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The Hidden History of Texas. Episode 62 – The civil war has ended part 1.

We are wrapping up talking about the history of Texas during the Civil war. As I’ve mentioned in earlier episodes there isn’t an exact count of how many battles and skirmishes were fought in Texas. Most of the Texans who fought for either the confederacy or the union took part in battles in Tennessee, Virginia, or elsewhere in the South.  Today I want to talk about Texas after the civil war, and folks it’s not a pretty picture. The Civil War is generally thought to have ended on April 9^th, 1865, when General Lee surrendered the army of Virginia to General Grant at Appomattox Court House. However, it was not officially ended until over a year later when President Johnson on August 20^th, 1866, declared “And I do further proclaim that the said insurrection is at an end and that peace, order, tranquility, and civil authority now exists in and throughout the whole of the United States of America.”  President Johnson’s belief that since the war was over then “peace, order, and tranquility” would be seen throughout the United States was soon to be dashed.

In the decade that followed the Civil War, Texas was in as much confusion and chaos as it had ever seen in its short history as a state. Not only were Texans faced with political, social, and economic issues that had been caused by the war but also by the issues that had caused the war in the first place.

It is true, that emancipation freed the slaves and that act actually dramatically altered the labor system that many of the wealthy landowners and economic power brokers had come to rely on. It also forced a new dynamic between the white and black populations. Not only did these changes have the potential to wreak havoc on the plantation owners’ economic power, but it also threatened both their social and political status. The period of Reconstruction provided a massive challenge to the old establishment.

Texans always took pride in their independence so when in 1865 the U.S. Army moved into the state, tensions arose. The Army felt it was their duty to ensure that the State government stayed loyal to the Federal government. Additionally, they were there to protect the rights of the recently freed slaves. Gen. George A. Custer, (later to die at the battle of the Little Big Horn) was stationed at Austin, declared that the army should have complete control of the state until such times, as the Federal Government was “satisfied that a loyal sentiment prevails in at least a majority of the inhabitants.”

This was of course unacceptable to the locals and continued insistence upon loyalty was a threat and promised an indefinite loss of power among antebellum and wartime political leaders. To make matter worse, in September of 1865 the federal government created the Freedman Bureau. The bureau was led by Maj. Gen. Edgar M. Gregory.

The bureau’s primary responsibility was to take control and make certain that freedmen (that is former slaves) were able to transition from slavery to freedom. While this was a laudable goal Gregory, and his successors failed miserably in implementation. They believed that they had to make certain that former slaves were able to work were-ever they desired. Since the same people who had owned the slaves still owned the plantations, which were almost the only place work was available, that meant that many Blacks had to work in places they had once been slaves. Due to black codes, they were unable to own land, and were forced to sign contracts that paid low wages or gave them shares in the harvest. Even though many of the while planters complained about how hard their new employees worked most of them were privately happy with the new system, since it lowered their cost even below what owning slaves cost.

This also insured that their “tenants” remained in dept to them, much like peons or serfs.

The bureau also attempted to provide educational opportunities for the former slaves, needless to say, the white population considered that to be a problem. Primarily it would have given the former slaves the opportunities that they otherwise were denied.

The plantation owners and other elites also resented the agents and bureau courts for intervening when blacks were treated unjustly or when their labor contracts were violated and any objections to those contracts were treated with violence.

However, the reality is that the bureau never had the financial or governmental support necessary to adequately assist the large black population. The courts proved to be totally useless in their role of protecting the rights of the freedmen and essentially irritated the whites, who were already upset over losing the war. For a further discussion of the Freedman Bureau, go here https://arctx.org/the-freedman-bureau-doomed-from-the-start/

In addition to the challenge the Freedman Bureau presented with the old way of life that previously existed in Antebellum Texas, free Blacks offered another challenge.

Even though they had been limited in their freedoms by the military, and the labor contracts they were forced to sign, many did begin to demonstrate that they hoped things could get better. They wanted and attempted to take control over all parts of their lives. That included where they worked, their families, and their social and cultural institutions. They wanted educational opportunities and actively sought out the Freedman bureau schools.

Needless to say, they ran into much opposition from the Whites who viewed these goals as a major threat to their lives and livelihoods. In their efforts to maintain control over Blacks, Whites resorted to fraud against their workers, economic intimidation, and even violence. Hoping that the government would intervene and offer them the protection they had been promised, Blacks started to demand that the authorities step up their efforts to guarantee their freedom.

In the end, much like many people in America, especially those who weren’t white, they concluded that their only hope was to get the vote. On March 10, 1866, a gathering of freedmen met in Austin to discuss the best way to go about demanding their right to vote. They called upon the state government to also insure that they would be able to build schools on the state’s public-school lands. The March meeting led to the creation of the Austin Freedmen’s Society whose members ultimately were among the founding Black members of the state’s Republican party.

Now I’m going to stop here, because the modern republican party is doing little if anything to help enforce civil rights for non-whites. So that’s going to do it for this episode. Next time, I’ll talk more about reconstruction in Texas.

 If you get a chance, please subscribe to the podcast. If you want more information on Texas History, visit the website of the Texas State Historical Association. I also have four audiobooks on the Hidden History of Texas, The Spanish Bump Into Texas 1530s to 1820s,  Here Come The Anglos 1820s to 1830s, Years of Revolution 1830 to 1836. And A Failing Republic Becomes a State 1836-1850. You can find the books pretty much wherever you download or listen to audiobooks. Just do a search for the Hidden History of Texas by Hank Wilson and they’ll pop right up. Or visit my website https://arctx.org. By the way if you like audiobooks, visit my publisher’s website there’s an incredible selection of audiobooks there. Check it out visit https://ashbynavis.com

Thanks for listening y’all