War Between the States The Civil War was one of America’s bloodiest conflicts. 2 % of the population of the United States, or 620,000 men lost their lives in the Civil War. Conflicts between the North and South states eventually led to the war. In December 1820, South Carolina seceded from the United States. Afterward, many states in the North followed its example and broke away from America, including Texas. Once Texas seceded, many dangers would face them. In the end, Texas seceded and joined the Confederate States of America, but the question remains, why did Texas choose to rebel in the Civil war? The reason Texas rebelled during the Civil War was because of their devotion to Texas, state’s rights and slavery. One of the reasons the Texans decided to fight in the Civil war was because of their commitment to Texas. For example, a member of the Texan Rangers, John Wesley Rabb wrote a letter to his Ma saying “We hear that the Yanks are in Wharton County. The boys are talking about it now. I think that most of the Rangers wanto be in Texas.”- [Doc D] In the quote, he is telling his mother that the majority of the Texas Rangers want to stay and fight for Texas. The reason the Texans wanted to stay was because of their strong dedication to Texas. …show more content…
Texans believed that each State should have their own rights and powers rather than the federal government. For instance, O.M. Roberts, the president of the Texas Secession Convention states that, “The crisis upon us involves not only the right of self government, but the maintenance of a great principle in the laws of nations…”-[Doc C] O.M. Roberts is stating that, it is a crisis that there are no state rights.The Texans though it wasn’t right to give all the power to the federal government. When the government refused the suggestion, it enraged
At first, Mexicans welcomed them to stay. The number of Texans had expanded quickly and outnumbered the Mexican population. By 1830s, 20,000 settlers lived in Texas. However, somehow, Texans and Mexicans could not get along due to many reasons. The Mexican government wanted to do the crazy things.
Texas, nicknamed “The Lone star State”, has always been very unique compared to any other state in the United States of America. Texas have a sense of great pride in where they come from. Texans hold their heads a just a little higher than anyone else. Texas is the second largest state in the U.S., Texans have their own pledge of allegiance to the state flag, and is the only state whose flag is permitted to fly as high as the American flag. So, why is it that Texans take so much pride in their own state? Texans take great pride in their state because at one point before Texas was a state belonging to the United States, it was its own country. This is how Texas got its name as the “Lone star” State. In nineteenth century, Texas fought many battles against Mexico and its leader Santa Anna, to gain Independence from the country. After many hostel wars and lives lost, Texas made a break through at the Battle of San Jacinto and conquered the Mexican government in the year 1836, becoming the new Republic of Texas. It then remained Independent for almost ten years. Our Independence and history of secession runs through our veins. The topic is a reoccurring one when it comes to politics. In recent years, there have been talks if Texas should secede from the United States again like they did in 1836. According to a poll in 2009, it showed that “50% Republicans, 40% Independents, and 15% Democrats believed that Texas should stand as an independent nation.” “338157 Texans have already
Why did the Southern states separate from the Union? In the 1850’s Southern States had different views of the Union. In the 1850’s Northern states and Southern states had a lot of differences. Southern states were adamant about having slavery and Northern states thought slavery was appalling and terrible and that it should be abolished.The two states also fought over economic differences because the North made a living based on factories and the South made a living based on slaves. They also fought over government power, the South thought they deserved more power than the Federal Government. Therefore it led to the Civil War. Southern States seceded from the Union because of slavery, economic differences and issues over government power.
Texas has always been an individualistic state. Since the Alamo to the decision to leave the Union and stubbornly retain traditions, morals, and ideas to this day. After the Civil War, Texas went under radical reconstruction. This was a military rule in which Texas functioned under a military government that made a constitution that made the government more centralized, provided compulsory school attendance, and guaranteed a full range of rights for former slaves. By far, this constitution was a great stride forward in civil rights and made the government more efficient. However, white Southerners were extremely angered by this because of their racist attitudes and stubbornness. When reconstruction ended, white Texans quickly took back the
Have you ever fought for something you believed in? There was a war where many states that were fighting for their rights and what they believed in. They all had different opinions, but many states fought together to become stronger. Texans fought in the Civil War because their love for Texas and their family, for states’ rights, and to protect the slaves.
The Constitution of 1876 is the constitution by which Texas lives by. Even after its 467 amendments, the Texas Constitution is still similar to the original document from 1876. The purpose of the constitution was because Texas wanted to have protection for various private interests. The people of Texas were motivated to limit the powers of state government and wanted to be sure they would avoid the abuse of government powers they once witnessed during the Reconstruction phase. The constitution has had some influences. Going back to when Texas was governed by Spain and then by Mexico, we still have sections in the constitution that deals with land titles and land law, debtor relief, judicial procedures, marital relations and adoptions, and water and mineral rights. Back in 1827, the constitution of the state of Coahuila y Tejas had provided a unicameral legislature but didn’t have a bill of rights. Texas at the time did not adopt the required Catholicism into their constitution, although they added to recognize slavery. In 1836 when Texas became independent it adopted the Republic Constitution of 1836. Texas then established a unitary form of government, freedom of religion, property rights protection, and legal recognition of slavery. When Texas became a state it reflected on traditionalistic southern culture. It
Every Texan knows the legends of Stephen F. Austin that lead him to become the “Father of Texas.” Few Texas would try to say anyone else deserves this honor even though Texas is not short of larger than life legends. Such names include Lorenzo Zavala, Thomas Rusk, Juan Seguin, William Travis, James Bowie, and Sam Houston. Even “In his eulogy for Austin, Houston called him, "The Father of Texas"” (Areas of Interest). But despite this many would argue that Houston deserves the title.
One of the first battles fought in the Texas Revolution was the Battle of Concepcion, a Texian victory but one that demonstrated the relative small numbers involved. The entire Texian force was about 100 volunteers, while the Mexican force number just 300. But even as the Texians were involved in fierce battles against Mexican forces, the representatives of the various regions of Texas were divided over whether to demand full independence, or simply a return to the Constitution of 1824 which had been overthrown. The Texian delegates eventually compromised on a resolution which stated that they had the right to declare independence because the government of Santa Anna had destroyed the social contract which held Texas as a part of Mexico. This
One reason that Texas fought in the civil war was to protect state rights. Abraham lincoln did not want any states to secede saying “ I hold that...the union of these states is perpetual….(N)o state upon its own mere motion, can lawfully get out of the union”(Document c). But the state disagreed saying that the state was taking their rights away which
“...no one state can force another state to either remain in it or withdraw from it.” (Doc C) People in the South believed that they had their own rights, but the president said otherwise. Southerners (including Texans) had a strong desire for the power to give their state specific laws.
In August 1859, the citizens of Texas elected Sam Houston as their governor. The result of this election placed the Unionists in control of the state, but in just eighteen months’ individual events or circumstances allowed the secessionists to regain power. Following the 1859 Gubernatorial election, the secessionists sought to restore political and social power in Texas over the Unionists. Texas’ one party system continued to support the other Southern states ideologically in dealing with slavery despite cultural and economic differences between the Upper and Lower South. Sam Houston’s continued popularity among Texas citizens temporarily outweighed his support for Unionist views, but the Southern Democratic propaganda machine eventually led to his defeat. Texas became the only state to bring a vote of secession to the people of the state and historians continue to debate the voting returns from the referendum on the Ordinance of Secession, 1861. The secession movement in Texas became a hotly debated topic as past, and present historians determined how the secessionists obtained enough power to overcome the Unionist-controlled government.
The U.S. state of Texas declared its secession from the United States of America on February 1, 1861, and joined the Confederate states on March 2, 1861, after it replaced its governor, Sam Houston, when he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. As with those of other States, the Declaration was not recognized by the United States government at Washington. Some Texan military units fought in the Civil War east of the Mississippi River but Texas was most useful for supplying soldiers and horses for Confederate forces. Texas' supply role lasted until mid-1863, after which time Union gunboats controlled the Mississippi River, making large transfers of men, horses or cattle impossible. Some cotton was sold in Mexico, but most
This research assignment goes through the idea of Texas seceding from the United States. The introduction goes through a thorough explanation of the history of Texas and the many difficult challenges the territory had to face in becoming a state. The first idea implemented is how many times Texas has seceded and the reasons for seceding. The next follows information on why Texas would be better off seceding from the United States and why it should have stayed as a Republic. In contrast, the similar idea develops advantages and disadvantages of having Texas seceded from the Union. As a result, it then transitions into another idea, is Texas better off with staying with the United States after all. In that slide it also talks about how the Texas
For fear of the northerns’’ and abolitionists, neither Jackson or Van Buren dared to push hard for annexation. Though the reasons for ending slavery were not their prime concern. If Texas was admitted into the union the new slave state would wreck the hard won balance of slave and free states in the Senate. Thus giving the south an advantage over the north. The abolitionists believed that this would eventually lead to the south pushing for laws inferior of their ways of life, being new slave laws, and disunion in the country.(Haley) Once Texas is annexed its territory could become as many as 11 new slave states with 22 new pro-slavery senators. This would be a political nightmare for the north’s anti-slavery politations.
One of the key factor contributing to the Civil War was States Rights. This refers to the struggle between federal government and individual states over political power. One side argued for greater state’s rights and those arguing felt that the Federal Government needed to have more control over states. The states felt they should have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts. Meaning that states had the right to rule federal acts unconstitutional. The federal government denied states this right. When nullification would not work and states felts that they were no longer respected, they moved towards secession from the Union. The southern people were viewed as democratic and depended slaves for the plantations, they were devoted to agriculture and shipped cotton up north and favored low tariffs.