The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 28, July 1924 - April, 1925 Page: 29

Influence of Slavery in the Colonization of Texas

laws on slavery; and the other limited contracts with "servants
and day laborers" to ten years' duration.75 Thus slavery was now
barred by state constitution and federal statute, and the legal
loophole for evasion was narrowed to these short-term peonage
contracts. Austin was a member of the legislature that passed
this law, but neither in his writings nor in any others that have
come down to us is there a word referring to this provision. Six
weeks later an insurrection flamed out in Texas, but it was di-
rected at federal authority-the tyranny of the military com-
mander, an American, on Galveston Bay and the oppressive ad-
ministration of the tariff. For a time the insurgents, who num-
bered but a handful, were sharply criticized by the rest of the
settlers and were accused of trying to plunge the country into
conflict with the government upon insufficient grounds. Had
there been much anxiety over the slavery question, it seems likely
that they would have sought to blunt the shafts of their pacifist
neighbors by an appeal to it, but no such effort was made.
As it happened, Santa Anna was at that very time leading a
revolution in Mexico against the Bustamante government and,
when he won, the Texans extricated themselves from what other-
wise would have been at least an embarrassing predicament by
declaring that their outbreak was part of the same movement.
Then, hoping to profit by the liberal principles which Santa
Anna was supposed to represent, they held a convention and peti-
tioned for various reforms. Among these were: repeal of the
law excluding American settlers from Texas, tariff reduction and
exemption, stricter attention to Indian relations, revision of
militia laws, and authorization of a state government in Texas
separate from that of Coahuila. This was in October, 1832.
For reasons which are not yet clear the petitions were not dis-
patched and another convention was held in April, 1833. The
journal of this meeting has not survived. So far as the record
can be reconstructed, it seems to have repeated, in large meas-
ure, the work of its predecessor. Austin was chosen to present
its requests to the government and was on his way to Mexico for
that purpose when he wrote the letter just quoted announcing
his reconcilement to slavery in Texas. The journal of the first
convention shows no reference to slavery, but it is significant,
"Decree No. 190, Gammel, Lars of Texas, I, 299-303.