Narrative History of Texas Secession
and Readmission to the Union
Sixteen years after Texas joined the United States, in January 1861,
the Secession Convention met in Austin and adopted an Ordinance
of Secession on February 1 and a Declaration
of Causes on February 2. This proposal was approved by the voters,
but even before Texas could become "independent" as provided for in the
text of the Ordinance, it was accepted
by the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America as
a state on March 1, 1861.
The Secession Convention, reconvened on March 2, approved an ordinance
accepting Confederate statehood on March 5. Texas delegates to the
Provisional Confederate Government had already been elected, and they
were among those who approved the proposed Confederate Constitution. Their
action was confirmed
by the Secession Convention on March 23.
Throughout the Civil War period, Texas existed as a state in the Confederate
States of America, its status confirmed by the elected representatives
of the Texas citizens. (Sam Houston, although accepting the decision of
the electorate to secede, protested the Convention's decision to join
the Confederacy since the matter was not submitted to popular vote. His
opposition was insufficient to cause either the voters or the members
of the state legislature to put aside the actions of the Convention.)
John H. Reagan, a Texan, was the Postmaster General of the C.S.A., and
other Texans held prominent government posts throughout the period.
When the war ended in April 1865, Texas was still considered to be in
revolt (the last battle of the Civil War was fought on Texas soil after
the surrender at Appomattox). Although a state of peace was declared as
existing between the United States and the other Southern States on April
2, 1866, President Andrew Johnson did not issue a similar
proclamation of peace between the U.S. and Texas until August 20,
1866, even though the Constitutional Convention of 1866 had approved on
March 15, 1866 an ordinance
to nullify the actions of the Secession Convention
Southern States remained under military government until their legislatures
adopted the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the United States Constitution.
Their readmission to full national status varied from state to state (Georgia
was readmitted twice).
In April 1869, the U.S. Congress passed an Act
authorizing voters of Virginia, Mississippi and Texas to vote on their
new state constitutions and to elect state officers and Members of Congress.
Three months later, President U.S. Grant signed a proclamation
submitting the Texas Constitution to the voters of the state.
Texans voted on a revised state constitution in November 1869 and elected
a state government. Once convened, the legislature voted to ratify the
14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution (the 13th amendment
having already been fully ratified) and elected two U.S. Senators, thereby
completing the requirements for reinstatement. President Grant signed
the act to readmit Texas
to Congressional representation on March 30, 1870, and this federal
act was promulgated throughout Texas by a general order issued by General
Reynolds on April 16, 1870.
No requirement exists -- either in the Reconstruction
Acts governing the rebel states or in the document readmitting Texas
to full statehood -- for the governor of Texas to sign a document reaffirming
Texas' position as a state within the United States republic. The only
ongoing requirement of Texas government was that no constitutional revision
should deny the vote or school rights to any citizen of the United States.
A thorough check of the volumes of federal statutes for the entire period
of Reconstruction (1865-1870) and through 1872 revealed no other legislation
requiring further proof of submission to the U.S. government on the part
of Texas or any other of the "rebel states."
Narrative by Jean Carefoot
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
April 1997
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