The Reconstruction Era in Texas (1865–1874)

The Reconstruction Era (1865–1874)

After the Civil War, Texas entered a turbulent period of military occupation, economic hardship, and political realignment. The party of Lincoln took control of Texas state government. Backed by federal authority, Reconstruction Republicans granted civil rights to freed slaves, stripped former Confederate leaders of political power, and centralized state authority, provoking fierce resistance. This era saw the adoption of a new constitution, the first Black officeholders in Texas, and the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan.

Primary Sources in Texas History Speeches & Addresses The Reconstruction Era (1865–1874)

The Reconstruction Era (1865–1874)

Loyalty Oaths in Texas During Reconstruction

The 1869 Texas Constitution and Reconstruction Rule

The State Police Law of 1870

Black Politicians in Texas from Reconstruction to Jim Crow

The Origins of Texas’ System of Two High Courts

The 1873 Coke–Davis Election Dispute

Texas v. White and the Question of Secession

The Redeemer Triumph: Richard Coke’s 1874 Inaugural Address

James Throckmorton: The Texas Governor Ousted by the U.S. Army

Cassius Clay: Lincoln’s Forgotten Pick to Govern Postwar Texas