Civil War & Reconstruction

1. Which headline best describes Texas during the American Civil War?

• The Union Must Be Preserved
• Texas Welcomes Indians as Citizens
• We Must Fight for Freedom in Mexico
• Citizens Divided on the Issue of Slavery

2. In what year did Texas join the Confederacy?

• 1856
• 1859
• 1861
• 1865

3.Why were the delegates at the Secession Convention in favor of Texas leaving the Union?

• They wanted Abraham Lincoln as president.
• They considered slavery vital to the economy.
• They disagreed with paying high federal taxes.
• They thought the national government was influenced by Britain.

4.Following the American Civil War most former enslaved African Americans in Texas began making a living as —

• ranchers
• cowboys
• sharecroppers
• railroad porters

5. Which event led to the increased production of corn and wheat in Texas during the years of the American Civil War?

• Texas farms began using new fertilizers and pesticides.
• Enslaved people stopped working on the cotton plantations.
• A need to feed soldiers increased demand for these products.
• Confederate officials sent money to Texas farmers to buy land.

6. How did communication systems during the Civil War influence Texas?

• Telephones allowed soldiers in the field to communicate with family members back home.
• New telegraph connections helped Confederate forces in Texas anticipate Union movements.
• Photographs of battle scenes published in newspapers led many in Texas to desire an end to the war.
• Slow communications allowed for continued fighting and delayed the emancipation of enslaved people for weeks after the end of the war.

7. The Texas Constitution reflects the democratic principle of popular sovereignty by —

• establishing three branches of government
• describing the powers of the state agencies
• guaranteeing the individual rights of citizens
• providing for the election of government officials

8.The inclusion of a Bill of Rights with the Texas Constitution reflects a commitment to —

• republicanism
• individual rights
• separation of powers
• checks and balances

9. One way that the Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution are similar is that both establish a government divided into —

• counties
• several states
• three branches
• federal districts

10. How is republicanism reflected in the provisions of both the U.S. and the Texas constitutions?

• Both include a bill of rights to specify the rights citizens are guaranteed.
• Both outline how powers are separated between the branches of government.
• Both provide a framework of how representatives are elected to the legislature.
• Both detail how power is shared between lower and higher levels of government.