Welcome to a new history of Old San Antonio.

Episode 21, A City Divided.

I'm Brandon Seal.

I'm a city, San Antonio. Tonight I'm looking at your lovely life.

When Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election, Texas, like many other southern states, put the issue of secession to a vote.

For most of the state, the outcome was never really in

question. But San Antonio in 1860 didn't really look like the rest of Texas, much less the deep

south. In 1860, out of a population of 8,235 souls, only 514 were slaves, about 6%, and less than 4%

of San Antonioians were actually slave owners.

As such, slavery was not an indispensable or even important part of San Antonio's economy.

As the title of historian Larry Knight's essay on slavery in South Texas suggests,

defenders of the peculiar institution in San Antonio were, in reality, quote,

defending the unnecessary, end quote.

Much of San Antonio's population, particularly amongst her German plurality, was actively

opposed to slavery. In 1854, the German communities of Texas convened in San Antonio at their

annual Statsingerfest, or state singing festival. Recall, our Texas Germans love to sing.

Picking up on the hot button issue of the day, 54 of the men present issued a statement declaring that, quote,

slavery is an evil, the removal of which is absolutely necessary according to the principles

of democracy. And if a state determines the removal of this evil, it may call on the federal

government for aid, end quote. This bold and unequivocal call for abolition was quickly taken up

by San Antonio's German language newspaper, the San Antonio Saitung, and by a new English language rag called the Alamo Express, edited by a young newspaper man named James Newcomb.

Newcomb was relentless in attacking the, quote, Cotton Kings, whom he believed were leading the state into a war that they and their sons wouldn't have to fight.

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