Texas History- Chapter 14 Lesson 3

Texas History- Chapter 14 Lesson 3

Business and Everyday Life

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

Why do people make economic choices?

IT MATTERS BECAUSE

Advances in commerce, transportation, and communications affected life in the Republic of Texas.

Multiple Choice

Ranching and farming was a huge way of life during the Republic of Texas?

• True

• False

Professionals and Skilled Workers

• As settlements and towns grew, the people of Texas found that they needed the services of doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers, and other professionals.

• As the population of Texas grew, the demand for skilled workers increased. Farmers needed specialized tools and equipment. As a result, the work of blacksmiths was in high demand.

• Blacksmiths made plow blades and other farming tools including knives, window grates, and horseshoes.

• Other tradespeople included furniture makers, cabinetmakers, potters, and weavers.

Multiple Choice

Settlements did not require any other jobs other than farming and ranching.

• True

• False

Industries Develop

• The growing population meant a greater need for lumber to build homes and stores.

• As a result, sawmills and gristmills, structures for grinding grain into flour and corn into meal, were needed. Rising farm output meant Texans needed more of these mills.

• The Texas cattle industry led to the development of the hide and tallow trades.

• Hides were made into leather at tanneries. Artisans then used the leather to make boots, saddles, and harnesses. Tallow, cow fat, was used for cooking and to make candles and soap.

• Tanneries and other industries would typically be found along major roads or rivers so that goods could be transported to markets.

Multiple Choice

An increase in population lead to a higher demand for industries such as cattle and lumber.

• True

• False

Transportation and Communications

• Communications were linked to existing transportation methods during the republic.

• News, letters, and packages had to be brought by someone from one place to another.

• Relying on human or animal power for transportation meant that communications were often slow.

Road and Water Travel

• Travelers moved around Texas in many ways including foot, on horseback, or on carts or wagons pulled by animals. Those who could afford it could travel by stagecoach. Going by stagecoach was dangerous because these were often attacked by Native Americans.

• Ferries were also used to carry wagons an people across waterways.

• Starting in the 1830s, steamboats came into use. Steamboats carried passengers and freight along Texas rivers. By the 1840s, steamboats were regularly running along the Trinity, Brazos, and Colorado Rivers, as well as other rivers.

• River traffic could also be halted during times of low water.

Multiple Choice

Transportation methods included roadways and waterways on methods such as stagecoach and ferries.

• True

• False

Ferry

Stagecoach

The Need for Railroads

• The difficult travel conditions in the Republic of Texas hurt the country’s economic growth. Transporting cotton and other goods was often expensive. Texas needed railroads, but constructing them required a great deal of money, labor, and time.

• Texas did not have a railroad until after statehood. In 1853 the Buffalo, Bayou, Brazos, and Colorado Railway Company opened a 20-mile route from Harrisburg, near Houston, to Stafford Point.

• Today it is part of the Southern Pacific Rail Company.

Communications

• During the republic, Texans often got their news from travelers or by mail. They could also read the news in print media, such as newspapers.

• Newspapers printed articles on current events and expressed opinions about Texas government and its leaders. Which began building a strong tradition of a free press in Texas.

• The invention of the telegraph in the 1840s transformed communications. Information traveled much more quickly than ever before.

• In 1854 the first telegraph office in Texas opened in Marshall. Telegraph lines in Texas soon reached Henderson, Rusk, Crockett, Montgomery, Houston, and Galveston.

Multiple Choice

Railroads and telegraphs greatly impacted communication.

• True

• False

Everyday Life in the Republic

• The people of the Republic of Texas wanted prosperity for themselves and their country, as well as a good education for their children.

• They worked hard for this.

• Writers like Mary A. Maverick wrote about their daily lives and social activities, leaving detailed accounts of daily life in the republic.

Social and Domestic Life

• Most Texans lived on isolated farms or ranches, but they enjoyed socializing with their neighbors whenever they could. Texans gathered for activities that combined work with play. These activities include corn-husking bees, hunting, fishing and quilting.

• Dancing was also a popular activity. Traditional style of Texas dancing developed from the many folk-dance styles immigrants brought to Texas, such as polkas, boleros, waltzes, and reels. Wealthy people danced in more formal, European-ballroom styles.

• Many celebrations came from immigrants of all backgrounds including fandango, a religious ceremony in San Antonio, and German, Irish, and Czech festivals.

Multiple Choice

Many Texans chose a solo life with no social activities.

• True

• False

Religion in the Republic

• Before the Texas Revolution, the official Mexican religion was Roman Catholicism. Other immigrants also followed this religion, but there were many that did not.

• The Constitution of 1836 guaranteed the right to religious freedom in Texas. After the revolution, many Protestant (non-Catholic) churches grew in popularity.

• Revivals, long religious awakenings were used to bring forth a heavy religious feeling. In addition, this was yet another opportunity to gather and socialize.

• Many newspapers and private schools were established by many religions in the 1840s and 1850s.

Multiple Choice

Only Catholics lived in the Republic of Texas.

• True

• False

Health and Education

• At the time of the Republic of Texas, medical training was poor and there were few doctors. Some had served during the Texas Revolution, but most of the doctors in settlements were given the task of setting broken bones, delivering babies, and treating illnesses.

• The first civilian hospital in Texas opened in Galveston in 1851. Smaller communities had no doctors or hospitals, therefore women were often midwives or treated illnesses with home remedies.

• The Constitution of 1876 finally established a permanent fund to pay for public schools. Before that, religious institutions opened the first colleges in the republic, including Rutersville College and Baylor University.

Multiple Choice

Medicine was advanced in the early years of the Republic of Texas and all settlements had access to a doctor.

• True

• False