Forts part 2

Mexican – Anglo Relations

Welcome to the Hidden History of Texas. This is Episode 47 – Mexican Anglo Relations -  I’m your host and guide Hank Wilson. And as always, brought to you by Ashby Navis and Tennyson Media Publishers, producers of  a comprehensive catalog of  audiobooks and high-quality games, productivity, and mental health apps. Visit AshbyNavis.com for more information.

Relations between the Anglo settlers and Mexicans or Tejanos (Tejanos are those of Mexican or Spanish decent who were born in Texas, either when it was a province of Mexico or as a Republic) have almost always been strained. The Anglo settlers who immigrated into Texas were primarily from the South and as such they carried with them all of their innate prejudices. While some of the earliest settlers did learn to adapt to a Spanish way of life and to live in peace with their Mexican neighbors, many of the newcomers had no such desire.

One area of conflict concerned itself with the issue of slavery.  Mexico began to restrict slavery during the 1820s and finally completely outlawed it in 1829. However, the Mexican government exempted Texas from this law in order to appease Anglos. Initially that didn’t seem like very important because it is estimated that in 1825 there were only about 400 slaves in Texas. However, by 1835 and the real beginning of the battle for Texas independence it is believed that there were more than 5,000 slaves in the region.  

In 1836 after Texas won at the Battle of San Jacinto, and claimed to be an independent republic there was still trouble. Because there was no formal treaty solidifying Texas status as independent. Mexico refused to recognize Texas' independence and considered it a rebellious territory. The Mexican government believed that Santa Anna had no legal authority to sign the Treaties of Velasco while a prisoner, and that the Mexican government had no obligation to honor the agreements. Now  because of that, there was the very real fear that Mexico would invade and try to take Texas back. Then when in 1837, Mexico abolished slavery, this time without any exceptions, the Anglo residents of Texas began to fear that their slaves would start to side with Mexico in any type of dispute. And since many of the Anglos already distrusted the Mexican people in the state as the Texas Republic took shape, officials placed more and more obstacles before the non-Anglo population.

For example, In the world of politics,  Anglo leaders excluded Tejanos from almost every type of meaningful political participation. For example, Juan Seguín, one of the most influential Tejano political leaders, an Alamo defender, and who played an important role in the development of the Republic, and who fought for and stood side by side with those opposing Mexico and Santa Ana, was forced to flee to Mexico after a white mob chased him out of San Antonio. 

When it came to education, well Texas wasn’t big on public schools as a way of insuring equality. In fact, from 1836 to 1900 private individuals, such as the Catholic Church, Protestant groups, and public officials all regarded schools as critical to preserving the social order. They saw them not only as ways to increase literacy, but also as vehicles to perpetuate existing class, sex, and ethnic roles. After Texas became a state, Mexican children often had no access to public schools. As the decades passed, that began to slowly change and  by the 1880s the children did increasingly have access to rural schools. By the 1890s Mexican working-class children in urban areas were admitted to city schools. In both cases access was limited to segregated classes in the elementary grades. No secondary or postsecondary facilities were available to them. Only the children of wealthy families attended colleges and universities. The decision to segregate elementary schools in Texas was due to racial prejudice, residential location,