Question

Describe life of free African Americans in texas before the civil war

Answer 1

African Americans faced many changes in their rights as Texas became independent and, eventually, a state. In early Texas, under Mexican governance, African Americans were regarded as equal under the law. The Mexican government was anti-slavery, so many slaves who ran away from American slave states or were already free made their way to Texas. However, as Texas gained its independence from Mexico and became a Republic, it took away the rights of African Americans. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas took away citizenship from African Americans, and it took away their right to vote. African Americans were given two years under the new constitution to leave Texas or be sold into slavery. When Texas gained its statehood, the laws governing slaves became even more severe as the state’s dependency on agriculture defined its economy. Slaves were regarded as property under the law, and laws regarding the treatment of slaves were even more brutal. On the frontier, where labor was more difficult to come by, slaves were initially given more rights.

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Answer 2

Answer:At the onset of the Civil War, free black men rushed to volunteer for service with the Union forces. Although African Americans had served in the army and navy during the American Revolution and in the War of 1812 (few, if any served in the Mexican War), they were not permitted to enlist because of a 1792 law that barred them from bearing arms in the U.S. Army.