Program Information

On January 28, 1861, Texas seceded from the Union. It joined the Confederacy the following March, but this action was not universally popular.

A Moment in Time is a brief, exciting and compelling journey into the past. Created to excite and enlighten the public about the past, its relevance to the present and its impact on the future, A Moment In Time is a captivating historical narrative that is currently broadcast worldwide.

Transcript

Lead: On January 28, 1861, Texas seceded from the Union. It joined the Confederacy the following March, but this action was not universally popular.

Intro: A Moment In Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: Immediately following the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860, seven states from the deep south left viewing Lincoln's election as a threat to slavery and its promotion in the western territories. After the fall of Fort Sumter in April four more states departed, those in the upper south, bringing the Confederate total to eleven.

During this time of decision the governor of Texas was Sam Houston, hero of the Texas Revolution. Houston believed that slavery should not be expanded to the western territories, that it would be a mistake to secede from the Union, or even worse for Texas to become servant to the slave interest. Houston was deposed by the legislature and replaced by the lieutenant governor. After years of service, first to the Republic of Texas then to the state, Houston could not have been without sadness when he stated:

"To secede from the Union and set up another government would cause war. If you go to war with the United States, you will never conquer her, as she has the money and the men. If she does not whip you by guns, powder, and steel, she will starve you to death. It will take the flower of the country-the young men."

He was right. Texas supplied between sixty and ninety thousand troops to the Confederate military.

Although a majority of Texans supported the switch, there was strong pro-Union sentiment, particularly in central Texas where German settlers opposed slavery, and in western Texas where settlers wanted federal protection from Indian attacks and Mexican cross-border forays. Next Time: Texas and the last battle.

At the University of Richmond, this is Dan Roberts.

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