Texas History Final Review

What political approach did Presidential Reconstruction take toward ex-Confederates in Texas?

President Andrew Johnson’s leniency allowed ex-Confederates to regain power, andTexas Constitution of 1866: denied Black voting rights, restricted freedoms.

What key right did the Texas Constitution of 1866 refuse to extend to African Americans?

Voting rights and black suffrage.

Under Radical Reconstruction, what major changes did the Constitution of 1869 introduce?

Granted Black men the vote and expanded rights.

Which Texas governor became the symbol of Radical Republican rule during Reconstruction?

Edmund J. Davis

What reforms did Edmund J. Davis attempt to implement during his administration?

Created public schools, protected freedpeople, expanded state power.

Which paramilitary group used violence to undermine Black political participation during Reconstruction?

Ku Klux Klan.

What was the primary purpose of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Texas?

To present aid to black individuals in the form of food, clothing, medical care, and education.

What labor system trapped many freedpeople in poverty after the Civil War?

Sharecropping.

What 1873 election marked the beginning of Democratic “Redemption” in Texas?

The election of Richard Coke.

Who were the “Redeemers”?

White elites who rllied against the “illigitimant” republican government, and wished to restore the south to its former self through intimidation and jim crow laws.

What did Redeemers mean by calling for “home rule”?

Replacing Republican governments in the South with a Democratic-led government to restore white supremacy and regain political power.

What sector of government did Redeemers sharply reduce funding for in the 1870s?

Black schools

What methods did Redeemers use to disenfranchise Black voters after Reconstruction?

Intimidation.

What institution became the central pillar of Black community life during Reconstruction?

The freedmans bureau.

Why did freedpeople see education as essential to independence?

it was a key to achieving equality, economic opportunity, and full participation in civic life

What factors led to the end of Reconstruction in Texas?

The restoration of democratic rule, the rise of jim crow, and slashed the public education budget to cripple black schools.

What conflict marked the military defeat of Plains tribes in Texas during the 1870s?

The Red River War that forced the plains tribes into reservations through a series of conflicts.

Which Native American groups were forced onto reservations after this conflict?

The Comanche, Kiowa, and Southern Cheyenne.

Which Comanche leader later adapted to ranching and served as a cultural bridge?

Quanah Parker.

What violent conflict arose over the privatization of land in the 1880s?

The Fence Cutting Wars that were fought by small farmers who were resting enclosure.

What ethnic groups made up much of the cowboy workforce?

Blacks, Mexican vaqueros, and Anglos.

Which Texas cities grew rapidly due to railroad expansion?

Dallas, Houston, San Antonio

Why did many farmers resent the power of the railroad companies?

High freight prices.

What aspects of Texas ranching culture became exaggerated in popular myth?

The idea that ranching culture was a tesemant to the rugged and individualism of Texans when in reality it masked dispossession, inequality, and corporate dominance.

What economic problems pushed Texas farmers toward Populism in the 1890s?

Texas farmers faced crippling debt, falling crop prices, unfair freight rates, and having to rely on credit set on high interests that trapped them in a cycle of poverty.

Which organizations gave farmers political power during this era?

Farmers Alliance and the Peoples Populist Party.

What long-term political legacy did Populism create?

it laid the groundwork for later reforms and gave voice to agrarian

discontent, reminding students that Texas politics was

never purely “big business-friendly” but contested between

rural and urban priorities

Which Texas governor became known as the first major Progressive reformer?

James Hogg

Which organizations fought discrimination against Mexican Americans during this