Au Texas

During Victor Considerant’s time in the United States, he successfully completed the requirements to become a citizen of the United States. When he returned to Paris in 1869, he continued to sign his name “Victor Considerant, citoyen Americain” and wore a serape and a broad-brimmed Texan hat. Considerant was successfully able to convince himself that he had located the ideal location for a social experiment in the city. When he got back to Europe in 1853, he produced a report on his journey for his followers and friends. The report was named “Au Texas,” and it was published in May 1854. The work had various aspects, and it was written for his followers and friends.

It is important to note that there have not been any translations of this work in English so for this, I tried to make a literal translation of the work in English. On the one hand, it was a record of a voyage to the land of opportunity in which Considerant portrayed himself as Moses, and on the other hand, it was a record of the journey itself. In addition to this, the book included a comprehensive account of a strategy for the development of a colony in Texas, and it culminated with a request for financial support as well as for new residents. From this angle, one might see Au Texas as a work of promotional literature in the emerging American Boosterism tradition. It painted a very bright image of the prospects that were waiting for settlers and investors in Texas. The book portrayed a picture of Texas as “the jewel among the 32 union states,” describing it as a region with fertile farmland, mild winters, and plentiful harvests. According to what Victor stated, the problem of poverty in Texas is not one that has been solved or accepted; rather, it is a starting point.