African Amerians in Bexar County

Fetcher, J. (2015, February 18). Historical photos show faces of former slaves living in San Antonio - mysa. https://www.mysanantonio.com/150years/article/Slavery-photographs-San-Antonio-6079863.php

In rural Bexar County between 1860 and 1870, the proportion of non-White people fell from 805 to 347 in the subsequent period, San Antonio's non-White population increased from 592 to 1,957.

In 1860, about one out of every twenty Bexar families had one or more individuals in a state of lifelong servitude—men, women, or children. When the question of secession came up in a referendum in 1861, the City of San Antonio ultimately voted against it, in part because of its less than enthusiastic support for slavery.

Slaves were subject to a curfew of 9:30 p.m. in 1850 San Antonio ordinance, which was extended to 10:15 p.m. in the summer. The owner of the slave whose bondsman or bondswoman had broken the curfew might either pay a $5 fine or $1 to have the slave whipped.

Based on available data, a significantly higher proportion of African Americans were employed in the cattle trade in 1860, a far larger industry in Bexar than cotton. Most likely, the 18% of African Americans held in slavery who worked for owners who were also business owners did so in or in a shop or workshop.

Werner, Kaisa & Sarangi, Debalin & Nolte, Scott & Dotray, Peter & Bagavathiannan, Muthukumar. (2020). Late-season surveys to document seed rain potential of Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) and waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) in Texas cotton. PLOS ONE. 15. e0226054. 10.1371/journal.pone.0226054.

The primary cause of the dramatic rise in the number of enslaved individuals was the cotton & sugar plantations in East Texas. African Americans made up the vast majority of the population in various counties, but they merely made up 97% of population in Bexar.

African American History in Bexar County