Texas and the Civil War - Secession Convention
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 caused unrest and drastic action all over the South and in many Texas counties. Despite petitions, editorials and political pressure, Gov. Sam Houston refused to call a special legislative session to consider the position Texas should take. On Dec. 3, 1860, a group of secession leaders took matters into their own hands and called on the people to elect delegates to a convention to meet in Austin on Jan. 28, 1861. Counties sent 177 delegates, and the convention met in the capitol from Jan 28 to Feb. 4 and March 2 to March 25. A Committee on Public Safety, with broad powers, acted for the convention between sessions. By vote of 166 to 7, the convention adopted the Ordinance of Secession and called for a statewide election--the first state in the Confederacy to let voters have a direct voice. 108 of the 122 counties favored secession by a vote of 46,129 to 14,697. The convention voted to join the Confederacy, send delegates to its congress, gear for war and raise troops to protect the frontier. When Gov. Sam Houston refused to take the oath supporting the Confederacy, the convention replaced him with the Lieutenant Governor, Edward Clark. (1965)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Lincoln's 1860 election set off a secession crisis across the South, and Texas was swept along despite Governor Sam Houston's refusal to convene the legislature. Secession leaders organized their own convention in Austin in early 1861, adopted an Ordinance of Secession, and then — unusually — put the question directly to voters, who ratified it. When Houston would not swear loyalty to the Confederacy, the convention removed him and installed his lieutenant governor.
Why it matters
Texas was the only Confederate state to submit secession to a popular vote, and the episode cost the Union its most famous Texan his office — a stark measure of how completely secession fever overrode established authority.
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Related people
- · Sam Houston
- · Edward Clark
Related events
- · Texas Ordinance of Secession
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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