Thesis: This infographic displays data pertaining the history of African Americans in Bexar County. The purpose for this graph is to educate readers on the importance and the legacy of African Americans.
Success of Bexar County
| % | |
|---|---|
| Progress 1 | 75 |
| Population | |
|---|---|
| One | 20 |
| Two | 25 |
| Three | 26 |
| Four | 29 |
Due to the large increase in African American population during the 1870s, San Antonio began practicing residential segregation. Population was split into four separate wards based on types of occupations.
African American Residential Segregation
| Rural Nonwhite | Urban Nonwhite | |
|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 805 | 592 |
| 1862 | 690 | 933 |
| 1864 | 575 | 1274 |
| 1866 | 460 | 1515 |
| 1868 | 398 | 1702 |
| 1870 | 347 | 1957 |
Once African Americans became emancipated, many migrated away from rural areas and into the city. The number of nonwhite individuals in rural areas dropped drastically while the nonwhite population in San Antonio rose.
Migration of African Americans to the City
| Sales | |
|---|---|
| Farmer | 36 |
| Rancher | 15 |
| Commercial | 18 |
| Professional | 12 |
| Widow/Blank | 19 |
In the South, different slave owners required different forms of labor from their slaves. Depending on the occupation of the slaveholder, an enslaved man or woman would need to meet the needs of an accompanied role. In the chart below, we can visually depict how many slaves a large slaveholder had based on occupation.
Common Occupations for Enslaved Men and Women
- Prohibited from carrying weapons
- Illegal to sell alcohol to slaves
- Curfew of 9:30 set by San Antonio in 1850 for slaves
Slaves in Bexar County encountered many challenges while living in the South including:
Lobo
Mulatto
African
San Fernando Baptismal Records, 1790-1820
Children of African Descent
Limited Rights for Free and Enslaved African Americans
| Lorem | |
|---|---|
| Item 1 | 65 |
| Item 2 | 29 |
| Item 3 | 6 |
The presence of African Americans and their descendants were key to Bexar County's successful history, but was not necessary in terms of slavery. Due to the absence of economic and agricultural activities, there was no need for forced labor since it was considered not profitable.
Bexar County Did Not Rely on Slavery
Many individuals in Bexar County had African ancestry which became noticeably prominent due to the baptismal records of a local Catholic Church which indicated the presence of many mixed race children who were labeled as "mulato", "lobo", and African.
Inter Racial Mixing Was Common
African American History in Bexar County
