The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903 Page: 155
401 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The African Slave Trade in Texas.
ship them to this country, and thus attempt to bring such introduc-
tion of slaves under that clause of our constitution which admits
them from the United States exclusively.
"This attempt to evade the prohibition of the African slave
trade, contained in our constitution certainly will not be sustained
by the tribunals of this Republic, but it is also desirable that the
Gov't. of the United States should be apprised of such attempts to
carry on a piratical commerce by her own citizens through her ter-
ritory and in American vessels."
Whether Wharton ever succeeded in getting this information be-
fore the United States government is unknown, but the first Con-
gress of Texas, which was still in session, took up the matter, and
enacted that,.any person convicted of introducing Africafl negroes
from any foreign country, except the United States, should suffer
death without benefit of clergy. In order that no technical loop-
hole might be afforded for the evasion of the law, it was at the same
time provided that such slaves as were brought from the United
States must previously have been legally held there.
This law was passed in the beginning of the first administration
of Sam Houston, who displaced President Burnet in October, 1836,
but in his message to the special session of Congress, in May, 1837,
Houston thought it necessary to again advert to the subject. He
said: "It cannot be disbelieved that thousands of Africans have
lately been imported to the Island of Cuba, with the design to
transport a large portion of them into this Republic. This unholy
and cruel traffic has called down the reprobation of the humane and
just of all civilized nations. Our abhorrence to it is clearly ex-
pressed in our constitution and laws. Nor has it rested alone upon
the declaration of our policy, but has long since been a subject of
representation to the Government of the United States, our min-
isters apprising it of every fact which would enable it to devise
such means as would prevent either the landing or introduction of
Africans into our country.
"The naval force of Texas not being in a situation to be diverted
from our immediate defence, will, be a sufficient reason why the
Government of the United States and England should employ such
'Austin to Whalrton, December 16, 1836.-Archives of Texas, File 1, No.
66, Diplomatic Correspondence.
'Act of December 21, 1836, Gammel's Laws of Tewas, I 1257-58.155
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Texas State Historical Association. The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 6, July 1902 - April, 1903, periodical, 1903; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101028/m1/159/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.