Texas and the Civil War

Lesson Duration: 45 Minutes

Grade Level: 7th Grade
Subject Area: Social Studies - Texas History
Curriculum Focus: Understanding the causes and implications of Texas' role in the Civil War with a primary focus on the expansion of slavery.
U.S. Standards Alignment: National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS) – Theme 2 (Time, Continuity, and Change) & Theme 6 (Power, Authority, and Governance); Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) §113.19. Social Studies, Grade 7:

• (7.4C) Analyze how the issues of states' rights and slavery caused the Civil War and led to Texas' involvement.
• (7.22B) Differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources to acquire information about Texas.

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Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Understand the role the expansion of slavery played in escalating tensions between the North and South and Texas’ decision to join the Confederacy.
2. Analyze primary and secondary accounts for how slavery influenced Texas’ involvement in the Civil War.
3. Evaluate Texas’ economic reliance on slavery and consider its impact on societal and political decisions in the 1860s.

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Materials Needed

• Whiteboard or SMART board
• Markers
• Printed copies of a primary source (excerpts from the Texas Ordinance of Secession and an editorial from an 1860s newspaper discussing slavery in Texas)
• Pre-written debate role cards (Confederate farmer, Union sympathizer in Texas, enslaved person, and abolitionist journalist).
• Sticky notes for brainstorming.
• A laminated Texas map (Civil War era) with economic data (cotton and enslaved populations by county).

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Lesson Plan Breakdown

1. Warm-Up (5 Minutes)

Objective: Engage students and activate prior knowledge.
Activity: Write the question on the board:
"How do you think Texas’ economy shaped its stance on slavery and the Civil War?"

• Give each student one sticky note. Instruct them to write a 1–2 sentence response based on what they already know about Texas’ economy.
• Collect sticky notes and create a “thought map” on the board, categorizing them under headings like "Agriculture," "Cotton," and "Political Reasons.”
• Quickly review the thought map, asking volunteers to expand on their answers.

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2. Direct Instruction (10 Minutes)

Objective: Provide students with historical context on the expansion of slavery in Texas leading to the Civil War.
Key Talking Points:

• Start with the year 1845: Texas joins the United States as a slave state. Discuss how settlers moving to Texas relied on enslaved labor to grow cotton, the state’s most valuable export.
• Explain the growing divide between Northern states, which supported abolition, and Southern states, which were economically reliant on slavery—Texas being a key player.
• Show the map of Texas from the Civil War era, emphasizing regions with high enslaved populations and extensive cotton plantations.
• Discuss the Texas Ordinance of Secession: How it explicitly mentions slavery as a primary cause for seceding. Introduce the primary source excerpt here: “We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States … were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity…”

Use the SMART board to annotate key points in the primary source.

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3. Group Activity: Role Play Debate (20 Minutes)

Objective: Allow students to explore perspectives on slavery’s role in Texas’ involvement in the Civil War.

1. Split the class into 4 groups: Each group receives a pre-written “role card” identifying their assigned perspective:
   • Confederate farmer who owns a small plantation.
   • Union sympathizer living in Texas.
   • An enslaved person working on a cotton plantation in East Texas.
   • An abolitionist journalist writing for a Northern newspaper.
2. Give each group 5–7 minutes to workshop responses to guiding questions like:
   • How do you feel about slavery?
   • Why would Texas secede (or remain in the Union) based on your perspective?
3. Conduct a 10-minute moderated debate. Students speak in character while the teacher plays the role of a neutral facilitator. Display an updated “Pro/Con of Texas Secession” list on the whiteboard as arguments unfold.

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4. Reflection and Exit Activity (10 Minutes)

Objective: Reinforce the day’s learning and assess student understanding.

1. Debrief: Review the central role of slavery in Texas’ decision to join the Confederacy by asking students:
   • What reasons did Texans in the 1860s have to support or oppose secession?
   • How did the economic structure of Texas tie directly to slavery?
2. Written Exit Ticket Activity: Pass out a half-sheet to each student with a sentence starter:
   • “I learned that slavery was important to Texas’ economy because…”
   • “Without slavery, Texas probably would have…”

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Assessment of Learning

1. Formative Assessments:

   • Monitor student participation and engagement during the debate, ensuring each perspective is supported by evidence.
   • Evaluate responses to sticky note brainstorming and “Exit Ticket” to assess understanding of the relationship between slavery and Texas’ involvement in the Civil War.

2. Summative Assessment (Follow-Up Homework):

   • Create a journal entry from the perspective of a Texas resident during the Civil War. Students can choose to write as a plantation owner, an enslaved worker, or a Union supporter in Texas, referencing what they learned in class.

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Differentiation and Extensions

• For Struggling Learners: Provide a vocabulary guide (secession, abolition, Confederacy) and sentence starters during debate prep. Offer a simplified version of the primary source document.
• For Advanced Students: Assign an additional secondary source as homework, such as a summary of how Texas' economy recovered post-Civil War, and ask them to compare it to the pre-Civil War period.
• Classwide Extension: Plan a future lesson focusing on Reconstruction in Texas to show the long-term effects of the Civil War.

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Closing Remark

This lesson engages students with primary source analysis, critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity to deepen their understanding of how slavery shaped Texas’ history—and its role in the U.S. Civil War.