He was born near Alexandria,Louisiana to a female slave owned by the Martin Despallier family.
He taught himself to read from a white boy who smuggled in books.This boy may have been young Blaz Despallier,who lived on the estate and would later become the heir of Alamo Hero Charles Despallier,his uncle.After being sold from the Despallier family,Matthew escaped from his new owner in Louisiana to Arkansas,and eventually made it to New Orleans where he was captured and returned to his master.In 1859,he was sold to Christopher Columbus Hearne where he remained until 1863 when he tried to flee to Mexico.He was caught again and was forced to work as a runaway slave in Fredericksburg,Texas until the end of the war.
After the 1863 emancipation was finally officially announced in Texas on June 19,1865,Matthew settled in Washington County,where he established himself as a leader of the freedmen, both as a Baptist preacher and politician.
In 1869,Matthew was elected as a Senator of the Texas's 16th district in the Twelfth Texas Legislature.He gained a reputation for being a guardian of the African-Texans.Throughout his term,he addressed the issues of public education,prison reform,the protection of African American voters,and tenant farming reformation.Matthew passionately and unflaggingly supported the forward movement that established the first public school system for all Texans and assisted in allowing Texas to take advantage of the federal Grant College Act,also known as the Morrill Act.
In 1870,Matthew played played a strategic role in passing the Milita Bill,which created a state police force to combat lawlessness and to protect against voter intimidation.Even through his actions were sincere,Senator Gaines was generally a threat to the Democrats and even some Republicians found him troublesome.Matthew was elected to a six-year term to the Senate,he only served four years.Denounced on the Senate floor by a Democratic opponent as a " flat-footer [sic] nigger" and threatened with death outside the legislature by racist whites,Matthew was indicted in 1871 on a charge of bigamy,causing his seat to be challenged.He was removed from office despite the fact that the charge was overturned.In 1875,he was arrested for making a civil rights speech in Giddings.He told his audience that "in the eyes of God,blacks are as good as whites; they should have pride and hold their heads up even in troubled times." He continued to be active in politics and made his political views in conventions,public gatherings,and from his pulpit.
After the 1863 emancipation was finally officially announced in Texas on June 19,1865,Matthew settled in Washington County,where he established himself as a leader of the freedmen, both as a Baptist preacher and politician.
In 1869,Matthew was elected as a Senator of the Texas's 16th district in the Twelfth Texas Legislature.He gained a reputation for being a guardian of the African-Texans.Throughout his term,he addressed the issues of public education,prison reform,the protection of African American voters,and tenant farming reformation.Matthew passionately and unflaggingly supported the forward movement that established the first public school system for all Texans and assisted in allowing Texas to take advantage of the federal Grant College Act,also known as the Morrill Act.
In 1870,Matthew played played a strategic role in passing the Milita Bill,which created a state police force to combat lawlessness and to protect against voter intimidation.Even through his actions were sincere,Senator Gaines was generally a threat to the Democrats and even some Republicians found him troublesome.Matthew was elected to a six-year term to the Senate,he only served four years.Denounced on the Senate floor by a Democratic opponent as a " flat-footer [sic] nigger" and threatened with death outside the legislature by racist whites,Matthew was indicted in 1871 on a charge of bigamy,causing his seat to be challenged.He was removed from office despite the fact that the charge was overturned.In 1875,he was arrested for making a civil rights speech in Giddings.He told his audience that "in the eyes of God,blacks are as good as whites; they should have pride and hold their heads up even in troubled times." He continued to be active in politics and made his political views in conventions,public gatherings,and from his pulpit.
No comments:
Post a Comment