H.L. Menken once said, “The American people, North and South, went into the Civil War as citizens of their respective states, they came out as subjects...what they thus lost they have never got back.” The Civil War was a game changer for the United States. There were many problems leading up to this and the Civil War was bound to happen. Texans fought in the Civil War to protect States Rights, to keep slavery, and for the love of Texas.
Slavery played a huge part in the Civil War. In Document A, “30% of the Texas population were slaves.” Also in Document A, ”29% percent of white families in Texas owned slaves.” All families thought slavery was vital to Texas, and they feared that the economy would fall. Without slaves, owners would not make as much profits as they were with slaves and could potentially go bankrupt. The economy relied on what slaves grew.
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States Rights are when a state makes decisions on items not covered by the Constitution. In 1861, Texas wanted to secede from the United States because they wanted to keep slavery. In Document C, an editorial from the Texas State Gazette states, “This is a Union of equal states, and no state can force another state either to remain in it or withdraw from it.” Abraham Lincoln disagreed with this. He felt that slavery was wrong and wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible. According to Document C, Abraham Lincoln expressed himself saying, “No state upon its own mere motion, can lawfully get out of the Union.” He did not feel as though Texas should secede from the United