Texas and the Civil War
On what date did Texas officially secede from the Union?
February 2, 1861
What event is considered the official start of the Civil War? What date was this event?
The Battle of Fort Sumter - April 12, 1861
Which side had a larger population, and why did that matter?
The Union - It mattered because they had more soldiers and workers to support the war.
What document freed enslaved people in Confederate states? What date was it enforced?
The Emancipation Proclamation - January 1, 1863
When did Reconstruction officially end?
May 1, 1887. Removal of federal troops from the South.
Which Texas governor was removed from office after secession, and why?
Sam Houston - He would not swear loyalty to the Confederacy.
Explain the three parts of the Anaconda Plan.
1. Blockade Confederate ports to cut off supplies from reaching the South
2. Divide the Confederacy in two by taking the Mississippi River
3. Raise an army to take Richmond, VA
Who was the President of the Confederacy during the war?
Jefferson Davis
What amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery?
How did the Ku Klux Klan undermine Reconstruction?
They used violence, intimidation, and voter suppression to undermine the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.
Why is the Battle of Palmito Ranch historically unique?
It was the last battle of the Civil War, fought after the war had already ended.
Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point?
It stopped the Confederate invasion of the North and shifted momentum to the Union.
Explain how the North's larger network of railroads helped them during the war.
The North's larger network of railroads helped it resupply its armies with soldiers and supplies faster than the South, giving it a major advantage.
How did the 14th Amendment change citizenship?
It granted citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the U.S. (except Native Americans).
How did the Freedmen's Bureau help former slaves adapt to their new lives as free people?
By providing food, shelter, education, medicine, and help in locating lost family members across the country.
Battle of Galveston
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.
Why did the South have more motivation than the North at the beginning of the war?
Southerners were fighting for their way of life, homes, and families, while Northerners were fighting to keep the country together. To many Northerners, this was not a good enough reason to kill and die for.
Why did women’s rights activists oppose the 15th Amendment?
It did not give women the right to vote, only African American men.
What were Black Codes designed to do?
To limit the freedom of African Americans.
In what ways did Texas' geography help the Confederacy during the war?
1. Because they were the only Confederate state connected to Mexico, they could conduct foreign trade through Mexico.
2. Because they were far away from most fighting, they could focus on farming to sustain the Confederacy.
What was the first major battle of the war?
Battle of Bull Run
When and where did General Robert E. Lee surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant, ending the Civil War?
Appomattox Courthouse, VA - April 9, 1865
What holiday is celebrated to commemorate when General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which enforced the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas?
Juneteenth (June 19, 1865)
It is a system in which landowners allowed people to use their land and equiment 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.