📖 Reading Passage

Texas During the Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877)

When the Civil War began in 1861, Texas joined the Confederacy despite opposition from Governor Sam Houston, who was removed from office for refusing to take an oath of loyalty to the Confederate States. Texas provided crucial resources to the Confederate war effort, including cotton, cattle, and over 90,000 soldiers.

The war had devastating effects on Texas. Many families lost loved ones, the economy collapsed, and enslaved people were finally freed when Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865 - a day now celebrated as Juneteenth. General Gordon Granger announced that all enslaved people in Texas were free, ending slavery in the last Confederate state.

During Reconstruction (1865-1877), Texas faced the challenge of rebuilding. The state was placed under military rule and had to write a new constitution that abolished slavery and granted rights to formerly enslaved people. Edmund J. Davis became Texas's first Republican governor during this period. Many white Texans resented federal control and the new rights granted to African Americans. When Reconstruction ended in 1877, Texas Democrats regained power and began passing laws that limited the rights of African Americans for decades to come.

📚 Part 1: Multiple Choice

✏️ Part 2: Short Answer Questions

General _____________ _____________ announced the end of slavery in Texas on _____________ __, 1865, in the city of _____________.