“…since Texas was neither a country nor a state at that point…”

I'm with Kendall on this. It was a country, it was the sovereign state of Mexico; Mexico became a republic—and outlawed slavery—in 1824. Settlers had been invited into Northeast Mexico (Texas) to spur development. It was the abolition of slavery that spurred the fight for independence. Those guys were fighting to defend the right to maintain slavery.

      - Mark