan from the United States. Finally, a proviso was introduced outlawing the slave trade but it was referred to a committee.

The Convention received a report from the committee dealing with the African slave trade. The committee opined that since so many Old World countries had banned the trade, and that Texas needed the support of those countries to survive, it was in the best interest of Texas to outlaw the slave trade within its borders.

The Texas Congress issued a decree allowing all free blacks living in Texas before the independence of Texas to remain in Texas free from harassment.

This act set out the procedures used by the government to levy taxes. Allowed the government to appoint assessors to take an inventory of all land and property within Texas and required all family heads to take an inventory of their own property for the purpose of taxation. Also required that every property owner swear an oath to the correctness of their inventory or face prosecution. Other sections of the law stipulated taxes for merchandise and warehouse licenses, especially those providing alcohol and gaming. Section 8 required all white males between the ages of 21 and 55 to pay a direct tax of 1 dollar per year.

The Texas Congress updated the tax laws. County court clerks needed to issue licenses to retailers and collect taxes from them. Sheriffs in each county were required to alert their constituents to pay their taxes and anyone who did not would have their property confiscated and sold at public auction. The last two sections called on the sheriffs and clerks to pay the taxes collected in their counties and take a certain percentage for their fees.

The Texas Congress added amendments to the tax law. The first few sections decreed that assessors should be appointed to collect lists of taxable property from the citizens in their counties. Each citizen would take an oath swearing to the accuracy of the lists or face a fine. After a month county clerks would post the taxes owed by everyone; the sheriffs would collect the taxes and punish anyone who refused. Some of the later sections ordered that all taxes be collected in Texas dollars and that a direct tax be put on land, slaves, horses and mules.

This law exempted citizens from six different counties from direct taxation if they had been captured or had their lands overrun by the Mexican army. Stressed that the exemption was limited to such citizens and only to one league of land per person.

This act made it a felony to assist runaway slaves and imposed a fine of up to $1,000 and a year in jail for each offense.

The Texas Congress further amended provisions to the tax laws. Ordered all heads of families to put together inventories of both their own property and any property they held on behalf of others, swearing an oath to the accuracy of each. Sheriffs would then collect the taxes based on these inventories and punish anyone who refused with a double tax and/or confiscation of the land, which would then be sold at public auction. Section 6 listed in detail the amount of tax owed on different certificates of land based on the acreage. Section 8 stipulated that all other laws contrary to the preceding one were null and void.

The Congress of Texas passed a series of amendments and new details to a law for direct taxation. The first ten sections outlined how to choose assessors, ordered all free white males to make out inventory lists for their own land and land they held on behalf of others and swear to the accuracy of each, required county surveyors to make a register of all surveys and file them with the courts, and that assessors compare inventory lists with the surveys to gain an accurate picture of taxable property in their counties. Sections 11-17 ordered assessors to post tax lists in each county, sheriffs to collect taxes and punish delinquents, outlined in detail the amount of taxes owed on merchandise, livestock, slaves, liquor, licenses, etc. Sections 18-27 provided procedures for raising bonds by the counties, obtaining licenses, the penalties for forging licenses, what sheriffs should do with seized land from delinquent tax-payers, and the amount of compensation given to assessors for their services. The rest of the sections dealt with penalties for assessors or sheriffs who falsified their reports, procedures for obtaining patents, the amount of taxes allowed by road commissioners to levy for the maintenance of the roads, and that the lands of anyone who died or was killed in battle were exempt from taxation.

This law tried to prevent any free blacks from living in Texas. Provided that any free blacks trying to enter Texas would be arrested and sold into slavery for one year. If at the end of that year he could not post bond, he would be sold as a slave for life. The proceeds from the sales would go into the public treasury. Gave free blacks already living in Texas two years to leave or they would face the same punishment. The last provision also threatened punishment for any ship captains who assisted free blacks in getting into Texas.

The Texas Congress passed a law dealing with commerce with slaves. Sections 1, 2, and 6 forbade the selling of liquor or guns to slaves nor allowed anyone to purchase goods from slaves without the consent of their masters. At the same time, the other sections made it a felony to abuse or murder slaves and threatened severe punishment for such an act.

This law ordered all farmers to build sufficient fences to enclose their property. If livestock got on their land, two disinterested parties would examine the fence to see if it was viable. If so, the owner of the livestock would pay reparations and if it was not, then the owner was off the hook. Also said if a farmer shot at livestock on his land and if his fence was insufficient, he had to pay damages to the owner of the livestock.

The Texas Congress extended the tax collection deadline to June 1, 1841. Also waived all penalties for late taxpayers as long as they paid their taxes by the new deadline.

This law decreed that all members of the Ashworth family, free blacks who had resided in Texas before the declaration of independence, would be allowed to stay in Texas.

The Texas Congress made an exception to the law forbidding free blacks from living in Texas by allowing the Ainsworths and their families to remain.

This act exempted a family of free blacks from an earlier law forbidding free blacks from living in Texas. Allowed them to stay in Texas as long as they liked.

This law allowed citizens living on the frontier of Texas to be exempt from taxes for any property that was stolen or destroyed. This applied only if the sheriffs and courts of the frontier counties investigated the incidents and deemed them authentic.

The Texas Congress added amendments to several laws. Outlined how to replace an associate justice, ordered that judges hire attorneys to prosecute for the county in cases of crimes committed by slaves, and repealed an act requiring the selection of associate justices every year.

This act allowed citizens who had not paid their taxes for the year 1840 to avoid the double taxation penalty as long as they paid their taxes immediately.

This law prevented slaves from being forcibly sold but its signers made clear that it did not supercede the authority of the courts.

This act repealed section 7 of the tax law, so that now it was illegal for revenue commissioners to demand the double tax penalty on 1839 tax certificates.

The Texas Congress decreed that citizens who had not turned in their lists of taxable property for the year 1840 would avoid the double taxation penalty if they paid their taxes by June 1st, 1841.

The Texas Congress passed further amendments to the tax collection laws. Required citizens to provide lists of taxable property for both the land they owned themselves and those they held on behalf of someone else, from which they would pay county taxes on each. Other sections decreed that no taxes be levied on peddlers or vendors, reduced the number of horses and mules exempted from taxation, required assessors to forward lists of taxable property for their counties every year, etc. Also tried to ensure the enforcement of the amendments by requiring judges to appoint county clerks as assessors if no one else took the job and if the clerks refused they would be stripped of their offices and fined up to $5,000.

This act raised the import duties on all goods except sugar, coffee, salt, iron and steel.

This law specified the procedures for apprehending and dealing with runaways. Ordered sheriffs who had runaways in their jails to try to find the owner or, if unable to do so, to hold a public auction (advertised in the local papers), with all proceeds deposited in the public funds. Also required all citizens to assist in the capture of runaways and be entitled to a finders fee of ten dollars for each slave captured either from the owner or from the county. Section 5 punished all those who harbored fugitive slaves with a large fine and at least a month in jail.

The Texas government repealed an earlier law forbidding the forced selling of slaves.

This act extended the deadline for 1841 tax payments to May 1, 1842, and exempted everyone from the double tax penalty. Also allowed the payment of taxes in a percentage of gold or silver or exchequer bills and required any sheriffs found to have violated their duties to pay $50 to the informer and $50 to the treasury.

The first section of the act described in detail the tax rates on a range of items, including theatre, museums, horses, carriages, watches, liquor, taverns, etc. Section 3 required all land to have a minimum value of 50 cents per acre with a one tenth of one percent tax. Other sections repealed the double tax penalty, issued penalties for late payment of taxes, outlined the requirements for assessor jobs, and described other details added to the tax laws.

Texas and Great Britain signed a treaty promising mutual cooperation in shutting down the African Slave Trade. The first few articles declared the slave trade to be piracy and authorized both sides to have their naval ships search each others and other countries' vessels if they are suspected of engaging in the trade. Other articles outlined the criteria for searching a ship, the evidence to look for, and the procedure for stopping a ship suspected of transporting slaves. Authorized the British and Texian governments to purchase any ship they confiscated and found to have engaged in the slave trade, after ensuring the freedom of the slaves and their safe passage to a British colony in Africa. The treaty also contained two annexes showing copies of warrants issued to ship captains to search for slave ships and the procedures a captain must follow when hunting down and detaining a suspected slave ship. The treaty was signed by representatives of Great Britain and Texas and by Sam Houston.

Sam Houston issued a proclamation abolishing the penalties levied against free blacks who had lived in Texas before independence and wished to remain. However, he made them pay a sum of $500 for the privilege and they had to appeal their cases in the courts in order to avoid deportation in 2 years.

This act ordered the Secretary of the Treasury or the county sheriff to pay assessors compensation after all taxes have been received in their county.

This amendment required assessors to give their returns to county collectors on the first Monday of September each year instead of December.

The Texas Congress repealed the thirteenth section of the tax law for the cities of Matagorda, Houston, Galveston, and San Antonio.

This amendment allowed anyone who captured runaway slaves to be paid fifty dollars per runaway as well as two dollars for every thirty miles he had to travel to return the runaways to the owners. Even if the owners could not be found, the captor would still be entitled to his reward.

The Texas Congress declared that all paper money and exchequer bills were illegal to use for payment of debts. After the passage of this act, only gold and silver would be acceptable for money transactions. Also ordered the Treasury department to destroy all paper notes but to keep the printing material and plates safe for possible future use.

This act detailed further revisions to the tax law. Required a poll tax of fifty cents for all adult males, a license tax for merchants, and a separate tax for cattle. Also outlined the penalties for not paying a license tax. Section 5 authorized counties to collect taxes in gold or silver or exchequer bills for county purposes.