Key to Texas

The Civil War and Reconstruction: 1861-1875

  1. Causes of the War
  2. The Civil and Fighting Texans
  3. Presidential Reconstruction
  4. Ex-Confederate Backlash

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Causes of the War

  1. What did differences in the lifestyles of the North and the South affect their views on slavery?(7.5:A)
       
    In the North, business became more industrialized, making the use of slave labor obsolete. Factory owners could hire wage laborers more cheaply than they could maintain slave gangs.
        Things were much different in the South. Slave labor was still in large demand in the southern states, as many industries were directly related to cotton production. Though most people lived on small farms in the South, owners of the largest plantations wielded great political power over the region.
  2. Who were the abolitionists?(7.5:A)
       
    Abolitionists called for the immediate emancipation of all slaves in the United States, without compensation to the current owners. 
  3. How did the western expansion of the United States  increase the debate over slavery?(7.5:A)
       
    As more people migrated westward, the slavery issue became even more controversial. Northerners wanted to prevent slavery from spreading to the Western territories, and Southerners believed that they maintained the right to carry their slaves into the West.
  4. What were the differences in views about state versus federal rights between the North and the South?(7.5:A)
       
    Many Southerners strongly believed that the federal government was created by the states; therefore, the states were more powerful than the federal government. Based on their beliefs, Southerners argued that the people of the states could themselves choose which federal laws to obey. Southerners feared that the national government would take away their right to own slaves. Conversely, Northerners felt strongly that the federal government maintained power over the states, especially regarding the slavery issue.
  5. Why were most Texans in favor of slavery?(7.5:A)
       
    Given that many of them had migrated from the South, many Texans felt strongly about keeping their slaves. They did not plan on giving up their slaves without a fight. Though a majority of the Texans did not own slaves, they sided with the slave owners because they believed that the national government did not maintain the constitutional right to outlaw slavery in their state. 
  6. Why was Sam Houston against secession?
       
    Houston strongly urged Texas to remain in the Union, warning that secession would only lead to a bloody war that the South could not win.
  7. When did Texas secede from the Union?(7.1:C)
       
    February, 1861.

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Fighting Texans: Confederates and Unionists

  1. What happened in 1861? (7.1:C)
       
    Texas seceded from the Union.
  2. How many Texans served in the Confederate and Union armies?
       
    60,000 Texans served in the Confederate army, more than 2,000 men left the state to fight in the Union army.
  3. Name two Confederate units from Texas.
       
    One of the most famous cavalry units from the state was Terry�s Texas Rangers. One of the most noted infantry units from Texas was Hood�s Texas Brigade.
  4. Who was Milton Holland?
       
    Milton Holland was a black soldier born in Texas. He won the Congressional Medal of Honor for courage and valor during the Battle of Chaffin�s Farm, Virginia, in 1864.
  5. Why was Galveston considered an important city to the Confederate cause?
       
    Galveston was a port city that was used to conduct trade with foreign countries which was vital to the Confederate cause.
  6. Name three civil war battles that were fought on Texas soil.
       
    Battle of Galveston, Battle of Sabine Pass and the Battle of Palmito Ranch
  7. How did the civil war affect the Texas economy?(7.5:B)
       
    A Union blockade of the Texas coast gradually had an adverse effect on the state�s economy. Many of the goods once shipped to merchants in Texas could not be found in the state after the start of the war. Such items included dresses, shoes, suits and other similar items. Scarcity of goods brought about high prices. Soon many citizens in Texas could not longer afford to buy those few goods that were available. Paper and paper products were scarce. That forced many newspapers to close their doors. Salt and medicine were also hard to find items. 
        To produce goods needed for the war, Texas established new industries. Workers made ammunition, rifles and cannons in factories located in Austin, Marshal and Tyler. Iron foundries were built in Jefferson and Rusk. Inmates at the Huntsville prison produced a million and half yards of cloth per year. Smaller industries made saddles, tents and other wartime supplies. These items were shipped regularly to the east until Union forces took control of the Mississippi River, which made it more difficult to transport military goods to other Confederate states.
  8. What did women do while the men were away at the war front?(7.5:B)
       
    The Texas home front, though protected from military battles, took its toll on women who were left behind by their men to maintain family businesses, especially small farms. Women also worked in small factories or in their home. They made uniforms, bandages, and medical supplies for the soldiers on the front lines.
  9. When did Texas learn about Robert E. Lee�s surrender?
       
    Texans did not learn about the Army of Virginia�s surrender until nearly a month after the event.

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Presidential Reconstruction

  1. What were two significant outcomes of the Civil War?(7.5:B)
       
    The Civil War had two significant outcomes for all Americans. First, all the Southern states would remain part of the United States. Second, the slaves were emancipated.
  2. What is significant about the date, June 19, 1865? What is this date called today?(7.5:B)
       
    On June 19, 1865, Union Genera, Gordon Granger landed at Galveston and ordered all the slaves in Texas freed. Since then, Emancipation Day, is known in Texas as "Juneteenth."
  3. What was the Freedman�s Bureau? What was its greatest success?(7.5:B)
       
    To ensure the safety of the ex-slaves, the federal government created a new agency, the Freedmen�s Bureau. Bureau agents aided the freedmen in their transition to freedom. In Texas, the bureau issued food and clothing to poor African-Americans and helped them search for jobs, mostly on rural farms. The bureau continuously tried to make sure African- Americans obtained fair labor agreements with plantation owners.
        The bureau�s greatest success, however, was in education. As a result of the bureau�s activities, African- Americans now had access to schoolhouses and teachers. When the bureau left the state in 1870, there were more than 6,500 black students attending schools in the state.
  4. Under President Andrew Johnson�s plan of reconstruction, what steps were required for a southern state to be readmitted to the Union?(7.5:B)
       
    Under President Johnson�s plan, the southern states were required to complete several steps before being restored to their former status in the United States. The first step of the plan called for the creation of provisional governments in all the former Confederate states. These provisional governments were required to meet several conditions. First, the ex-Confederate states had to officially end slavery. Next, they had to declare secession illegal. Adult white males also had to take an oath of allegiance to the United States government.
        Furthermore, men who had been officials in the Confederate government or high-ranking army officers had to request a pardon from the president before they could take part in the government again. A final stipulation was that the states had to agree that any state debt acquired during the war would go unpaid. Once the states met these conditions, they could then create new constitutions and hold elections. After which, the state governments would function as they had prior to the war.
  5. Who was Andrew Jackson Hamilton?
       
    The Unionist Andrew Jackson Hamilton was appointed the provisional governor of Texas in June 1865. Hamilton had left Texas at the outbreak of the war and had served as a general in the Union army.

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Ex-Confederate Backlash

  1. What issues did the Texas Constitution of 1866 fail to address?(7.5:B)
       
    The Constitution did not formally ratify the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibited slavery and it did not grant blacks equal rights with whites.
  2. Who was elected governor under the Constitution of 1866?
       
    James W. Throckmorton
  3. Who were the Radical Republicans?(7.5:B)
       
    The Radical Republicans wanted to give full and immediate citizenship rights to the former slaves. The Radical Republicans were angry that the Southern states were allowed to elect former Confederates to hold state and national offices, such actions seem to suggest to them that the war had been meaningless.
  4. What were the "Black Codes" passed by the legislature?(7.5:B)
       
    These codes were a series of laws that oppressed the freedmen. For example, if a freedman did not have a job, then he could be put into jail as a vagrant. The black codes restricted African-American movement within the South, and placed the freedmen under white control once again.
  5. What was the purpose of the Military Districts established by Congress after the Civil War?(7.5:B)
       
    The Military Districts were formed when the state governments of the south were declared illegal. They also protected the rights of African-Americans in the south.
  6. Who was in charge of the Fifth Military District?
       
    Gen. Phillip Sheridan
  7. What was the first official act performed by General Sheridan?(7.5:B)
       
    One of the first acts of General Sheridan was the dismissal of Governor Throckmorton from public office on July 30, 1867. Having relieved Throckmorton of the governorship, Sheridan filled the vacancy with long-time Unionist Elisha M. Pease.
  8. What were the "obnoxious acts?"(7.5:B)
       
    The "obnoxious acts" allowed the governor could declare martial law, or military rule, which Governor Davis believed was necessary in maintaining law and order in the state. Also, the new laws created a state police force to fight crime and protect the frontier. 
  9. What were some of the key provisions of the Constitution of 1869?(7.5:B)
       
    The Constitution of 1869 gave former Confederates and the freedmen the right to vote. It also gave the governor the right to appoint certain state officials and judges. In addition, the constitution extended the governor�s term in office from two to four years. Finally, the state legislature was instructed to meet annually, not once every two years as it had done previously. The new constitution also established the basis for an improved public school system in Texas.
  10. After voters elected Richard Coke to the governorship, what steps did Governor Davis take to keep his office? What steps did Richard Coke�s supporters take to make sure he was sworn in as governor?
       
    Governor Davis ordering the state militia to guard the state capitol to prevent the newly elected Governor from taking over. In the dead of night on January 12, 1874, Democrats entered the capitol building by using ladders to climb to the second story of the building. Once inside, the group organized the legislature, and under the threats of violence from Davis� assembled troops, Richard Coke was sworn in as governor of Texas on January 15, 1874. 

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