Texas Secession Essential Question: Why did Texas secede?

Many Issues Divide the Country 1. Tariffs 1828 “Tariff of Abominations” (a high tax) South hated it Forced to sell cotton @ low prices to be competitive Pay high prices for North manufactured goods “Nullification Crisis” Results South Carolina believed that states had the right to nullify a federal law it considered unconstitutional. South Carolina threatened to secede but a compromise ended the threat. This issue continued to brew until 1861.

Many Issues Divide the Country 2. Sectionalism – loyalty to the interests of one's own region or section of the country, rather than the nation as a whole What would the interests of the region be for the South?

Many Issues Divide the Country 3. States Rights – Texans believed that states should be able to make their own political, economic, and social decisions. 4. Slavery – Texans believed that slavery was vital to the economy; opposed Republican Party b/c most members did NOT want to see slavery spread to new territories

Southern Society in 1850s Upper Class – Slave Elite Middle class – Few Slaves Lower Middle Class – 1 or 2 Slaves Lower Class – No Slaves Slaves

Southern States Vow to Secede During the 1860 presidential campaign, Southerners warned that they would secede if the Republicans won. Lincoln was Republican candidate that won the election 5. Secession: Southerners argued that sovereignty rested with the states, saying the states entered the Union voluntarily and could likewise leave.

The Convention Votes on Secession Governor Sam Houston opposed secession by declaring that Texas could be better protect its interest by staying in the Union. “South can’t win the war” Texans favoring secession called a convention. The Texas Secession Convention met in Austin in January 1861. They adopted the Ordinance of Secession, which declared that the U.S. abused its power to “strike down the interest and prosperity of the people of Texas.”

The Convention Votes on Secession On February 23, 1861 the people of Texas approved secession by a wide margin. Texas became the seventh state of eleven to secede from the U.S. and form a new country in the South.

The Confederacy is Formed The 7 seceded states met at a convention in Montgomery, Alabama, and formed a new nation called the Confederate States of America (C.S.A.) and drew up a constitution. The states were given more power, the federal government less, and the constitution guaranteed the protection of slavery. The document replaced references to the U.S. with references to the Confederacy. First Confederacy Flag

Houston is Removed When the Texas Secession Convention ordered all states officials to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Houston refused and was removed as governor. President Lincoln offered Houston the use of federal troops if he would oppose the convention that voted for secession, but, unwilling to cause a civil war in Texas, Houston refused. Governor Sam Houston

The War Begins President Lincoln believed the C.S.A. had no right to leave the Union. He vowed to preserve the nation and carry out the law of the land in all states. A “perpetual” Union On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops opened fire on U.S. troops at Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, starting the Civil War. Battle of Fort Sumter