Sam Houston, Texas Secession — and Robert E. Lee
No secession ball will mark the day. Nor, it appears, are any other commemorative events planned by Texas, which would rather boast of its time as an independent country. But 150 years ago today, shortly after 11 a.m. on Feb. 1, 1861, a state convention voted overwhelmingly to secede from the Union.
In Austin, on the second floor of the old Texas statehouse just south of the current Capitol building (near the present-day Alamo and Texas Rangers monuments), cheering delegates to the special convention approved a short document declaring that the federal government was becoming "a weapon with which ...
Comments (6)
Dale Curry
I want to thank you for this great article.
Julie Svetlik
Very interesting read! The Declaration of Causes is interesting as well...its surprising language reminds me how far our society has come with regard to human rights. Sadly, we still have far to go.
Chito Vela
Excellent story, especially the links to the source documents. Keep up the good work!
Scott Chase via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Wasn't Houston recalled by the voters for being against secession?
Kate Galbraith via Texas Tribune on Facebook
No voter recall...the secession convention ousted Houston in March after he refused to swear loyalty to the Confederacy. Thanks all (on the Trib site) for the nice comments!
Lee McNutt
I love the history of Texas articles. Keep em coming!