Tag Archives: Texas Ordinance of Secession

Today in Texas History – January 29

Leave a reply

From the Annals of Bad Decisions –  In 1861, the Texas State Secession Convention  voted overwhelmingly to secede from the United States following the lead of several other southern states.  Rather than concede that Republican Abraham Lincoln had been duly elected, the Southern states chose to secede precipitating what would be the worst tragedy in U.S. history.  As Red has noted many times, the Texas Ordinance of Secession is one of the most vile, racists screeds that an organized governmental body has ever produced.  The Ordinance of Secession was subject to a popular referendum to which was held on February 23, 1861. The vote was 46,153 in favor of secession and 14,747 against.

Today in Texas History – February 23

Leave a reply

From the Annals of Bad Decisions –  In 1861, Texas citizens (meaning white, property-owning men) voted on the Texas Ordinance of Secession. The vote was overwhelmingly for secession from the Union with 46,153 voting for secession and only 14,747 against. Of the 122 counties casting votes, only eighteen cast majorities against secession. Only eleven other counties had votes of as much as 40 percent against.  For those who claim the Civil War was not about slavery, please take a look at the vile racist screed that is the Texas Ordinance of Secession.

Today in Texas History – January 29

Leave a reply

From the Annals of Stupidity – In 1861, the Secession Convention of the state of Texas voted overwhelmingly to secede from the United States.  Support for a convention to consider the issue began to swell in October 1860, when it became apparent that Abraham Lincoln would be elected to the presidency. Only the governor could call the legislature into special session and only the legislature could call a convention. Sam Houston who was strongly opposed to secession refused to act hoping that the secessionist furor would die down.  In a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional act, Oran M. Roberts, chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court and several other prominent Texans took the law into their own hands and called a convention.

Once it was clear that some sort of secession convention would meet, Houston called the legislature into session hoping that it would declare the convention illegal.  Houston was rebuffed and the legislature validated the calling of a convention, turned over the House chambers to the convention, and adjourned.

The result was almost a foregone conclusion because of the election process for the delegates.  Delegates were often elected by voice votes at public meetings at which Unionists were not welcomed.  Other Unionists ignored what they viewed to be as an illegal process.  As a result the delegates disproportionally favored secession and the vote of 166 to 8 clearly did not represent the substantial opposition to secession.

The Texas Ordinance of Secession passed by the Convention is certainly one of the most vile racist screeds ever enacted by a representative body in the history of the United States.  It is a direct rebuff to revisionists who claim that the Civil War was not about slavery.

In all the non-slave-holding States, in violation of that good faith and comity which should exist between entirely distinct nations, the people have formed themselves into a great sectional party, now strong enough in numbers to control the affairs of each of those States, based upon the unnatural feeling of hostility to these Southern States and their beneficent and patriarchal system of African slavery, proclaiming the debasing doctrine of the equality of all men, irrespective of race or color–a doctrine at war with nature, in opposition to the experience of mankind, and in violation of the plainest revelations of the Divine Law. They demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and the negro races, and avow their determination to press on their crusade against us, so long as a negro slave remains in these States.

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. By the secession of six of the slave-holding States, and the certainty that others will speedily do likewise, Texas has no alternative but to remain in an isolated connection with the North, or unite her destinies with the South.

While Texas was largely spared the ravages of the Civil War by virtue of geography, the defense of slavery cost the lives of thousands of Texans in a cause doomed to failure.

The End of the Line for the Confederacy

Leave a reply

Only 150 years after the surrender at Appomattox Court House, we may finally be witnessing the last dying throes of the Confederate States of America.  And it is about time.  Red has studied the Civil War for over 40 years and visited many of the great National Battlefield Parks and several of the lesser-known Civil War sites.  It is a fascinating, tragic and yet somehow uplifting story of how a nation engaged an deadly struggle for its soul and to bring meaning to the founding words that “all men are created equal.”  But it nearly destroyed our nation and in any understandable sense of the word, supporters of the Confederacy were traitors to our country.  Yes, there was much battlefield courage and heroism on both sides of the conflict.  But clearly the Confederacy was on the wrong side of history.

The apologists will continually tell you that the Civil War had nothing to do with slavery and that it was an honorable fight for “States Rights.”  Bullcrap.  Ask yourself this, would there have been a war if there had been no slavery? Of course not.  If you have any doubt about that, simply read the Texas Ordinance of Secession resolution that preceded Texas’ entry into the Confederacy.  It is clear, that Texas seceded for only one reason – to preserve the right to enslave fellow humans forever.  Read these excerpts from this vile racist screed, and then tell me that the Confederacy and the Civil War was about something other than slavery.

Texas abandoned her separate national existence and consented to become one of the Confederated States to promote her welfare, insure domestic tranquillity and secure more substantially the blessings of peace and liberty to her people. She was received into the confederacy with her own constitution under the guarantee of the federal constitution and the compact of annexation, that she should enjoy these blessings. She was received as a commonwealth holding, maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery–the servitude of the African to the white race within her limits–a relation that had existed from the first settlement of her wilderness by the white race, and which her people intended should exist in all future time.

In all the non-slave-holding States, in violation of that good faith and comity which should exist between entirely distinct nations, the people have formed themselves into a great sectional party, now strong enough in numbers to control the affairs of each of those States, based upon the unnatural feeling of hostility to these Southern States and their beneficent and patriarchal system of African slavery, proclaiming the debasing doctrine of the equality of all men, irrespective of race or color–a doctrine at war with nature, in opposition to the experience of mankind, and in violation of the plainest revelations of the Divine Law. They demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and the negro races, and avow their determination to press on their crusade against us, so long as a negro slave remains in these States.

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. By the secession of six of the slave-holding States, and the certainty that others will speedily do likewise, Texas has no alternative but to remain in an isolated connection with the North, or unite her destinies with the South.

The majority of rebel soldiers who died honorable deaths in an ignoble cause were essentially duped into fighting a war to preserve an institution that benefitted almost none of them.   They were led to the slaughter to preserve a dying institution and way of life based on a disgusting lie that the color of your skin meant something.  They may deserve honor for the reason of their service, but the ideals of the Confederacy deserve to be place on the ash heap of history and burned beyond recognition.