why did texas originally joined the confederate states of america
Texas in the American Civil War The U.S. state of Texas declared its secession from the United States of America on February 1, 1861, and joined the Confederate States on March 2, 1861, after it replaced its governor, Sam Houston, when he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. As with those of other States, the Declaration was not recognized by the United States government at Washington. Some Texan military units fought in the Civil War east of the Mississippi River, but Texas was most useful for supplying soldiers and horses for Confederate forces. Texas' supply role lasted until mid-1863, after which time Union gunboats controlled the Mississippi River, making large transfers of men, horses or cattle impossible. Some cotton was sold in Mexico, but most of the crop became useless because of the Union naval blockade of Galveston, Houston, and other ports.
Territorial evolution of the United States The first great expansion of the country came with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which doubled the country's territory, but brought it into minor conflict with the colonies of Spain which eventually resulted in the acquisition of Spanish Florida.[1] The Oregon Country gave the United States access to the Pacific Ocean, though it was shared for a time with the United Kingdom.[2] The annexation of the Republic of Texas in 1845 led directly to the Mexican-American War, after which the victorious United States obtained Mexico's northwestern quarter, including what was quickly made the state of California.[3] However, as the development of the country moved west, the question of slavery became too much to ignore, as there was a struggle to keep the number of northern abolitionist states equal to the number of southern slave states, with vigorous debate over whether the new territories would allow slavery and events such as the Missouri Compromise and Bleeding Kansas. This came to a head in 1860 and 1861, when the governments of the southern states proclaimed their secession from the country and formed the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War led to the defeat the Confederacy in 1865 and the eventual readmission of the states to the United States Congress.