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Texan Freedom

August 10th, 1857. Trinity Bay, Texas

It was a nice cool Texan day as the nation's first President sat on the back porch of his grand house at Cedar Point. At the moment Sam Houston was reading a collection of memoirs written by Stephen F. Austin that had just been published recently, titled "Building Texas: The Story of the Austin Colony." It was a rather interesting 400 page read that went into great detail of Austin's life from being raised by his father Moses, starting out as an Empresario, taking a leading role in the Revolution, and helping build the Republic as Secretary of State. Reading it helped Sam to understand the immense struggles that his friend went through in building the Fort Bend colony and how much he meant to the creation of the Republic by becoming its first founding father. Already the book had become a best-seller in Texas with tens of thousands of copies sold and the circulation making its way to hot sales within the United States. Going through the book caused some amount of sadness for Houston when he got to the chapter with his first Presidential Election and how Austin tried to fight in vain to become the nation's first president. It wasn't fair in a way as Stephen had been there for years while Sam had just gotten to Texas in 1835, sure he may have won San Jacinto, but he was not nearly on the same level of Washington as so many Texans proclaimed him to be. Still, Houston had to remark that what he did was for the best as his terms helped to stabilize the nation and provided a safe haven for his Cherokee brothers in the Indian Citizenship Initiative. He was just glad that Stephen did very well as Secretary of State and was doing rather successful as Governor of Texas, though there was no way he'd be able to run for President again due to his low appeal in California, Arizona, or Deseret. As for Houston he would never enter public office again. He already served his role as President and served a few terms for Senator during Lamar's years. The Border Wars was enough for the old Tennasean and he thought that retirement was good enough as it is. No need to get back in the saddle when the ride is smooth as they say.

Just as Sam Houston closed the book of the latest chapter he read his wife Margaret came onto the patio with a worried look on her face. The type of look that she reserved when she had to bring Sam bad news, "What's on your mind Peggy? The boys get into some trouble again?"

Margaret still had that worried look when she replied to Sam, "No Sam they're fine, both Junior and Andrew went out for a ride an hour ago. It's just that, there's someone here to see you and I don't think it would be good if you do."

"Oh nonsense Peggy, I can handle myself so there's no need to worry about me going into a fit. I mean it's not as if Mirabeau Lamar is at the front door." Sam Houston got up and went back inside the house with Margaret trying to chase after him. Little did Sam know of the irony of his statement when he went into the living room and came face to face with his longtime rival. Second President of the Republic of Texas, Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar.

"Greetings Sam, longtime no see." 'Shit.'

After a few minutes of mild pleasantries Houston led Lamar into his private study where Houston sat as his desk while Lamar sat directly across in a large oak chair. In Sam Houston's point of view this was something that was both unexpected and extremely irritating. For while Houston had let go of his bitter hatred of Lamar after he left Austin to retire in Trinity, he still disliked the man after all of these years. True Houston had come answering Lamar's call for the Border Wars, but that was more of a case of duty to country than responding to an old friend. Houston's opinion wasn't helped by the fact that so many people he knew praised Lamar like he was some sort of Jefferson or Madison for preserving Texas' indepedence and seeing Texas' economic growth with the California Gold Rush. Houston knew what the man really was and how it was more his actions that caused Lamar to act the way he was. Even though Houston was no longer active in politics he voted Western Union every single time and would never give a single endorsement to the Republicans. "What do you want Mirabeau?"

"Sam, that's no way to treat your old friend. We're the founding fathers of Texas for crying out loud, we should at least act with the dignity that everyone in the nation expects us to carry."

"Dignity my ass. I know the side of you that everyone at Austin that everyone else is blind to. What with you scheming to take away my Presidency during all five years. Just say what you want and then leave my property."

"Well you can't really say that it wasn't worth it when I did beat you in the presidential election." 'By less than a hundred damned votes that is.' "Look Sam it's not like it was my intention to come into your household and ruin your afternoon. I've got better things to do back in Austin or Lamar than travel all the way East. You see the reason I came here today is beyond our current politics. I didn't come here as a Republican, as President Lamar, but as a concerned citizen of Texas who is worried about the state of affairs. However before we start I'd like your negro to vacate the room." Lamar said pointing to Houston's house slave, Joe, who had just come in to bring the two men refreshments and cigars.

"What the hell does Joe have to do with this? He's been a loyal servant of the family for years and whatever I say he's more than free to listen to."

"What I'm about to disclose could give your negro ideas that he shouldn't be receiving. That's why I didn't bring my slaves and why I wanted to talk in private. Alone from any outside eyes and ears."

"Suh, is something the matter?" asked Joe. The man started sweating on his forehead due to the probable thought that he was in trouble at the moment. While Houston never physically punished his slaves Joe knew plenty of slaves in the area who received whippings from their masters for the slightest insult. And that was something that Joe did not want to start today by angering a former president.

"No Joe everything's fine. Why don't you leave the whiskey and cigars on my desk while you head out back and help Peggy with whatever she needs."

"Yes sir." Joe then carefully laid down the alcohal as ordered and left the room in a hurry to go see to the needs of Mrs. Houston. Lamar was about to reach for a glass when Houston smacked his hand.

"What the hell kind of business do you have barging into my home and ordering my property like that?! You got thirty seconds to explain yourself or else I'll escort you off the premises with a colt in hand."

"Look the reason why I sent your slave away is because the topic of matter at hand has everything to do with him, slaves. You know of the shitshow that's going on at the border?"

"What Rio Grande? That's hellhole has been a constant anarchy for several years, nothing new. Besides they don't carry slaves legally. Walker tired last year but we all know how that turned out."

"No not those idiot Tejanos down south. Our other neighbor. You know, the country which we came from. Here take a look at this paper." Lamar threw down a local newspaper for the Houston Chronicle which Sam picked up and read the headline.

"Local man marries cow. Proclaims that no one can stop their true love. The fuck is this shit?!"

"Oops wrong paper. Just bought that out of curiosity. Surprise ending if you read it all the way through. No, here's the real paper I was talking about."

Houston read it out aloud again with the title actually matching the corresponding topic. "Bloodshed Continues In Kansas. Dozens Dead, Hundreds Wounded In Fourth of July Showdown." Houston then went on in detail. "On the fourth of July in the American terrritory of Kansas as its citizens were preparing for a celebration of the nation's 81st birthday, an epic battle took place in the territorial capitol of Lecompton when abolitionist forces from Topeka led by John Brown launched a daring raid on the settlement. What ensued was an hours long bloody shootout between both sides with many civilians being caught up in the middle. The violence only stopping when local American forces arrived on the scene and chased the Abolitionists away. Brown still remains at large while the territory descends into further chaos. The following account from Texan Joshua Albert details..." "I truly can't believe the lunacy of our people back home. They act like we're a lawless wasteland when they're killing each other over slaves from crying out loud."

"That's the point Sam. They're killing each other over slaves. SLAVES!! And you wanna know why the violence has increased over the past several months. Well it's all because of Dred Scott."

"Who in God's name is Dred Scott?" asked Houston.

"Some slave who tried to obtain freedom from his masters through the court. Stupid act as property can't be represented but here's the story. So this Scott guy travels with to Illinois with his master who dies leaving him in the care of his master's wife. Now the man died while they were both in Illinois, a free state, so Scott figured that he should be free since slavery is not alllowed and he was able to pay his way to freedom. The slave was able to get some sympathetic lawyers on board and they sued his masters for not allowing him to be free. Now I'm not going to go into all the details but basically the process takes several years and lands the case. Dred Scott V Stanford, in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court rules in an overwhelming majority that Scott never had any legal right as property to take it into the court of law and neither does any person of negroe descent. The real doozie is what they implemented at the end where they said that slavery is now legal in the rest of the United States territories. Now you can own a slave anywhere in America and its legal."

"So? Seems like a pretty sound arguement to me. Shouldn't that be the end of it?"

"That's what I thought to until the whole United States flipped their shit in the aftermath. The south went into a multitude of celebrations while the North and the Republicans, those name-stealing bastards in America not my people mind you, started throwing a hissy fit and vowed to somehow fight this ruling and limit the spread of slavery. What you've got now is Kansas going to hell, politicians in Washington literally killing each other over it, North and South moving further to separation, and a growing movement calling for Douglas' head to restore the natural order. What's worse for us is the fact that many in the Galveston Stock Exchange have been signalling that a Panic could soon erupt in America due to all of this and it may slow our economic growth. Look, Sam, I've been writing with my cousins in Georgia and from the way things stand it looks as though there may be blood next election if some yahoo from the Republicans makes it into office. People over there are even talking of secession from America entirely."

"Good Lord that's terrible. I remember the same exact feeling of dread back in the Nullification Crisis. While I retired from Tennesse politics I had wanted to get back in for a time to support Andrew in the Senate in case South Carolina tried to pull some stupid rebellion. Those redneck fuckers are always up to something, Van Buren's assassination just proves that. While I will pray for my relatives back in America it's not like this is entirely news to me. I still follow the papers on activities in the states from time to time. It's not like this is going to affect us. Unless...you think it will. You don't really think our people would start a Civil War for slavery would you?"

"At this point I don't really know. Of course we don't have any problems with the legality since slavery is legal from the Gulf to the Pacific. It's not like there's any big fight to spread it anyhow since the slaves tend to stay in Texas while everything west of the Rio Grande is either unsuitable for the practice or is full of people who don't support it. I just worry if we don't do something know then it may come to bite us in the ass later. I've noticed a disturbing trend in recent years. All across the world, or at least in western civilization, nations have been continually enforcing the abolishment of slavery from their lands for the past couple decades. The only states left in the world who actively support it are us, America, Brazil, and Spain. As you know the U.S is going crazy right now while some people in the Imperial government and the Spanish nobility are trying to move towards emancipation. Hell the Russian Czar is looking to emancipate his serfs. If nothing happens now then soon we will be the only slave country left in the entire world at this rate. Making us an international pariah while waking up those anti-slavery forces and making them more radical in attempts to eliminate it."

"But the real question of the day is who would initiate that movement. Aren't your Republicans known for being the party of abolition like the Americans?"

"No, well yes, I mean...It's complicated. Since my election there has been absolutely nothing in the official party platform that supports the emancipation of slavery. Hell half of our guys in Austin own slaves. The problem is that our electorate feels the opposite way. The Tejanos, Germans, Catholics, Chinese, yes we're getting that vote if you're wondering, are all anti-slavery and have certain members within each race who advocate for creating an amendment to ban it. So far no one really gives a damn since it's legal everywhere while Texas doesn't have a pure plantation economy like the Deep South. With these new developments in America however, it looks as though those people are getting more support on both sides of the political spectrum.'

"So you're saying Mirabeau that you want to support the emancipation of slaves?"

"Oh Lord no. It's not that I want it to happen, I just have a feeling that no matter what it will happen. Now I treat my slaves right just like any master should have and all of my education policies apply in the same towards free blacks just like whites and the like. Coming from Georgia it's just that slave's have been a fundamental part of our lifestyle for years and they are good at taking care of the estate while I'm off doing business in Austin or elsewhere. Sure I can pay them for a cheap price if they're free, but I don't see why not when they're already doing a damn good job as it is."

"I can understand your situation. Peggy and I have owned a few families of slaves for years and they've all been extremely loyal dedicated parts of the household. Joe being a fine example. Some say that we are evil for essentially owning blacks but never once have I abused or whipped my slaves for doing something wrong, it's entirely counterproductive towards your work. I treat them well for their work and have given them three square meals and a roof for all their lives I'm content with the status quo but it seems as though the world doesn't agree with me. If you don't exactly want to emancipate slaves Mirabeau but you see it as inevitable then what do you suggest is the next course of action."

"Well this may sound weird but I propose that we enact certain reforms to the system. Nothing that will eliminate it, but please those abolitionists who whine about it every damn day. We can enact basic stuff like giving slaves the right to read and right, stopping the slave trade with the States, letting free blacks settle in Texas without requesting permission from the government, stuff like that. I've been discussing with members of the party in Austin and most are somewhat agreeable to these ideas. I also spoke to Crockett and he'll say he will support any legislation so long as it doesn't overthrow the system without any care."

"But these ideas that you're proposing. They're so radical that no plantation owner in their right mind would agree. We'll see plenty of protests and disobedience over the law's passing and may have to call in the Rangers to restore order."

"Yes, that's all true. However, if we take baby steps like this then it will buy us enough time to solve the issue without delving into a civil war and we can undergo the process of emancipation without any race wars om the process. We've managed to create a very unique melting pot in this here country. And I don't want to destroy the peace over slavery of all things. So Sam, can I rely on you to get in contact with members of the Western Union? While you didn't found the party they basically treated you as the Texan Washington so they'll listen to whatever the hell you have to say."

Houston thought long and hard for several moments over this proposal. If he agreed then he would be going against the status quo and could be bringing Texas into massive strife and conflict. Yet, listening to Lamar the man did have several good points. It would be bitter to cause a little bit of disorder now then have to suffer immense bloodshed later. "All right, I'll agree to this plan of yours. However we get the people involved in a referendum to support this or I won't go any further. It's essential to get the popular support behind us so that way the nation isn't divided in half like America."

"Glad to hear that. Looks like my days long trip here wasn't for naught. If you don't mind I'd like to pour myself that glass of whiskey now. All this talk of slaves and Civil Wars makes me want to get drunk." said Lamar as he lit himself a cigar.

"I can raise you a glass to that."

A/N: There you have it folks. The start of Texas' trials with slavery. Leave a comment below on the chapter as I'm curious to see your viewpoints on the stance I'm taking. The next narrative will most likely come on Friday. Also VOTE NOW FOR THE 2017 TURTLEDOVES! Click the link on the right to vote for Lone Star Republic to become Best Colonization and Revolutions Timeline: https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...-colonialism-revolutions-era-timeline.409386/