The AFRICAN History of TEXAS Series: Part 1 — The GUERRERO DECREE
By: Black Jon
Tags: African American, Texas, Slavery, History, Featured

The Guerrero Decree

Vicente Ramon Guerrero Saldana was born on August 10, 1782 in the mountain town of Tixtla, Mexico. It’s a small town about 60 miles northeast of the beach and port city of Acapulco. He was born to a father who was a descendent of African slaves. His mother was indigenous, descended from the Aztec. Guerrero was described as possessing “bronze colored skin”. Indeed, he was “dark complected”, to the point where his nickname was “El Negro”.

Guerrero was birthed into humble beginnings. His father and uncles were, arrieros, or muleteers. Being an arriero did not open a way for someone of Guerrero’s caste to enter into the upper echelon of society. In fact, the profession was looked upon with disdain; and, it can be assumed that he was expecting to follow in the family tradition and be an arriero.

Despite his family’s lot in life, his father and uncles were loyal to Spain in Spanish occupied Mexico. But, Guerrero had an innate opposition to the Spanish occupation. In 1810, at the age of 22, Guerrero was working as a gunsmith when the call for Mexican Independence was exclaimed.

That November, Guerrero was compelled to join the revolution. He initially enlisted in the part of the rebellion that was battling in Southern Mexico. Through battlefield valiancy, Guerrero earned the rank of Lieutenant within two years of service. His personality, and ability to speak many dialects, afforded him the opportunity to lead many campaigns throughout the Southern regions; he won 491 battles during the rebellion. In 1815 he earned the title of “Commander in chief” of the rebel forces. Guerrero used influence and guerrilla tactics for a total of 11 years of fighting for Mexican freedom. In 1821, Mexico ultimately declared it’s independence from Spain.

Guerrero’s heart truly desired freedom. After Mexico established sovereignty, an emperor was installed. Guerrero could not last two years without rebelling against the establishment, and worked to install a representative government.

Guerrero’s history of military exploits and his charisma earned him political capital with the average Mexican citizen. However, his darker skin, and humble, african-indigenous heritage earned him scorn among the political elite. In the end, Guerrero’s expressions of Mexican freedom and decorated past won him trust and the presidency in 1828.

Nevertheless, his presidency would be rife with controversy and resistance. His cabinet was routinely questioned and ridiculed, namely due to adding other descendants of Africans to his team.

Coahuila y Texas was a large state in Northern Mexico during Guerrero’s presidency. Prior, Mexico implemented colonization laws to attract Europeans and American citizens to settle and develop Coahuila y Texas. Included in the recruitment were slave-holders from the American Southern states.

Slavery throughout the rest of Mexico was rare, and by this time, antiquated. Mexico had ingrained traditions of freeing slaves. However, to promote the economic development of Coahuila y Texas, newly arriving settlers with slaves were allowed to keep and control their property, full stop. American immigrants’ property was protected by the Mexican Constitution of 1824. The result was the explosion of the economy and population of Coahuila y Texas.

Not all Mexicans were happy about the rapid growth of Coahuila y Texas due to immigration. In particular, politician Jose M. Tornel. He understood the crux of the growth for the new settlers in Coahuila y Texas was their free labor.

For two years, Tornel introduced bills in Congress to emancipate all slaves throughout the country, specifically, Coahuila y Texas. Subversively, it was a campaign to free slaves and slow production in Coahuila y Texas. Every time a bill was submitted, it was met with agreeance and enthusiasm; but, a vote for a final resolution would never take place.

In August of 1829, the Spanish army landed on the Mexican coast and threatened Mexico’s fresh independence. As a response, Congress granted Guerrero dictatorial powers to combat the Spanish peril.

The state of Coahuila y Texas, whose citizens were born of the aftermath of the American Revolution, responded to Guerrero’s grant of power with immense skepticism. They believed the conflict to be too brief and benign for the drastic reaction.

Seeing an opportunity, Tornel appealed to Guerrero’s deep sense of freedom and implored the president to emancipate the nation’s slaves through an executive declaration. Historically, on Mexican Independence Day, the country ceremoniously freed a few slaves, bought specifically for the occasion. But, in 1829, slaves were so hard to come by, the ceremony could not even take place.

Consequently, Tornel influenced Guerrero to declare the emancipation of Mexico’s slaves, in place of the traditional Independence Day celebration. Guerrero agreed with the expressed reasons for the declaration, and moved to liberate the slaves.

On September 16, 1829, President Guerrero submitted the Guerrero Decree, officially freeing all slaves in Mexico, including Coahuila y Texas:

-1st. Slavery is abolished in the republic.

-2nd. Consequently, those who have been until now considered slaves are free.

-3rd. When the circumstances of the treasury may permit, the owners of the slaves will be indemnified in the mode that the laws may provide. And in order that every part of this decree may be fully complied with, let it be printed, published, and circulated. Given at the Federal Palace of Mexico, the 15th of September, 1829. Vicente Guerrero…

The response from Coahuila y Texas was expected. Prominent settlers and slave owners in Coahuila y Texas reached out to politically influential Texan, Stephen F. Austin, for guidance on how to proceed with the decree. Austin conferred with the equivalent of governors in Coahuila y Texas and the surrounding states. They drafted responses and resolutions that would reach Guerrero and expressed the potential danger of the decree.

Stephen F. Austin

Ultimately, from the threat of violent rebellion, Guerrero relented and turned a blind eye to the retention of slaves in Coahuila y Texas.

The aftermath of the Guerrero Decree would be too great for Guerrero and his administration to overcome. In less than two weeks after exempting Coahuila y Texas from the decree, Guerrero was deposed by his Vice President, Anastasio Bustamente. While battling for the presidency and his life, Guerrero was captured and executed on February 14, 1831.

The Guerrero Decree was the first of its kind and over 30 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. Vicente Guerrero was the second Mexican president, and the first black president in the Western Hemisphere. He was motivated, not by economic or immigration fears, but by a love of country and a knowledge of self.

In the years after Guerrero’s death, there was a concerted effort to hide his true, African heritage. Studies have discovered, that as the years progressed, the lightening of Guerrero’s skin is evident in painted portraits. After Mexican independence, as evidenced throughout Guerrero’s presidency, racial prejudice against descendents of Africa was escalated, influencing the “whitewashing” of Guerrero’s history.

Very soon after his execution, Guerrero was considered a Mexican hero. He is also an abolitionist pioneer. The state in which he was born, and many Mexican towns, are titled after his surname.