BLACK HISTORY MONTH
With state and federal officials working to whitewash as much history as possible, it seems like a particularly good time to discuss the real history of Texas that seems to make Conservatives so uncomfortable.
There is certainly no shortage of black history here.
Some of the very first Europeans to set foot in what became Texas were African Moors, captured and enslaved by the Spanish.
One of them, named Estevanico, was the first black man ever seen in this part of the Americas, landing with the Narvaez expedition in 1528. He went on the cross much of New Spain with Cabeza de Vaca.
Records from San Antonio de Bexar in 1778 show that of the 2,060 folks living in the villas, presidios and missions thereabouts, about 170 of them were of black ancestry.
According to historians, as years passed, the number of free black people increased along with an enslaved population.
Under Spanish law however, they were able to own property and marry as they wished, just the same as anyone else, and they prospered here in many fields other than farming.
They were carpenters, domestic workers, merchants, miners, shoemakers, teachers and teamsters.
Mexico’s revolt from Spanish rule began in 1810, and lasted 11 years.
When Stephen F. Austin and his father received permission to establish a colony in the newly independent nation in 1821, only a few enslaved black people came along initially, but by 1825, there were already more than 440 slaves in Texas according to historical records, representing about 25 percent of the population.
Mexico officially outlawed slavery in 1829, but according to historians, a special indulgence was given to Anglo settlers, so the enslaved population of Texas continued to grow, as those in bondage accompanied their enslavers to Texas.
It’s a little publicized fact that the Texians, as they were calling themselves by then, wanted to expand the highly-profitable institution of slavery, and this was a primary reason for their revolt from Mexico.
Texas independence was not a good deal for the many black families who fought alongside their Anglo neighbors, and despite the bravery and significant contributions of these people, they were immediately reduced to second-class citizenship immediately after independence.
One of the first measures passed by lawmakers forbade freedmen from living in Texas without the express permission of the legislature, and severely restricted the rights they had previously enjoyed like everyone else.
According to the letter of the law, between 1840 and emancipation, freedmen had two years to “remove themselves from the state under penalty of sale into slavery.”
Learn More About Black History in Texas
“Bricks Without Straw”
One book I’d like to see a couple of copies of in every library in the state is “Bricks Without Straw,” by David A. Williams, published in 1997 by Eakin Press of Austin.
The first section is written by Dr. Williams and discusses the history of African Americans in Texas from the Spanish explorers up through the Texas Revolution, with many historical accounts, and biographical sketches of historically important people in a few dozen sections leading to the Civil Rights Era.
Part two is comprised of essays by several contributors on diverse subjects, from the Seminole-Negro Indian scouts of the frontier to black women in Texas, to the Civil Rights Movement, and higher education for black Texans.
Dr. Williams graduated from Doty High School in McKinney, and served a tour in the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving mostly aboard the USS West Virginia in the Southwest Pacific.
He then earned his bachelor of arts degree from Texas Southern University, studied for three years at the University of Texas, and went on to receive his doctorate from Baylor University in 1978.
Williams taught social studies in the Austin Independent School District for more than 20 years before retiring in 1989.
