In any discussion of Texas history, we have to understand how and why Texas Argued for Secession. So, it’s about time to talk about the one subject that is almost guaranteed to make someone, somewhere angry. Somone will absolutely tell me I’m wrong, or that I’m some kind of fanatic. What is the subject? Today the subject is what were the reasons Texas joined the Southern states to secede from the Union

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In 1861 the southern cotton-growing and slaveholding states decided to leave the union and to form the Confederate States of America. Texas was the seventh state to secede and the last to officially leave before the rebels opened fire on Fort Sumter.  

Let me start with reading from the official “DECLARATION OF CAUSES” put forth by the Texas state government on February 2, 1861

“A declaration of the causes which impel the State of Texas to secede from the Federal Union. In view of these and many other facts, it is meet that our own views should be distinctly proclaimed.”

We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity; that the African race had no agency in their establishment; that they were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race, and in that condition only could their existence in this country be rendered beneficial or tolerable.

That in this free government all white men are and of right ought to be entitled to equal civil and political rights; that the servitude of the African race, as existing in these States, is mutually beneficial to both bond and free, and is abundantly authorized and justified by the experience of mankind, and the revealed will of the Almighty Creator, as recognized by all Christian nations; while the destruction of the existing relations between the two races, as advocated by our sectional enemies, would bring inevitable calamities upon both and desolation upon the fifteen slave-holding States.”

Those are the official words put forth, but what caused them to put slavery ahead of their previous oath to the union?  When Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the slaveholding states, feared that the executive branch would threaten their rights to own slaves. As an ancillary thought, they also did believe that if the federal government would outlaw slavery that meant they might also infringe on other rights.

Some Texans were slow to accept secession, however, or never accepted it. They did not simply react to the election of Lincoln and emulate South Carolina. Indeed, the timing of the secession of Texas and the motivation behind it are of continued interest because they open up a series of questions about the nature of the Texas economy, the population, political parties, local needs, the role of such Unionists as Sam Houston, and the effects of public pressure to conform. Regardless, a common thread running through all of these questions is the role of slavery.

As I have mentioned in previous episodes, in the 1850s, there were many Texans who were absolutely convinced that the institution of slavery was not only important, but it was also vital to keep the Texas economy going. It had become such an important part of the Texas economy that in the 15 years after Texas became a state, by 1860 approximately 30 percent of the total population were slaves. However, slaves were not dispersed equally throughout the state. In fact, the vast majority of them were concentrated in and along the rivers in East Texas and along the Gulf Coast near Houston and Galveston. The primary reason for this was something we mentioned in an earlier episode, they had easier access to markets.

That concentration of slaves in a narrow geographic region, while economically powerful, meant that other parts of Texas had economies that depended upon livestock, corn, or wheat and were not focused on slavery and cotton. In reality, 1860 Texas was divided between a region almost entirely dependent on slavery and a region that was mostly slave-free.

            How did this happen? Well, most of those who settled in east and southeast Texas originated from the lower southern states. The rest of the state had immigrants from a far greater diversity of regions. Most settlements in 1860 were only slightly more than about 100 miles west of Austin and consisted of many immigrants who were either non-slaveholders or were directly from Germany.

In the southwest and along the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas were a mixture of Mexicans and Germans, sprinkled in here are there was also British American families. The major Texas cities, San Antonio, Houston, and Galveston, all of which had fewer than 10,000 residents also had significant German and/or Mexican populations. One of the results of this diversity was the influence it had on how the people felt about secession. In fact, this diversity helped to slow the process of secession and actually helped to create pockets where the people resisted the idea.

Unfortunately, there were so many people who had just recently moved into Texas for the deep south and who truly believed that cotton was king, and that slavery was necessary that they automatically followed the lead of South Carolina. In fact, many of the Germans and others who lived in close proximity to the pro-slavery regions began to agree with that thought process and culture and began to support secession.

Much like today, political parties also helped to determine whether or not a person supported secession. Most Democrats tended to support the right of individuals to own slaves, even if it meant the Union would be dissolved. Whigs and other groups, who even though they supported slavery were less inclined to want to see the Union break up over the issue.

            How an area interacted with non-Texans also played a role in how a group of people felt about secession. If you were a businessperson in Galveston who often dealt with English or New York merchants, even if you were a slaveholding Whigs you might hesitate. Secession would absolutely mean your business would be disrupted and that could prove disastrous.

It was a little different along the frontier. This was due to whether or not the U.S. Army was close enough to offer protection from either the local tribes or bandits.  The better protected the area was the least likely they were to support leaving the union. It also helped that the local army bases or forts also provided some of the best markets for local goods and services. Of course, those areas that were not well protected favored leaving the union. In addition to both the local needs and which political party a person belonged to the role of individuals, particularly individual Unionists, often played a major role. For example, in Comal County, longtime Texan Ferdinand J. Lindheimer, who was the editor of the local German-language newspaper, helped convince many of the German population to actually support secession. Such cases as that, however, were almost rare because the idea of secession was popular enough on its own.

On the other hand, the prominent Unionists played a major role in stalling secession until March of 1861. Of course, the single most important voice that spoke against secession was Sam Houston, who served as governor from 1859 to 1861. He was able to actually slow the calling of a convention until January 1861, then he helped to force the secessionists into  holding a public referendum on secession (February 23, 1861). He adamantly opposed joining the Confederacy.

Houston was not alone, state senator James W. Throckmorton, also opposed it and was one of only eight members of the Secession Convention to vote against leaving the Union. Unfortunately, neither he,  Houston, nor any of the other pro-union politicians while able to slow the movement, they were unable to stop secession. Why was it so difficult to stop secession?

Honestly, the answer is simple, secession could not be halted because the public wanted it. Whether the reason was because of the perceived danger to slavery that most Texans associated with the Republican party or simply because White Texans just did not want to make any concessions towards racial equality with Black Texans, secession was an exceptionally emotionally charged issue. The emotion behind the issue actually came to a head in late January and early February 1861. At that time a convention met in Austin and voted to secede.

Pressure to call a convention to consider the issue had actually begun in October of 1860. It was at that time that it became apparent that Abraham Lincoln would win the election and become the president. However, in Texas only the governor had the power to call the legislature into special session, and then only the legislature could call a convention. As governor Houston had refused to act because he held out hope that if he delayed long enough the passion for secession would cool down. Once Oran M. Roberts, chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court, John S. Ford, and several other prominent Texans realized that the governor would not act, they took the law into their own hands. Even before South Carolina officially seceded, they printed calls in several Texas newspapers for the election. On January 8, 1861, they sought delegates to a convention whose purpose was to consider holding an election on the idea of secession. They proposed that the elections would be supervised by the county judges of the state, and the convention was to meet on January 28. Once it was clear that some sort of secession convention would meet, Houston convened the legislature in mid-January, with the hope that it would declare the convention illegal. Instead, legislators validated the calling of a convention, turned over the House chambers to the convention, and adjourned. Texas was on its way to the final vote to leave the union.

            That’s going to do it for today, next time, I’ll talk about the actual vote, and some of the unintended consequences that took place after the vote.

Please subscribe to the podcast. If you want more information on Texas History, visit the website of the Texas State Historical Association. I also have four audiobooks on the Hidden History of Texas, The Spanish Bump Into Texas 1530s to 1820s,  Here Come The Anglos 1820s to 1830s, Years of Revolution 1830 to 1836. And A Failing Republic Becomes a State 1836-1850. You can find the books pretty much wherever you download or listen to audiobooks. Just do a search for the Hidden History of Texas by Hank Wilson and they’ll pop right up. Or visit my website https://arctx.org. By the way if you like audiobooks, visit my publisher’s website there’s an incredible selection of audiobooks there. In addition to mine you’ll find the classics, horror, science fiction, mental health, and much more. Check it out visit https://ashbynavis.com

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