Timeline
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1839
Austin (formerly known as Waterloo) is designated as the capital city of the Republic of Texas.
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1845
The United States annexes Texas as a slave-state.
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1859
Hightower Theodore Kealing is born in Austin, Texas. Kealing was among the first generation of African Americans to attend public schools designated for African Americans. After graduating from high school, Kealing enrolls at Straight University in New Orleans, and later Tabor University in Iowa.
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1860
38% of Austin residents are enslaved African Americans.
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1861
Confederate troops fire shots at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, marking the start of the Civil War. Texas enters the Civil War conflict as a member of the Confederacy.
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1861
The Freedmen’s Aid Society is formed with the goal of providing education to freed Black men, women, and children following the end of the Civil War.
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1863
The Emancipation Proclamation is effective immediately per Executive Order.
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1865
Union troops arrive in Galveston, Texas, and announce the enforcement of Emancipation, sparking the national holiday “Juneteenth”. This also marks the beginning of the period of Reconstruction in Texas.
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1868
The 14th amendment is ratified, granting equal civil and legal rights to African American citizens.
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1870
The 15th amendment is ratified, granting voting rights to African American men.