Final answer:
True, Stephen Austin was given more than one Empresario contract by Mexico to bring settlers into Texas, with the aim of strengthening Mexico's control over the region and serving as a buffer against American expansion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that Stephen Austin was given more than one Empresario contract under Mexico is True. Austin carried out his father's plans after his deathbed request in 1821, taking control of his land grant in Texas, which had become part of independent Mexico that same year. The Mexican government had similar motivations as the previous Spanish rulers to populate the region of Coahuila y Texas and thus, offered colonization laws to encourage immigration. Stephen F. Austin became a prominent empresario, recruiting several hundred families to the region, with the intent that these new settlements would strengthen Mexico's hold on Texas and serve as a buffer against American expansion. However, the influx of American settlers, many of whom were slave owners, eventually led to increased tension between the Texans and the Mexican government, especially after the 1829 anti-slavery law enacted by President Vicente Guerrero, which was intended to weaken the Americans' influence in Texas.