Secession and Texas in the Civil War
What economic difference made slavery more important to Texas and other Southern states vs the Northern states?
The South relied on agriculture and cotton plantations using enslaved labor, while the North relied on industry and factories.
What event is considered the official start of the Civil War? What date was this event?
The Battle of Fort Sumter - April 12, 1861
Explain the FREE CITIZENS VOTE acronym by detailing the amendments involved and what they accomplished.
FREE - 13th Amendment. Ratified in 1865. It abolished slavery in the United States.
CITIZENS - 14th Amendment. Ratified in 1868. It granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States and equal protection under the law.
VOTE - 15th Amendment. Ratified in 1870. It gave African American men the right to vote.
Who were the Buffalo Soldiers, and what role did they play in Texas?
African American soldiers who fought in the Indian Wars and served to protect settlers expanding west.
List the three famous cattle drives from our notes and detail which ones went through Indian Territory.
Chisholm Trail (Indian Territory)
Great Western Trail (Indian Territory)
Goodnight-Loving Trail
What political event in 1860 convinced many Southern states that slavery might be abolished, leading them to secede?
The Election of 1860 / Election of Abraham Lincoln.
Which battle was a turning point in the war, where the North started to gain more momentum?
The Battle of Gettysburg
What was the most significant lasting contribution of the Freedmen's Bureau?
He is considered the last Comanche chief. He fought against westward expansion during the Red River War. When he surrendered to the U.S. Army, he led his people to the reservations in OK, marking the end of Native resistance in Texas. He encouraged his people to assimmilate to American culture and helped bridge relationships between Native Americans and White Americans.
Describe some of the problems and hazards faced by cowboys during the cattle drives.
Bandits and rustlers stole cattle
Quarantine laws were created due to trampled crops and diseased cattle
Rainstorms, Stampedes, Extreme Heat, Rattlesnakes, River Crossings, Attacks by Natives
Why was Sam Houston removed from his office as governor of Texas?
He refused to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederacy and opposed secession
What battle split the Confederacy in two? Why was this important?
The Siege and Battle of Vicksburg. It limited the Confederacy's ability to move supplies and troops. This was a part of the Anaconda Plan.
Explain the importance of the date June 19, 1865.
This is Juneteenth. On that day, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order No. 3. The order announced that all enslaved people in Texas were free, as per the promises in the Emancipation Proclamation.
Explain how the end of the buffalo impacted the Plains Natives.
The destruction of the buffalo removed the Plains tribes’ main source of food, clothing, shelter, and trade. Without it, many Native groups were weakened, faced starvation, and were forced onto reservations, ending their traditional way of life.
What were the effects of the railroad boom in Texas?
More areas were settled, and towns were created
Texas became more connected to the rest of the country
Goods could be shipped more easily out of the state (businesses flourished/more economic opportunities)
Towns bypassed by the railroads died out
Cattle drives became obsolete
List the three battles fought in Texas and their importance.
Battle of Galveston - they gained back control of Galveston port
Battle of Sabine Pass - the Confederates were able to fight back the Union, giving them a confidence boost
Battle of Palmito Ranch - it was the very last battle of the CW, fought after the war was technically over
What was the first major battle of the war?
The Battle of Bull Run
In what way could you connect the Black Codes and the KKK?
They both worked to limit the freedoms of African Americans during Reconstruction. The Black Codes restricted rights through laws. The KKK restricted rights through violence, intimidation, and voter fraud.
What were the effects of the Indian Wars in Texas?
Native Americans in Texas moved onto the reservations in Oklahoma
Opened the West Texas to railroads, farmers, and ranchers
The cattle industry exploded … with the buffalo gone, cattlemen now had huge areas in which to raise cattle
How did windmills, the steel plow, and barbed wire support westward expansion for farmers and ranchers in West Texas?
Windmills provided water for crops, livestock, and people.
The steel plow allowed farmers to easily put their crops in the ground.
Barbed wire allowed farmers to keep cattle out of their crops and ranchers to keep their cattle in.
All of these innovations helped support westward expansion by making life easier and more profitable in West Texas, encouraging people to move to the region.
In what ways did Texas economically help the Confederacy during the war?
Traded with other countries (and Mexico) through Mexico.
Since not much fighting occurred in Texas, they could focus on farming food and cotton for the Confederacy, as well as use what little factories they had to manufacture supplies for the front lines.
What was the purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation?
This document, passed on Jan 1, 1863, freed the slaves in the Confederate states.
Explain what sharecropping is and how it affected poor black and white people in the South.
It is a system in which landowners allow people to use their land and equipment to farm in exchange for a large share of the harvested crop (often 50% or more).
It created a cycle of debt and poverty, binding poor black and white farmers to the land and restricting their economic mobility.
How did Americans justify westward expansion, removing the Natives, and placing them on reservations?
Manifest Destiny
They believed they legally owned the land, so it was their right to remove them.
They viewed the Natives as dangerous savages that needed to be removed for safety.
Explain what caused the end of the cattle drives and open range in Texas.
The expansion of the railroad in Texas made the cattle drives obsolete, since cattle could be shipped by rail across the Texas plains. The invention of barbed wire led farmers and ranchers to secure their property and separate livestock by fencing off their lands. This ended the “open range” system, where cattle roamed freely across the plains.