Africans have been a part
of Texas history since the 1500s. They first
arrived as slaves or freemen from Spain and
Mexico. Other Africans escaped slavery in the
United States by fleeing to New Spain. Yet others
were brought to Texas as indentured servants or
later as slaves by Anglo settlers. By the end of
the American Civil War, there was a significant
black population in Texas.
Esteban, a black
explorer
They became free when
Union General Gordon Granger landed at
Galveston on June 19, 1863, and
proclaimed the sovereignty of the United
States and freedom for slaves.
“Everyone
went wild. We all felt like heroes, and
nobody had made us that way but
ourselves. We were free. Just like that,
we were free.”
