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Mexico’s Role in Black History
Our Neighbor to the South Played a Big Role in Ending Slavery and Setting Up the Path to the Civil War in the United States
When my wife and I visited The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, we heard the story of the siege that took place there in 1836. The siege ended with Texans being defeated by Mexican troops, and the slaughter became a rallying cry for those who fought for Texas’ independence. A woman in the audience started explaining the battle to her young son, referring to the Mexicans as “the bad guys” and the Texans as “the good guys.”
Mexico’s Immigration and Slavery Problem
In 1836, the political situation in Texas was complicated, to say the least. For many years, white immigrants from the United States had immigrated — often illegally — into the Mexican territory of Texas. They brought with them their families and their slaves, making the territory a very productive part of the nascent Mexican nation. By the late 1820’s, these immigrants began getting a little restless. They wanted a country to call their own and not be tied to the nation of Mexico and all of its debt from the war for independence from Spain.
Not only that, but Mexico’s first Black President did something that really set off the…
