The Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee (which consists of appointees by Mayor Nirenberg) hosted a live stream meeting on the History of Unfree Labor at and Around the Alamo on July 13, 2021. It is the fourth content discussion of their series.
Three Scholars from three Texas Universities speak about slavery in the 1800s. The discussion takes a deeper look into a lesser-known area of Alamo history; unfree labor. The term “unfree labor” is used because it encompasses the many labor systems and groups who are forced to labor and who are usually unable to change their circumstances.
Different labor systems forced Native Americans, Africans, and Europeans into unfree labor in North America. The discussion focuses on a few types of unfree labor and the inequalities that came with them.
Dr. Amy Porter is a professor of history at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and her research focuses on women in the Spanish borderlands. She discusses the Spanish caste system and Native American laborers.
Dr. Andrew Torget is a historian of 19th century North America at the University of North Texas where he holds the University Distinguished Teaching Professorship. He discusses the role and influence of slavery in the Texas Revolution.
Dr. Edmond Gordon is an associate professor of African and African diaspora studies and anthropology at University of Texas at Austin. He explains how life was like for an enslaved person during the Texas Revolution.
You can view their past and future meetings here: https://www.sanantonio.gov/ccdo/resources/alamo-plaza-advisory-committee#13880939-meetings
All future meetings will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be lived streamed at the City of San Antonio’s Youtube Channel.