Confederacy, Republic (Again), or Both? The Print Media and The Moment of Decision in Harris, Harrison, Dallas, and Bexar Counties, 1860-1861

Abstract

Barely a week after the presidential election of 1860, the Houston Tri-Weekly Telegraph expressed its support for the re-establishment of the Republic of Texas. Indeed, Texas seceded on February 1, 1861, but the Texas Secession Convention did not vote to join the other seceded states in forming the Confederacy for another month. This study examines the moment of decision regarding secession in the Texas counties of Harris, Harrison, Dallas, and Bexar. The debates going on in Texas from the November 1860 presidential election to the state’s decision to join the Confederacy on March 5, 1861 did involve slavery, but also revealed an “independent streak” rooted in the Texas Revolution and memories of the Republic of Texas. Looking at the development and makeup of the independent streak on the county level shows that there were different strains of it across Texas and reveals the importance of local context in thinking about the broader secession crisis. This independent streak shaped how the state’s political leadership class coped with the 1860 presidential election, the debate over secession, and their ultimate decision to join the Confederacy.