Meshack R. Roberts was enslaved, worked as a blacksmith, became a minister in the Methodist church, and served as state legislator and Republican Party official in Texas. His slaveowner, O. B. Roberts moved him to Gilmer, Texas in 1844. He was a caretaker of Roberts family during the American Civil War and Roberts gave him and his family some land and materials for a log cabin after the war. Two years later he was attacked and left for dead by the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

in Gilmer, and moved to

Marshall, Texas Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population of M ...

after recovering. In Marshall, he worked as a blacksmith and was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister. He won a seat in the state legislature in the 1873 election to the Thirteenth Legislature as a representative for the Fifth District including Rusk County, Texas and

Harrison County, Texas Harrison County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 68,839. The county seat is Marshall. The county was created in 1839 and organized in 1842. It is named for Jon ...

, succeeding Mitchell Kendall. He won two subsequent terms in office, the last for the Tenth District, representing Harrison County. The Citizen's Party of Harrison County came to power in a disputed 1878 election as Democrats increasingly regained control after the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

ended and restored

white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...

. Illiterate, he was known for his speeches in the "camp meeting" style and being clear, logical and irresistible. He signed documents with an X. He was also a preacher and with his church helped establish

Wiley College Wiley College is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the oldest predominantly black col ...

. He was recorded as having a wife and daughter. He was honored by the 79th Texas Legislature in 2005, along with other early African-American legislators, for their service to Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Shack Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Year of birth missing Year of death missing 19th-century American slaves Methodists from Texas American blacksmiths 19th-century American artisans People from Rusk County, Texas People from Harrison County, Texas People from Upshur County, Texas African Americans in Texas 19th-century African-American politicians 19th-century American legislators African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era

See also

References