This photograph depicts enslaved people in the south working in cotton fields. This shows the type of agricultural labor that many, if not all enslaved people in East Texas, were subjected to before the Civil War. Since cotton was the main crop grown in Walker County, every enslaved person, whether child, woman, or man, were required to work the field. They planted, weeded, and harvested the cotton until their backs ached. Although not taken directly in Huntsville, it strongly depicts the labor system that helped fuel Huntsville’s economy. Local merchants, landowners, and public institutions greatly benefitted from this work.Download Original File
