Texas and the Civil War Lecture Review

Slavery in the State of Texas

• Historical Origins

  • African Americans were first brought to Texas as enslaved people beginning with the arrival of Stephen F. Austin’s "Old 300" settlers.

  • Under the legal and social framework of the time, African Americans were bought and sold and were classified as property rather than citizens.

• The Plantation System and Labor

  • The majority of enslaved African Americans laborered on plantations, which are defined as large farms designed to produce crops for commercial sale.

  • The enslaved population included men, women, and children.

  • Field work involved extremely long hours, with tasks including the planting and harvesting of crops, most notably cotton.

  • Enslaved individuals received zero financial compensation and possessed no autonomy over their personal lives.

• Diverse Roles of the Enslaved

  • Domestic Labor: Some enslaved people worked directly in the homes of their owners, performing duties such as cooking, cleaning, and providing childcare for the owners’ children.

  • Skilled Trades: Enslaved individuals also served as skilled laborers, including roles as carpenters and blacksmiths.

• Demographics and Economic Impact

  • By the year $1860$, there were more than $182,000$ enslaved people in Texas.

  • The ratio of the enslaved population was approximately $3$ out of every $10$ Texans.

  • Growth Statistics:

    • In $1836$, enslaved people accounted for $13\%$ of the total Texas population.

    • By $1860$, this figure rose to $30\%$.

  • Ownership and Economy: While only $1$ in $4$ (or $25\%$) of Texas families owned slaves, the practice was foundational to the state's economic success.

Major Regional Disagreements: North vs. South

• The Ideological Divide on Slavery

  • Slavery was not universally accepted across the United States; many Northern states did not allow the practice.

  • Southern Perspective: Many Southerners argued that slavery was an absolute necessity for the continued success of their agricultural economy.

  • Northern Perspective: A growing number of people in the North opposed slavery on the principle that all people should be free.

  • Abolitionists: This term refers to people who actively sought to end the practice of slavery in the United States. While primarily concentrated in the North, some Texans were also abolitionists.

• The Conflict Over States’ Rights

  • Federal Authority: The North maintained that the laws of the United States government were supreme and must be followed by every state in the union.

  • Nullification: The South believed that if a state disagreed with a federal law, they held the right to nullify, or cancel, that law within their borders.

  • Fear of Abolition: Southern states feared that as Northern opposition grew, the United States government would eventually pass a federal law making slavery illegal; they viewed the right to nullify as their protection against such a law.

Secession and the Formation of the Confederacy

• The Election of 1860

  • Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in $1860$.

  • Lincoln was known to be against the institution of slavery.

  • Southern states feared that Lincoln’s presidency would lead to the actual end of slavery.

• The Act of Secession

  • To secede is to officially leave or withdraw from a country.

  • South Carolina was the first state to secede from the United States.

  • Texas officially seceded on March $5$, $1861$.

• The Confederate States of America (CSA)

  • A total of $11$ states joined together to form the Confederacy: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.

  • Jefferson Davis was elected as the president of the Confederate States of America.

• The Union Response

  • President Abraham Lincoln did not recognize the legitimacy of the Confederacy.

  • He maintained that the $11$ states were still legally part of the United States and pledged to preserve the unity of the country.

Texas at War

• Outbreak of Hostilities

  • The first shots of the Civil War were fired on April $12$, $1861$, at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

  • The conflict was often referred to as the "war between the states."

  • While many expected a short conflict, it lasted for $4$ long and deadly years.

• Texas Participation

  • More than $90,000$ Texans fought on the side of the Confederacy.

  • The majority of the major battles took place east of the Mississippi River, though several battles occurred within Texas.

  • Many Texans joined the cavalry, which consisted of soldiers who fought while mounted on horseback.

• The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

  • Issued by President Lincoln, this executive order declared that all persons held as slaves were now free.

  • The Confederacy ignored the order, as they did not consider themselves part of the United States, and slavery continued in Southern territories until the war's conclusion.

Life on the Texas Home Front

• Changing Roles for Women

  • With most free men away at war, women took over the management of households, farms, ranches, and businesses.

  • On the battlefield and in support roles, women served as nurses, operated hospitals, and sewed uniforms for the soldiers.

• Union Blockades and Shortages

  • The North established blockades along the Texas coast. A blockade is an effort to prevent ships from entering or exiting a port.

  • These blockades resulted in severe shortages of essential goods, including food, clothing, and medicine.

  • Adaptations to Scarcity:

    • Texans began spinning their own fabric to create clothing.

    • In the absence of standard paper, people used wallpaper for writing.

The Conclusion of the Civil War

• Collapse of the Confederacy

  • By $1865$, the Confederate army was exhausted and the Southern economy was shattered.

  • The Confederacy suffered nearly $500,000$ casualties (killed or wounded).

• Surrender and Final Conflict

  • In April $1865$, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the state of Virginia.

  • The final battle of the war took place on May $13$, $1865$, in Brownsville, Texas.

  • In a historical irony, Texas troops actually defeated the Union soldiers in this final battle, but the Union had already secured victory in the war overall.

• Outcome

  • The war ended with a Union victory, and the United States remained a single, unified nation.