Slavery in Texas - Essay Example

Slavery in Texas Slavery in Texas Forcefully imposing work and labour on people and treating them as property is the basic idea behind slavery. Since the beginning of mankind empowerment, greed and superiority has been there in the instinct of men. These specific qualities are a part of human nature and being selfish to get more in ease, comfort and every other aspect for our self has been a demand of every individual. Such behaviour in humanity as well as racism has played a vital role in the promotion of slavery and violence. Slavery has been a part of this world since thousands of years and has affected many parts of this planet due to its brutal consequences. In America slavery began in the 17th century when the people in Africa were overpowered and forced by Europeans to leave their native land, their culture and their families behind. Since then in many parts of America these people were known to be and treated as slaves. Males and females between the age of 18 and 35 were selected by traders for sale and to impose labour on them treating them as their property. Children were also taken as captives. Slaves were often chained together by their necks, wrists and ankles and were made to embark on a grooving march for hundreds of miles towards the east coast. European ships awaited them there to set on a journey across the Atlantic Ocean where slavery would be enforced on the Africans. Many who resisted were brutally killed and others crowded into tightly packed quarters suffocated and starved throughout the journey. By the mid of 17th century the colonial African population was estimated to be two hundred and thirty thousand, most of them slaves. Further in the 18th century there were four million African slaves in the United States owned by the wealthiest and most powerful whites in the American society. Slaves were enforced to work throughout the day without granting them any right towards wages, vacations, owning any property, possessing alcohol or even getting married. They were tortured by brutal beating and whipping by their masters or even friends of their masters. No legal action could be taken against the owners because unfortunately the laws were not in the favour of these slaves1. Many former slaves such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass who had escaped slavery tried to improve the conditions of other slaves. Concerned whites such as John Brown also contributed in the effort. They conducted different movements and worked tirelessly for the betterment of these slaves in the 18th century and are known to be legends in American history2. Particularly slavery had begun in the state of Texas as early as the 16th century when Texas was known to be as French Texas. Consistently as the state of Texas was owned by different countries the number of slaves in Texas increased steadily. In the 17th century Texas was officially owned by Spain and efforts were put by the civil and religious authorities to abolish slavery in Spanish Texas but unfortunately the laws were not followed effectively. Many African children were captured and were raised as servants in the townspeople homes. The number of slaves estimated to be in the Spanish Texas was comparatively low than other states but it was not for long until the number increased subsequently. However, in the beginning of the 18th century the Spanish government had put ground rules against slavery in Texas. It was declared that any slave who had escaped to Texas would automatically be freed. This became a plus point for the degraded Africans. Many slaves crossed the Sabine River to enter Texas and win their freedom. Unfortunately this freedom could not last for long when in 1809 the governor of Texas changed the laws and allowed the Americans to enter Texas and reclaim their slaves. Slaves were offered as auction and including women and children were sold for high rates3. After the Mexican war of independence Texas was officially declared as a part of Mexico, this era turned out to be the changing point in the history of slavery in Texas and was greatly in the favour of Africans. In 1821 an Anglo-American colony was implanted by Moses Austin on the banks of the Colorado and Brazos which was granted by the government as the colonization of Texas. “…Texas marked the beginning of a new era, not only in the history of Mexico, but in that of America”4. The intentions of Moses Austin under this scheme was to embark on a journey to neighbouring nations and to rescue slaves and provide settlement to them in Texas with certain rights. Circumstances could not result in his favour as he faced death due to the hardships of the journey. His son Stephen Fuller Austin had now taken over this movement and wished to complete the left over work of his father. Austin took serious and prompt actions in the favour of slaves5. He promoted laws and regulations to offer civil rights to slaves and to offer a small piece of land for settlement to the families of Africans. The government of Mexico encouraged him with his plans so he set out to rescue slaves from around the America. By the mid of 1822 there were a great number of immigrants entering Texas, rescued and settled by Austin under the declaration of his new contract. However, it was not for long when the government of Texas changed due to the fall of the Emperor and the new government was not pleased by the plans of Austin. The government interrupted with his work and rejected to grant any lands to the upcoming immigrant slaves. Austin had to take immediate action against these barriers so he himself shifted to Mexico. He lived there for about a year to get familiar with the life style and language of Mexican people. He worked tirelessly in convincing and pursuing the Congress to grant him permission to carry on with his plans. But, the Congress was not in the state of agreement with Austin and did not want to waste any lands on slaves. What Austin believed was that at least temporary toleration of slavery was necessary for these slaves to assure the success of his colony6. This meant that slavery would continue to take place in Mexico and eventually due to the increasing population of slaves in Texas it would come to an end. The Congress believed that slavery should be handled by another law and not by the colonization act. Austin could not think of any other better idea to end slavery than this act. Later, three bills were passed into Congress which declared that immigrants would only be granted settlement if they adapt to the Spanish language. This was not enough to abolish slavery and these bills proved to be unsatisfactory and could not do much for the betterment of the Africans. Austin still did not lose hope and continued with his limitless efforts. After a few months later resulting in the favor of Austin the congress was dispersed and executed. “Austin very probably regarded the dispersion of Congress as a stroke of good fortune;”7 He believed that if the rule of congress would have continued no law regarding the destruction of African slavery would have been passed. Immediately after the abolishment of Congress the Emperor formed a junta of 35 members who were led by Austin. They thoroughly worked hard and eventually came up with a legislative which passed laws against slavery. The article was finally passed and stated that this law shall not be defied and slavery or any related forms of selling or purchasing slaves would not be permitted. Moreover, the born children of these slaves in the empire would be granted freedom at the age of fourteen. (Bugbee, 1898) This was all possible due to the outstanding efforts, determination and motivation of Austin towards the execution of slavery, Austin wrote to Josiah H. Bell four days before the upcoming of the article assuring to him that slavery now has to end. He said that all slaves should be granted complete freedom within the time of ten years and the children of these slaves should get freedom at the age of twenty-one years8. Later it turned out to be quite an achievement for Austin when the law passed was in his favour. The Emperor passed the complete and authentic colonization law by the 4th of January 1823 declaring that all men of any race and color would be treated as brothers and would be granted equal status in the civil rights. This news was soon spread all over the American Union becoming a common topic in a nick of time. Slaves became hopeful and could see the light towards freedom. The only thing that was in their way now was to complete the journey to Texas and claim their freedom. Slavery was at the peak of its downfall, however, matters still had to be settled and adapted by many people, especially the slave owners who were at great lost. It was to be decided on how will this sudden great loss of labor faced by the American Union be overcommed.Yet, Austin did not tolerate any ideas to impose slavery and bare its consequences again. Austin giving some thougt to the matter, passed laws which could be in favour of all. In 1824 a decree was passed which finally set slave trade as illegal and prohibbited permanently by any means. Serious punishments were to be taken against the slave traders who would try to trade slaves again, imposing high penalties on them. By any means if slaves were to be brought to Mexico for trade the responsible trader including the owner, purchaser, captain, master and pilot were to be condemned to a years imprisonment. (Bugbee, 1898) The slaves were to receive immediate freedom. All rights and laws in the state of Texas were now in the favor of slaves. The sovereign general Constituent Congress of the United Mexican States finally passed the decree. The decree elaborated that it was forever forbidden in the territory of United Mexican States the trade of slaves or any sort of traffic of slaves to enter from any country whatsoever. Slaves who currently reside in the Mexican territory are free to go and slavery shall not be imposed on them any further. Any domestic or foreign ship, in which slaves are transported to or introduced into Mexico, shall be immediately confiscated, with the remainder of its cargo; and the owner, the purchaser, the captain, the master, and the pilot shall suffer the penalty of a years imprisonment. This law will immediately take effect after its publication, but the penalties listed according to this law shall be suspended for six months for those colonists who, in virtue of the law of the fourteenth of October last upon the colonization of the isthmus of Guazacoalco, may land slaves intending their introduction into the Mexican territory.” 9 Finally the matter concerning slavery abolishment had found its way through the consequences and now slavery had come to rest. Slavery had covered an awful journey through ups and downs and the Africans had to face many hardships and struggles in their lives. But by the devotion of many concerned individuals, their unstoppable efforts, fighting for the rights of these slaves had brought it to a satisfying end. The Africans were finally given the rights they deserved after the hard work of Stephen Austin. In the later years few laws in the American Union still favored slavery and promoted it. But also by the efforts of many legends like Frederick Douglass, Harriett Tubman, John Brown, Mather Luther King and off course the former president of the USA Mr. Abraham Lincoln, slavery had been put to a complete end and many Africans were saved. Strict laws were made and passed declaring slavery as illegal forever for all of the American Union. References Bugbee, Lester. G. Slavery in Early Texas (The Political Science Quarterly, vol. III, no. 3, 1898). Retrieved online from http://www.tamu.edu/faculty/ccbn/dewitt/slaverybugbee.htm Dewey, Orville. Discourse on Slavery and the Annexation of Texas. (Texas: Rare Book and Texana Collections, 1844). http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth2359/?q=slavery Digital History site. What are the origins of American Slavery? (Houston: University of Houston, 2013). Retrieved Online from http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/ Henson, Josiah. The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave (USA: Courtesy of Library of Congress General Collections, 1849). Retrieved online from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/gender/docs8.html Texas Treasures. The 1860s: The Civil War and the End of Slavery. (Texas: Texas State Library and Archives Commission, 2011). Retrieved from http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/index.html References Read More