An Empire for Slavery: The Peculiar Institution in Texas, 1821-1865

321 Pages·1991·19.486 MB·English

by  Randolph B. Campbell

An Empire for Slavery
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An Empire for Slavery
THE PECULIAR INSTITUTION IN
TEXAS, 1821-1865
Randolph B. Campbell
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
BATON ROUGE
Published by Louisiana State University Press
Copyright © 1989 by Louisiana State University Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Designer: Barbara Werden
Typeface: Linotron Palatino
Typesetter: G&S Typesetters, Inc.
Louisiana Paperback Edition, 1991
Twelfth printing, 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Campbell, Randolph, 1940-
An empire for slavery : the peculiar institution in Texas,
1821-1865 / Randolph B. Campbell.
p. cm.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8071-1723-1 (paper)
1. Slavery—Texas—-History—i9th century. 2. Afro-Americans—
Texas—History—19th century. 3. Texas—History—To 1846.
4. Texas—History—1846-1950. 5. Texas—Race relations. I. Title.
E445.T47C35 1989
3o6'.362'o9764—dc19 88-31357
CIP
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of
the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on
Library Resources. ®
To Diana
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Contents
Preface xi
Introduction 1
1 / The Colonial Period, 1821-1835: "Texas Must Be a Slave
Country" 10
2 / Slavery in the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836: "A Dull,
Organic Ache" 35
3 / Growth and Expansion, 1836-1861: "The Empire State of
the South" 50
4 / The Economics of Slavery in Texas: "We Want More Slaves,
We Need Them" 67
5 / The Law of Slavery in Texas: "Negroes Are, in This
Country, Prima Facie Slaves" 96
6 / Work and Responsibility: "From Can See to Can't See" 115
7 / Material Conditions and Physical Treatment: "A Tight
Fight" 134
8 / Family, Religion, and Music: "The Strength to Endure" 153
9 / Behavioral Patterns and the Desire for Freedom: "The Best
We Could" 177
10 / Texas Slaveholders: "Working Negroes to an Advantage" 190
11 / A Slaveholding Society: "Those Who Are Not For Us,
Must Be Against Us" 209
12 / The Civil War and "Juneteenth," 1861–1865: "Free, Free
My Lord" 231
Conclusions 252
Appendix 1. The Federal Writers' Project Slave Narratives
as a Historical Source 261
Appendix 2. Slave Populations of Texas Counties in
Selected Years, 1837-1864 264
Appendix 3. County Records as a Source of Information
on Slavery in Texas 268
vii
viii / CONTENTS
Appendix 4. Texas' Largest Slaveholders in 1860 273
Bibliography 277
Index 295
Illustrations
TABLES
1 / Slave Population of Texas, 1846-1861 (from Tax Rolls) 56
2 / Mean Value of Slaves in the Republic of Texas, 1837-1845 71
3 / Appraised Value of Slaves of Elisha Davis Estate, 1837
and 1844 71
4 / Mean Value of Slaves in Texas, 1843-1862 73
5 / Rate of Return per Slave for Slaveholding Cotton Farmers
in Texas, 1850 and 1860 75
6 / Ratio of Corn (Bushels) to Cotton (Bales) Produced,
1850 to 1860 76
7 / Volume of Food Crops Harvested per Resident on
Slaveholding Farms, 1850 and 1860 77
8 / Per Capita Value of Major Farm Crops Harvested:
Slaveholding Farmers, 1850 79
9 / Per Capita Value of Major Farm Crops Harvested:
Slaveholding Farmers, 1860 80
10 / Texas Slave Hire Rates, 1848-1862 89
11 / Texas Slave Hire Rates According to Age and Sex,
1848-1862 90
12 / Texas Hire Rates as a Percentage of Slave Value, 1848-1862 90
13 / Distribution of White and Slave Populations According to
Age, 1850 and 1860 143
14 / Distribution of Slaveowners According to Size of Holdings,
1840, 1850, and 1860 193
15 / Distribution of Slaves According to Size of Slaveholding,
1850 and 1860 194