Slave Labor For The Protection Of Texas example essay topic

One of the most unique situations during the period of the Civil War in America was the involvement of the state of Texas in the Confederacy. Although it was once its own Republic separate from the United States of America through annexation, Texas was not entirely unique when it came to the institution of slavery. Just like in all other southern states, slavery, and the use of slave labor, was a major factor of the states agricultural economy. During the years around and through the Civil War, Texas became a home for many transient southerners in search of sanctuary from the almost enviable furthering of emancipation. Long before the war, Texas had been the stomping ground for runaway slaves en route to Mexico and in search of freedom. The state of Texas was not only one of the new frontier territories toward the west but it became one of the final places in America were slavery was practiced.

Because of its geography much of Texas remained untouched and unsettled. Many adventurous plantation owners felt it necessary to keep news of the war and emancipation from their slaves as much as a year after the end of the war. (Campbell 249) The topic I have chosen for my research to discuss the history of slavery in Texas during the years of the Civil War. How the institution was altered because of the Civil War and the process by which emancipation was handed to black -Texans is the focus of my report. I would like to uncover how and why slave labor was used to both protect the state, the Confederacy and the institution that held the future of the American Negro forever. Well before the beginning of the Civil War, Texas and some of its surrounding territories were property of Spain just like its southern neighbor, Mexico.

Soon after realizing their particular suppression by Spain, Mexico fought for, and won its independence from its mother country. Mexico now had control of their country and the territory of Texas. As more Americans moved west and into Texas it became evident that there was going to be a continued clash between Mexico and the white frontiersmen who quickly flooded certain areas. The American government wanted to purchase this valuable land but eventually it was taken by American frontiersmen where it was declared its own realm. Fearful of the loss of power if allowed into the Union, Texas expressed in 1836 the right to join the Union under the condition that Texas would have ' free and unmolested authority over their slave population' (Goodell P. 278) Unable to come to an agreement with the rest of the United States, Texas became recognized as independent from the United States of America. Although it was separate from the rest of the United States politically, Texas was becoming more and more similar to the rest of the South as Northerners moved into the state and brought their position of anti-slavery with them.

Worried about the future of slavery in Texas, many slave owners petitioned the immigration of Northerners and expressed concern that the state might be overrun by pro-abolitionists. Texas had a history richly imbedded in slavery and there was little opposition from many of its original inhabitants. Before long, continued tension between the Northern states and the slave states began to strengthen as more people in the North began to desire that the entire country move towards complete emancipation. Many citizens and leaders in Texas approached the legislature in Texas to provide reasoning as to why Texas should continue to be a slave state. Many of these Texans quoted the bible as a reference and reasoning as to why it was 'right' that they continue to use 'heathen' and 'inferior' blacks as labor for the superior 'white dominant' masters. Like all whites in the South many in Texas feared slave uprisings and revolts as word of Northern slave emancipation traveled into the border areas of Texas.

Lynch mobs hung and killed people they thought were pro- abolitionists who were organizing anti-slavery groups and uprisings. Texans were firm in their position that no one was going to destroy their God-given right to have slaves and keep them. Fearful of the power of the North over the Southern states, many states began to consider the idea of secession as a means of both protecting their economy and slave- aided lifestyle. When secession from the Union started, Texas declared its position and joined the Confederacy after declaring its secession from the United States of America. Knowing the peculiarity of Texas's situation there was ample room made by the state in these declarations for it to seceded from the Confederacy if it realized a better position in the near future. As the war loomed ahead Texas wondered where it would stand when the dust cleared.

As Texas embarked into the Civil War era on the side of the Confederacy, the government of Texas soon realized that it had little to worry about for the time being. Protected from Federal forces on three of its sides, Texas needed to prepare for the inevitable assault on its southern coast. It is the use of slaves for military purposes that we see the institution of slavery in Texas altered to fit the states new situations during the Civil War. Around the beginning of the Civil War statistics that I have read state that the slave population of Texas was between 150,000 t 0250, 00 black men, women and children. This number could not include the thousands of 'refugees' living in Texas who were escaping southern masters and in many cases going along with their masters to start up plantations in Texas after they abandoned their old ones in other southern states. Most of these refugees were from Arkansas and Louisiana even though some were from the North before abolition.

Although the majority of these non- refugee blacks were not affected by the Civil war, many slaves in the areas around the southern coast were. The most important port in Texas was located in the south- eastern coastal city of Galveston. Not only was it Texas's major port, but unfortunately it was the Unions major target resulting in a Federal Naval assault during the first year of the Civil War. Knowing the importance of Galveston to Texas, Federal troops in 1862 took the port and surrounding areas thus making it one of only a handful of Union victories in the Lone Star state. Fearful of losing their 'property', many slave owners in the areas surrounding Galveston, fled the area into the North of Texas to avoid any clash with Union troops. Although the port was recaptured within a few short months, the result of the Unions temporary seizure gave many military leaders all the excuse they needed to try to enlist the aid of slave labor to build fortifications and help in other military related projects.

Generals began to insist that they be allowed to gather slave labor for the protection of Texas. Knowing that more labor was needed to protect Texas, General Paul Herbert ordered that the military go into the ted interior of Texas and gather slaves for the purpose of the war effort. (Campbell p. 234) It was this initial order that eventually led to the impression of slaves by the military. Due to the lack of response by slave owners in the interior, few slaves were acquired on loan to the Texas military. Angered and furthered by the lack of response of slave owners to give up their workers, the Confederate Congress in March 1863 authorized the impressment of slaves by the Texas and Confederate military under the grounds that slaves were personal property and that all personal property to the war effort be made available to the military for purposes in war times. (Campbell 234) These men were paid for their services.

Or shall it be said, there owners, were compensated with cash and insurance that their slaves would be returned in less than two months. As slave owners saw more of their slaves being lent to the government many feared that they would not be fully reimbursed for their labor loses. Many slave owners felt that there slaves were going to mistreated and misused based on the fact that they were being taken to do the most extremes of military labor outside of actual combat as did some former slaves in the North. The general distrust of the slave owners of the military also led them to worry that there slaves might be killed, lost, or escape if Union forces invaded Texas. Despite their worries most of the slave laborers in the military were under the watchful eyes of generals who knew their importance to the protection of Texas was more than just simple labor. One of the most important military leaders in Texas was general John Magruder.

Being one of the original military leaders to call for slave impressment, Magruder wanted Texas to allow the impressment of more slaves for the war effort. Concluding that the slave holders were not properly accounting for their labor force and refusing to provide slaves, Magruder demanded that he be allowed to impress slaves in amounts greater than before. Magruder's actions caused some of the biggest disruptions in the institution of slavery in Texas during the Civil War. As Magruder became more insecure about the strength of the Confederacy he assumed that more fortifications would be needed if the state of Texas was to remain virtually unscathed by Union forces. Eventually near the end of the war the Confederate Congress agreed to meet Magruder halfway by allowing the employment of a large number of slaves that were to be paid the same wages as privates in the Confederate Army. (Campbell 238) As more slaves were being taken intothe military for labor, refugees were arriving by the hundreds from war ravaged southern states.

Trying to escape the inevitable fact that they were going to lose their slaves, plantation owners steamed towards the seclusion of Texas in hopes that slavery would continue there. ' Jus' before freedom come, de new overseer am 'strutted to take us to Texas and takes us to Kaufman county and we is refugees dere,' recounts former slave and refugee Fred Brown concerning his removal from Louisiana. Even though all these new slaves were coming in, not too many problems arose from such an increase of slaves in relation to the extremely low influx of whites on average. Many of these 'refugees' in Texas were put on new plantations and or hired out to families who could not have afforded a slave before at a higher rate.

With all these new slaves, many whites found attaining a slave a bit easier and hired them from their owners resulting in a better than average sum for the owner. Other refugees upon hearing about Mexico's anti- slavery position fled across the border were they planned to start life over away from all white men whether they be Southern or Northern. When the war finally came to an end, the people of Texas were read the General Order number three which stated that 'all slaves are free' and now have the same rights as their former owners. (Campbell p. 249) What was also stated in the order was that 'freemen' (former slaves) are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages'. This statement leads us into the post Civil War era as the former slave in Texas and across the southern states searched for his and her new identity under the title of " freemen'.

Although they were now officially free, many slaves in Texas felt the need to stay on as laborers on the plantations, in the houses, and in the fields. Seizing the idea of newfound freedom, some slaves traveled back into the South from Texas and into the North in search of family and opportunity. Some went running to Mexico and even farther west into Indian country embracing the white man's dream of western expansion. Realizing little hope off the plantations where they had worked all of their lives, most of the slaves stayed with their old masters and enjoyed all of their new freedoms while remaining idle (in movement not labor) on the plantations for wages and less harsh working conditions. More than happy to be free, many slaves embraced the idea of continuing on with their former masters mainly because of fear of what might happen to them as they left the plantation. Without hardly any education or the experience of being on their own, former slaves knew that they would have to express their newfound freedom as much as possible without threatening the relationships with their new 'employers'.

Few former slaves reached the point a couples of decades after the war were they could be self sufficient and owned land. The slave in Texas throughout the war did not face the threat of being set free after battle into an area of almost uncaring wartime confusion. Because of their seclusion, slaves and refugees in Texas lived in a world almost completely unchanged by wartime activates. Although thousands of slaves were impressed for wartime use only a few lost their lives while fortifying and working along the front lines of southern Texas. As for the vast majority of slaves who were not impressed they went along with their normal production during the Civil War as if freedom was the last thing they expected in the next few years. Some slaves in Texas did not even know about the war until it had been over for months, some revolted long before.

As the armies of Texas argued over whether it should send its troops to other states to fight, the institution of slavery went full steam ahead. After the end of the war many blacks began to realize the hatred that faced them and how many whites in Texas would do anything in order to ensure that they (whites) would always be the ruling class. Opportunity did not come easy to blacks, but prejudice did. Almost until the very end of the Civil War, Texans seemed to be denying the fact that an end coming to their precious 'right' to own and oppress their 'inferior' and 'heathen' God-given servants. Courtesy of chew (1995) University of Maryland.