Civil War & Reconstruction Review

Juneteenth Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States.  Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free.

Let’s talk about the Civil War? Let me start out by saying that Texas was a huge part of the Civil War. In Fact one of the most epic battles happened in our very own Galveston at a very famous port. You see, They knew that if they could disrupt the port they would disrupt trade and ultimately our economy. Texas Joined the Confederacy in 1861, a great description of Texas during the American Civil War was that Citizens were divided on the issues of slavery. A lot of people believed that Abraham Lincoln and the federal government should not intervene in state Decisions. It became an issue of States Rights.

Sam Houston Sam Houston Refused to take an oath to the Confederacy and as a result was removed from Office as Govornor.

Secession Convention In late January and early February 1861 a convention of the people of Texas met in Austin and voted to secede from the Union. Pressure to call a convention to consider secession began in October 1860, when it became apparent that Abraham Lincoln would be elected to the presidency. Delegates from Texas were in favor of Texas leaving the Union because they Considered Slavery Vital to the Economy.

Texas During the Civil War Texas had an interesting take on the Civil War If you were to read a newspaper headline during the Civil War it would say that Texans were divided on the Issue of Slavery. Texas joined the Union in 1861 even though it’s citizens were divided on the Issue of Slavery. The Delegates at the Convention considered Slavery Vital to the econonmy. What a lot of people were worried about with the outbreak of the Civil War was the Issue of States Rights, you see… Seceding states believed the federal government should not intervene in state decisions.

Constitution of the State of Texas “Every male person subject to none of the foregoing disqualifications, who shall have attained the age of twenty-one years, and who shall be a citizen of the United States, and who shall have resided in this State one year next preceding an election, and the last six months within the district or county in which he offers to vote, shall be deemed a qualified elector”. Article VI, Section 2 of the Texas Constitution of 1876 What is this saying? ALL MEN!!! Regardless of Race, were allowed to vote.

Constitution of the State of Texas When the power of the Government of the State of Texas shall be divided into three distinct departs is democratic principal of Seperation of Powers. It is easy, when you think think DIVIDED, think Seperation of Powers. A democratic principal that reflects the will of the people is the idea of Popular Popular Sovereignty. Here is an easy way to remember “Kings are sovereign and they think they’re cool buy here in the states the people rule” Popular sovereignty is the idea that we choose, they are popular vote.

Constitution of the United States The right to notification of Court Proceedings The right to be present at all public court proceedings The right to confer with a representative of the prosecutor’s office The right to restitution The right to information and the conviction, sentence, imprisonment, and release of the accused. What rights are being guaranteed here? The Rights of Crime Victims

Constitution of the State of Texas Freedom of religion “ No man Shall be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent? What freedom do we see here?

Let’s talk Government Alright so Government is an important part of many of our lives, So let’s talk about levels of Government and what each branch is responsible for. Let’s start by talking about Money You see Taxes help fund the state and local governments of Texas. That Money comes from Property and Sales Tax . The Police, Fire and Medical Emergency Branch of Government are controlled by City Government. The State Board of Education consists of elected officials and provides standards and policies for the education in Texas. The Judicial Branch of both the the United States and Texas check the powers of Legislature by declaring laws unconstitutional. It’s easy!! When you think Judicial, Think Judge! Judicial branch judges laws.

Let’s talk about communication Slow communication during the Civil allowed for the Fighting and delated the emancipation of enslaved people for weeks after the end of the war. The south did not do as great a job communicating as the north, remember Abraham Lincoln was using the Telephone lines to communicate via morse code.

Let’s talk population & production Population patterns are an interesting thing right? What you will almost always see historically during a war is that Population slows during a war but increases sharply afterwards. Production patterns are interesting too! Cotton production actually went DOWN during the war because all of the crops were converted to Corn and Wheat crops to feed all the confederate soldiers. After the war however production of Cotton sky rocketed higher than ever before.

Last Battle of the Civil War…. The Civil war had many many Battles encompassing the duration of the War. However the final ending battle was The Battle of Celito Creek.

African American’s After the War Alright so many African Americans after the war began making a living as Sharecroppers. Sharecroppers basically Work the land of the owner and use Receive ½ the crop. It helped Freed Slaves Achieve a life for themselves