Slavery is a big controversy within Texas history. The Texas 1850s newspapers from the Portal to Texas History prove that Randolph B. Campbell was correct in how he described slavery in his book, An Empire for Slavery. The newspapers and the book reveal that Texans believed that slavery was morally right, they believed that African Americans were inferior and they believed that abolitionists were constantly trying to constantly interfere with slavery. Slaves as a result, frequently tried to rebel or resist their masters.
For start, Texans believed that slavery was morally right. The Texas legislature and many other Texans claimed that slavery was not morally wrong. According to the State Gazette the Texas legislature said that slavery was not wrong. Because slavery was not wrong no one had to be worried about ending slavery. The north could keep to its self and not pay attention to slavery. Slavery could not be morally wrong and practically right at the same time. The bible
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Without cotton, Texas could go into poverty. In the Dallas Herald, Judge Reagan gave a speech and said that slavery was necessary for the survival of the cotton economy in Texas. Without cotton Texas would experience poverty. Campbell revealed that slavery came to Texas mainly for economic purposes. Stephan F. Austin and people like him believed that it was much easier to farm the land using slaves, instead of using paid workers. The land did not cost very much money, so as a result poor people were not that interested in being hired as a laborer. As a result, slaves were needed. Texans believed that without slaves the cotton industry would not last. People like Stephan F. Austin saw the land as being so cheap that they would not be able to hire anyone. The newspapers and Campbell show that Texans could not understand why other people would see slavery as being