The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986 Page: 183
610 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Slavery and the Texas Revolution
When historians like Eugene C. Barker challenged this conspiracy
theory, they marshalled not so much new evidence as a new perspective.
In fact, Barker acknowledged the southern, proslavery origins of many
Anglo-Texans and their resistance in the name of progress to Mexican
efforts to limit, exclude, or abolish slavery. He not only recognized
other facts-the proslavery features of the constitution of the Republic
of Texas, the military support that came from the southern United
States, and the Texans' desire for annexation-but published evidence
that, if known to Lundy, would have made the conspiracy theory seem
irrefutable. On his way from Mexico to Texas in the summer of 1835,
Stephen F. Austin had written to his cousin, "The best interests of the
United States require that Texas shall be effectually, and fully, Ameri-
canized. . . . Texas must be a slave country. It is no longer a matter of doubt."
But like other "scientific" historians, Barker doubted the existence of a
"slaveocracy" or the prevalence of proslavery crusading zeal among
Texas revolutionaries. He asserted that the number of slaves and the
frequency of Texan-Mexican disagreements over the status of slavery
had both declined after 1830. Subsequent scholars have followed this
lead so faithfully that they allude to the issue mostly to deride Lundy's
theory. Barker's conclusion "that anxiety concerning the status of slav-
ery [does not appear to have] played any appreciable part in producing
the Texas revolution" has gone virtually unchallenged.'
Whatever doubts they express about the significance of slavery as a
causative factor in 1835-1836, historians have acknowledged that dis-
putes over the institution served as a long-standing irritant in relations
between Anglo settlers and Mexico. A sense of uncertainty had charac-
terized the status of slavery from almost the beginning of North Ameri-
can colonization of Texas. Throughout the 182os local authorities
blunted repeated but indecisive antislavery measures enacted by the
Mexican Congress. In 1822 and again in 1824 the Congress passed leg-
islation to abolish the slave trade and gradually erode the institution.
Anglo Texas leaders gained little legal relief by their arguments that
these measures undermined economic progress, but they either muted
the impact of these laws or simply ignored them. Even the state consti-
tution, which recognized the legality of slavery, outlawed further im-
4 S. F. Austin to Mary Austin Holley, Aug. 2 1, 1835, Eugene C. Barker (ed.), The Austin Papers
(3 vols.; Vols. I, II, Washington, D.C., 1924-1928; Vol. III, Austin, 1927), III, 101 (Ist quota-
tion), os102; Eugene C. Barker, "The Influence of Slavery in the Colonization of Texas," SHQ,
XXVIII (July, 1924), 1, 2 (3rd quotation), 3-5, 28-32, 33 (4th quotation); Eugene C. Barker,
Mexico and Texas, 1821-1835 ... (Dallas, 1928), 72-86; Samuel Harman Lowrie, Culture Con-
flict in Texas: 1821-1835 (New York, 1932), 47-52, 125-131; William C. Binkley, The Texas Rev-
olution (Baton Rouge, 1952), 3-5; Seymour V. Connor, Texas: A History (New York, 1971), 119.183
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986, periodical, 1985/1986; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117151/m1/221/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.