1860s: Freedom at Last | 1870s: Representation | 1880s: Repression | 1890s: End of an Era | The Biographies | Conclusions
The 1870s: Representation
African-American representation in Texas government flourished in the 1870s, with 36 of the 52 politicians serving during this era. Imagine the oddity of this situation. In the late 1850s, African Americans were enslaved in the South and totally dependent upon whites to determine virtually every aspect of their lives. Just ten years later, ten African Americans were elected to serve in the 1868-69 Constitutional Convention.