Cotton, Cattle, and Railroads

Time Line of Major Events

• 1853 - 1st Railroad in Texas Established
• 1860 - 1865 - Texas joined Confederacy; Civil War began
• June 19, 1865 Juneteenth: Slaves in Texas are Emancipated
• 1876 - Texas Constitution Adopted
• 1893 - Texas Equal Rights Association is formed

1853 1st Railroad in Texas is established

• In order to transport goods and cattle, Texans needed more reliable, faster transportation
• Texas took many years but finally built their first railroad in 1853, known as the "Harrisburg Railroad"
• The Buffalo Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway ran about 20 miles from Harrisburg to Stafford's Point

1860 - 1865 Texas joined Confederacy; Civil War began

• President Lincoln wants to abolish slavery
• Texans wanted to keep their slaves, so they decided to secede from the Union
• Gov. Sam Houston disagreed with secession and was removed from office
• Lieutenant Gov. Edward Clark took over and pledged Texas to the Confederacy and Texas joined the civil war

1865 Enslaved African Americans in Texas Emancipated

• Emancipation Proclamation signed in 1863 was not enforced in confederate states until the end of the civil war
• Slavery in Texas ended on June 19, 1865 when Gen. Gordon Granger announced the immediate emancipation of a quarter million slaves in Texas
• This day, known as "Juneteenth", has been a state holiday since 1979

February 15, 1876 Texas Constitution Adopted

• Since gaining independence from Mexico in 1836, the Constitution has undergone six revisions
• The Constitution of 1876 established many laws still in effect in Texas today
• The revisions included shorter terms & lower salaries of elected officials, limited powers of the legislature & governor, and also created the University of Texas

1893 Texas Equal Rights Association is formed

• The Texas Equal Rights Association was the first statewide women's suffrage organization
• The TERA was formed by Rebecca Henry Hays of Galveston in 1893
• She fought for equal voting and political rights for women, including the right to hold public office and serve on juries

The Texas Cotton, cattle, and railroad era was an eventful time in our states history in which the landscape, government, and day to day lives of Texas citizens was transformed.