Chapter 15 Notes

Reconstruction

Emancipation

Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863

Freed all slaves in the Confederate States, but they ignored the order General Gordon Granger landed
 in Galveston on June 19, 1865 with the Union army, and  declared all Texas slaves to be free.

State holiday - Juneteenth

The Freedmen’s Bureau

Created by the US Congress to help former slaves adjust to freedom

–Provided food

–Shelter

–Medicine

–Jobs

–Representation in Court

–Created first schools for African American children

Johnson’s Plan

(Andrew Johnson became president after Lincoln was assassinated)

States had to end slavery

States had to declare that secession had been illegal

States had to cancel all war debts

Adult white males had to pledge loyalty to the United States in order to vote

“Black Codes”

Assigned African Americans to 2nd class status

Marriages between Black and White was illegal

African Americans could not vote, hold public office, or serve on juries

Reconstruction Act of 1867

Placed the Southern States under military rule

Required states to eliminate “Black Codes”

Required states to write new constitutions giving African Americans the right to vote (15th
 Amendment)

The Constitution of 1869

Written mostly by Republicans
(10 delegates were African American)

Increased the power of state government

Gave the governor a great deal of power

Adopted 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments

Declared US Constitution the law of the land

Established public school system

Established system of state law enforcement

Readmission to the Union

13th Amendment  - Freed all Slaves
14th Amendment - Made all former Slaves Citizens
15th Amendment - Gave all Males of age the right to vote. 

The End of Military Rule

On March 8, 1870 President Ulysses S Grant declared Reconstruction over in Texas

Texas was readmitted to the Union

Democrats take back control of the Texas Legislature in 1872

Democrat Richard Coke defeated Edmund J Davis, for governor, in the election of 1873

Davis called the election illegal and refused to leave office

Davis barricaded himself inside the capital with the help of his state militia

Antebellum Texas

Precursor of Succession 

Texas had voted to break with the Union and join the Confederate states. Governor Sam Houston urged Texans to stay a part of the Union. Houston was forced out of office and Texas voted to succeed. Many Texans felt that to succeed from the Union was to waste the hard work that it took to achieve annexation in the first place. 

Slavery in Texas

Only one in four Texas families owned slaves. However, Slavery helped drive the most important "cash crop' Cotton. Even those who did not own slaves benefited by the slave trade. As the cotton trade increased so to did the slave trade in Texas. 

Politics

Texas was considered a largely Democratic state. The sentiments in Texas mirrored those the rest of the Southern states. Cotton was King and slavery powered the engine of the Texas Economy.

Slavery was necessary to keep the cotton trade going. It was natural for Texas to take the side of the Confederacy. Numbers of Unionists however wanted to keep Texas part of the United States. 

Sam Houston and Succession

Texas in the Civil War

Notes: Texas: Where the World Meets

Texas: Where the World Meets


The new state of Texas became home for immigrants from many countries. Immigrant groups have journeyed to Texas throughout history for a variety of reasons, bringing with them unique customs and traditions. Many Texas towns and cities were founded by immigrants.

Mexican Texans

The census of 1850 did not measure the number of Mexican Texans in the state. However, historians suggest that there may have been 23,000 Tejanos. Most Mexican Texans lived in or near San Antonio, between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, or along the Rio Grande from west of Big Bend to El Paso. Some Tejanos, such as José Antonio Navarro, owned successful cattle or sheep ranches or businesses. Others worked as sheepherders, cowhands, or ranch laborers.

German Texans

During the 1840s and 1850s Texas also attracted immigrants from Europe. By 1860 more than 43,000 people born outside of the United States lived in Texas. Germans made up the largest number of these
settlers. Although some Germans came to Texas seeking political or religious freedom, others arrived in search of economic opportunities. Germans settled in New Braunfels and other communities to the north and west, including Fredericksburg.

Other Immigrants from Europe

The Irish and English were the second and third largest groups of Europeans to settle in Texas. In 1845 many Irish fled their homeland because a disease attacked Ireland’s main food crop, the potato, causing a famine. By 1850 there were 1,403 Irish settlers in Texas. The number increased to 3,480 by 1860. Many Irish immigrants settled around San Patricio and Refugio.
Texas settlers came from almost every nation in Europe. Polish immigrants led by Father Leopold Moczygemba (moh•chee•GHEM•bah) settled in the town of Panna Maria in Karnes County. Ernst Bergman and Josef Lesikar led a large group of Czechs into Central Texas. Immigrants from Sweden, Norway, Italy, and the Netherlands also arrived in large numbers during the 1850s.

Native Texans

President Lamar had forced most Native Texans out of East Texas during the years of the Republic. His policy was called the removal of the Native Texans. However, many Comanches and Kiowas still lived in the western part of the state. The growing population of Texas spread even farther west onto Native Texans’ hunting land. This loss of land increased tensions with native groups.
Migration from the United States

Most of the new Texans emigrated from the United States, mostly from the South. During the 1850s many immigrants came from Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama. These settlers generally moved directly to the frontier line. There they could farm as they had at their previous homes. Immigrants from Georgia and Mississippi usually settled in the pine belt of East Texas and cleared land for cotton crops. Louisianians settled mainly in the lower regions of rivers near the coast, where they grew sugar cane. People tended to settle in areas that were similar to their former homes.
Slavery had existed in Texas for many years. African American slaves were brought to Texas by their owners during the colonial period despite some efforts by the Mexican government to free them. By 1860 the slave population was growing faster than the free population. Even though most white people in Texas did not own slaves, they generally supported slavery. They claimed that slavery was needed to support the economy of the South. However, many groups in Texas, including German immigrants and Tejanos, opposed slavery. They argued that it was morally wrong for one person to own another person.

Source: McDougal Littell, Celebrating Texas

Notes: Push Pull Factors:

Push Pull Factors:

•  With Texas becoming part of the United States, many Americans, primarily from the South, moved in search of cheap land and opportunity.
• Many of the farmers who came from the South brought their slaves.
• Anglo-Americans came toTexas seeking affordable land.
•  Mexicans/Tejanos came to Texas to defend and expand their territory
•  Germans came to Texas seeking political and religious freedom, as well as economic opportunities.
•  Other European groups were leaving countries facing disease and famine.
•  Native Texans were forced to leave East Texas and onto reservations in West Texas.
•  Not all immigrant groups came to Texas for opportunity or freedom.

Notes: Civil War Biographies

John Bell Hood
(1831-1879)

John Bell Hood graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1853. He was
commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and transferred to the 2nd U.S. Calvary unit
in Texas. He resigned from the U.S. Army after Fort Sumter. He joined the
Confederate army as a captain. In 1862 he was promoted to Brigadier General and
put in command of what was known as Hood’s Texas Brigade. He served with
Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. His bravery was soon noted, and he was
promoted to Major General. His division fought at Second Manassas (Second Bull
Run), Sharpsburg (Antietam), Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. At Gettysburg,
Hood was seriously wounded. He was relieved of command at his own request on
January 23, 1865. Hood surrendered to federal authorities. He died in New Orleans
from yellow fever on August 30, 1879. Hood county and Fort Hood are both
named in his honor.

John Reagan
(1818-1905)

John Reagan was born in Tennessee in 1818 but moved to Texas in 1839. He soon
became a leader in the Texas Democratic Party and served Texas in the United
States House of Representatives from 1857 to 1861 when he resigned his seat in
order to join the Confederate States of America. At the end of the Civil War,
Reagan was captured with President Jefferson Davis. Reagan drafted a letter
urging Texans to renounce slavery and secession and recognize the authority of the
United States. As a result of this letter, many Texans shunned him, and for a time,
his political career came to an end. However, in 1875, he was once more elected to
represent Texas in the U. S. House of Representatives where he remained until
1887. He died in 1905 and became known as the “Old Roman” who had sacrificed
his political future for the good of his state.

Francis Lubbock
(1815-1905)

Francis Richard Lubbock was born in Beaufort, South Carolina in 1815 and came
to Texas in 1836. During the Texas Revolution, Sam Houston appointed him
comptroller. In 1857 he was elected Lieutenant Governor of the State, and in 1861
he was elected Governor. An active supporter of the government of the
Confederate States of America, he joined the Confederate forces after his term as
governor ended. He was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel, and served as
assistant adjutant general on the staff of Maj. Gen. John Bankhead Magruder.
Lubbock also served as aid-de-camp for Jefferson Davis and was captured with
him at the end of the war. He was imprisoned at Fort Delaware and kept in solitary
confinement for eight months before being paroled. From 1878 to 1891 he was
Treasurer of the state of Texas and then lived in Austin until his death. The city of
Lubbock is named in his honor.

Thomas Green
(1814-1864)

Thomas Green came to Texas in time to assist in the Texas Revolution, serving at
the Battle of San Jacinto. At that battle, he operated the only cannons in Sam
Houston’s army. After the revolution, he served in various government positions in
the Texas Republic. In the Mexican American war, he helped Zachary Taylor
capture Mexico City. When the Civil War broke out, he served in the Confederate
army under General Sibley. In 1863, he was promoted to Brigadier General and
participated in the Battle of Galveston. At the Battle of Blair's Landing on the Red
River on April 12, 1864, he was killed by cannon fire from a Union gunboat.

John Magruder
(1807-1871)

Born in Virginia, Magruder was appointed to the United States Military Academy
and graduated fifteenth in his class. He resigned from the US Army to take a
commission as Lt. Colonel in the Confederate Army. Magruder’s greatest feat was
the recapture of Galveston from Union forces. After the Civil War, he fled to
Mexico where he served in the Emperor Maximilian’s army. He later returned to
Texas to make his home in Houston where he died in 1871.

Notes:States’ Rights

States’ Rights

• Nullification Crisis- A series of events that came to the surface in 1832. The
main issue was over the use of tariffs, which made imported goods more
expensive for Southerners. Southerners usually received credit overseas for
their crops. Because the tariffs had adverse effects on the economies of the
South, South Carolina “nullified” ignored federal tariff laws and threatened to
secede from the Union. President Andrew Jackson believed that in defying
the laws of the United States, South Carolina was defying the will of the
people. He threatened to send in troops to force South Carolina to comply.
Ultimately, a compromise was reached.
• Sectionalism- Regional differences between the North, South and the West,
caused the regions to grow in radically different directions. Tariff policies
created sectional rivalry in the United States.
• Secession- Southern states believed that since they voluntarily entered into
the union they could leave when things went against the best interest of their
individual states as indicated in the Declaration of Independence. Between
1860-1861, southern states seceded from the Union because of Lincoln’s
election as president believing that Lincoln would abolish slavery and supercede
states’ rights.

Notes 4th 6-weeks

Republic of Texas  Part 2

Election of 1838

The Texas Constitution limited the first president to a term of two years and no president could serve two times in a row.

In 1838, Vice-President, Mirabeau Lamar took over as 2nd president of Texas

Lamar had a new vision for Texas, a vision that appealed to most Texans

Lamars plan for Texas. Did not shy away from a renewal of conflict with Mexico

Wanted to clear Texas of all Native Texans. Spent large sums of money. Wanted Texas to remain independent and expand its territory.

Clash with Native Texans

Lamar wanted to kill or force all Native Texans out of Texas. He led raids on the Cherokees and Comanches. The Cherokees lost their chief, Chief Bowles and were forced into present-day Oklahoma. This led to fewer raids by the Native Texans, but increased hostilities.

Relations with Mexico

The Treaties of Velasco set the Texas-Mexico boundary at the Rio Grande. Lamar assumed that this included all of the Rio Grande including as far north as its headwaters in Colorado. This would make Santa Fe, New Mexico part of Texas

The Santa Fe Expeition

In 1841, President Lamar sent an expedition to Santa Fe to convince the New Mexicans that they were now part of Texas. When they arrived the New Mexicans refused to become part of Texas. The troops did not have the necessary supplies to return home and surrendered to the Mexican authorities, and were jailed until 1842.This only served to increase tensions with Mexico.

A New Capital

Lamar moved the capital of Texas from Houston to a small community along the Colorado River, about 100 miles north of San Antonio. He felt the capital of Texas should be more centrally located. This new capital was named Austin, in honor of Stephen F. Austin.

Education under Lamar

Mirabeau Lamar is best known for his contributions to education, and is often referred to as the “Father of Education in Texas” He believed that a strong system of education could make Texas a great nation. He and the Texas Congress set aside 18,000 acres of land in each county for public schools. They also set aside over 220,000 acres for two universities.

Financial Problems

The financial situation in Texas worsened under Lamar’s direction. Lamar expanded the use of “redbacks”, which bought only about 12 U.S. cents of goods and services, per Texas dollar. He also spent a lot of money on battles with Native Americans and the Santa Fe Expedition. Texas’s public debt rose to $7 million by the end of Lamar’s term.

Sam Houston Returns

Sam Houston ran for president of the Republic of Texas again in 1841 and won, with Edward Burleson as vice-president. He still wanted to prevent war with Mexico, spend little money, and join the United States. Houston wasted no time in putting his plans back in action. First he worked to reduce government spending, cutting back on Lamar’s expansion policy, and reducing the army and the navy. As a result he spent less than $600,000 in his three-year term.

The Mier Expedition

Twice Mexico sent expeditions into Texas and captured San Antonio. After the second expedition the Mexican troops retreated with 67 hostages. President Houston sent a militia of 300 men under General Alexander Somervell to pursue the Mexican troops. The Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico and Somervell stopped because he believed that his orders did not allow him to cross into Mexico. Somervell’s decision upset many in the militia-about half of them refused to leave without a fight and argued that they did not have enough supplies to return across South Texas. In revolt they elected William S. Fisher to lead them into Mexico. One in Mexico the Texans demanded that the citizens of Mier, a small Mexican town, provide them with the supplies they needed. While they waited Mexican troops arrived and captured the Texans, who were marched to Mexico City. Some escaped at Salado, but few made it back to Texas. The Mexican troops recaptured 176 Texans and made it to Mexico City. Santa Anna ordered one of every 10 prisoners to be put to death. Each prisoner was to select a bean from a mug. Those who drew a black bean were shot by a firing squad and the others were imprisoned. The survivors were eventually released in 1844.

Efforts to gain Annexation

President Houston tried once more to get Texas accepted as a state in the United States. In April 1844 U.S. President John Tyler’s Secretary of State agreed to a treaty that would accept Texas as a state in the U.S. The U.S. Senate rejected the treaty-the Senate ballot fell one vote short of a 2/3’s majority.

Election of 1844

In 1844 Texans elected Dr. Anson Jones as the Republics 4^th president

In the U.S., annexation of Texas became a key factor during the presidential election. Two leading candidates decided not to discuss the issue of Texas in their campaign, but Democratic nominee, James K. Polk, publically supported annexation of Texas and won the election.

Texas becomes a state

The U.S. Congress approved a joint resolution on February 26, 1845, agreeing to accept Texas as the 28^th state. Many citizens of the United States were not happy with Texas being annexed because Texas was a slave state and change the balance of power in Congress.  Pressured by French and British diplomats, the Mexican government offered to recognize Texas’s independence if the Texas Congress would reject annexation. President Jones presented both offers to the Texas Congress. Members of the Congress voted for annexation and proceeded to draft a state constitution. The constitution was ratified by the Texas Congress in October 1845 and the U.S. Congress in December 1845

The U.S. Congress admitted Texas into the Union as the 28^th state after Texas voters approved the state’s new constitution and annexation ordinance

On February 19, 1846 President Jones announced the annexation of Texas

Speech by Anson Jones

“I, as President of the Republic, with my officers, am now present to surrender into the hands of those whom the people have chosen…The lone star of Texas, which ten years since arose amid clouds over fields of carnage, and obscurely shone for a while, has culminated, and, following an inscrutable destiny, has passed on and become fixed forever in that glorious constellation which all freemen and lovers of freedom in the world must reverence and adore-the American Union…”

Republic of Texas Part 1 4th -weeks

Republic of Texas  Part 1


1st President-Sam Houston

•Vice President-Mirabeau Lamar
•Secretary of State-Stephen F. Austin
•Secretary of Treasury-Henry Smith (ad interim governor)
•Secretary of War-Thomas J. Rusk

NotesProblems facing a new Republic

Mexican government

Financial problems

Native Texans

A New Capital

         Brothers, John and Augustus Allen planned to build a new town and agreed to provide buildings in their town for the Texas government and name it after Sam Houston. Many people complained about the log structures, muddy streets, heat, humidity, diseases, and mosquitoes. The town of Houston remained  the capital of Texas throughout   Sam Houston’s first administration.

First try at Annexation

         In the same election that made Houston the 1^st president, the majority of Texans also voted to seek annexation to the United States. Most Texans had immigrated from the United States, and the Texans’ language, customs, and ideas about government were similar to most Americans. Annexation to the U.S. would help pay-off the debt the Republic of Texas was in and help in case of war with Mexico. The addition of Texas to the U.S. would allow for U.S. westward expansion. Many Texans thought that the U.S. would be eager to accept Texas as a state. It took Texas ten more years to become a part of the United States because Texas would have been admitted as a slave state and because of the problems between Texas and Mexico.

         The U.S. government rejected Texas’s proposal in 1837 to become a state because it was afraid of starting a war with Mexico

Financial Problems

        When Houston began his presidency Texas was in debt over $1 million dollars. Houston was a good money manager and kept government expenses to a minimum and tried to raise money for revenue. To raise money the government began to collect customs duties and property taxes. In 1837 the Texas Congress authorized Houston to issue about $600,000 in promissory notes, called Star Money. However, Texas’ financial problems continued to increase and Star Money was refused by most people.

Problems with the Army

         The Mexican government refused to recognize Texas as being independent and accept the Treaties of Velasco. Many people in Texas wanted to renew the war with Mexico. President Houston sent home all but 600 soldiers on leave so that he didn’t have to worry about war and the government didn’t have to find the money to pay the soldiers.

Problems with the Native Americans

         During the Texas Revolution Houston signed a treaty with the Cherokees so that the Texan army wouldn’t have to fight Santa Anna and Native Texans at the same time. In return after the war the Texas government would give the Cherokees titles to their land. However the Cherokees held very desirable land and most Texans wanted to rid the Republic of all Native Texans. Native Americans fought back and Houston enlisted the Texas Rangers to patrol the frontier and control the danger to the settlers. Houston was sympathetic to the Native Texans, but most Texans did not share his views