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Chapter 14
The Civil War
1860-1865
Section 1
Texas Secedes
A Nation Divided
By 1860…Texas and several other Southern states were
threatening to secede for the Union…both sides were willing to
fight for what they believed in…
1854 – Republican Party formed

one main goal…stop the western
spread of slavery (some members
hoped to end slavery altogether)
 supported economic changes and
a higher tariff (tax placed on imported
and exported goods) which benefited
American industry (by raising prices
of foreign goods) located in the North…
Most Texans were Democrats
 feared the Republicans would destroy the Southern
economy (depended on foreign trade and slave labor)
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Debate between the Republicans and Democrats…
South
North
For states’ rights…the federal
government should not have
the power to decide whether to
allow slavery in the states
State should be able to
withdraw from the Union if the
citizens voted to do so
Federal laws apply to all
states
States could not legally
separate from the Union
Presidential Election of 1860
Democratic party split over the issue of slavery…Northern
Democrats would not support slavery…
Democrats
Republican
Northern
Southern
Stephen A
Douglas
John C.
Breckinridge
Abraham
Lincoln
Constitutional
Union
John Bell
The split in the Democratic Party gave the Republican
Party a better chance to win…Southerners threatened to
secede if the Republicans won…
The Constitutional Union Party was formed in an effort
to insure no candidate would win (the House of
Representatives would then decide the election)…


Sam Houston tried win the nomination
of the Constitutional Union Party (he
had worked hard to make Texas part of
the Union)
Texan’s voted for Breckinridge…
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Abraham Lincoln became the
16th President of the United
States…
Reaction to Lincoln’s Election
December 20, 1860…South Carolina seceded from the Union
…within six weeks…Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and
Louisiana seceded…
Confederate States of America
Most Texans wanted to secede…asked for a convention so
delegates could vote…Governor Houston ignored
request…called a special meeting of the legislature hoping to
stop the convention…
Legislature approved the convention…delegates were
elected…
The Secession Convention in Texas



January 28, 1861 delegates met
Oran M. Roberts – leader
…adopted an ordinance of
secession
February 23, 1861 citizens
approved the ordinance
…10 counties in Central Texas
(German influence strong)
…counties along the Red River
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State Constitution was rewritten…
 “United States of America” changed to “Confederate
States of America”
 Constitution of 1861
o Defended states’ rights and slavery
o Made the freeing of slaves illegal
Texas seceded March 2, 1861…7th state to secede from
the Union
Governor Houston’s Response
Sam Houston had not been able to prevent secession…hoped
Texas would remain independent…state immediately accepted
into the Confederacy
March 16th…Secession Convention required all officials to take
an oath of office to the Confederacy…Houston remained silent
as his name was called 3 times (the office of the governor was
declared vacant)…Lt. Governor Edward Clark became the first ad
interim governor of the Confederate Texas…
Lincoln had offered the use of 2,700 federal troops stationed in
Texas to keep the state in the Union…Houston refused…
“He had fought for Texas, he said, and would not fight
against it now”
…Houston left Austin
…Settled in his
steamboat house
…died July 26, 1863
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