Pre-Civil War Fayette County, Texas counted on slave labor to assist with the production of corn, tobacco, wool, and cotton. The region was home to 3,786 slaves out of a total population of 11,604. These slaves had the legal status of personal property; they were subjected to being bought and sold, hired out, and mortgaged. No rights to marry, have a family, own property, or free themselves existed.
The law provided that slaves be treated “humanely”, and that punishment could not include the taking of life or limb. However, because these African Americans could not testify against whites in court, their right to a trial by jury and court-appointed attorney when charged with crimes more significant than petty theft was a farce.
Because the economy was so dependent on human chattel, abolition, the elimination of slavery, was not looked upon favorably by many of the residents, except for a few in the German community.
