Texas drafted the 1861 ?Constitution because
A Texas joined the Confederacy in the Civil War.
B Texas remained a Union state in the Civil War.
C Texas briefly declaring independence in the Civil War.
D Texas rejoined Mexico in the Civil War.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is A: Texas joined the Confederacy in the Civil War.
Explanation:
In 1861, the state of Texas drafted its own constitution in response to the unfolding events of the American Civil War. This action was taken because Texas had decided to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy. The state’s decision to secede was part of a broader movement in the Southern states, which believed that their rights, particularly to maintain the institution of slavery, were being threatened by the federal government under President Abraham Lincoln.
When Texas voted to secede from the United States in February 1861, it did so following a special convention of delegates who represented the state’s desire to withdraw from the Union. This followed the lead of several other Southern states that had already declared secession. Texas, like many other Southern states, felt that the North, particularly with the election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860, would impose policies against slavery and the states’ rights to govern themselves without interference from the federal government.
After secession, Texas joined the Confederate States of America, a collection of Southern states that seceded from the Union. In order to formalize its status as part of the Confederacy, Texas needed a constitution that aligned with the new political reality. Thus, Texas drafted a new constitution in 1861 that mirrored the Confederate Constitution in many respects, particularly in its protection of slavery and states’ rights.
This 1861 constitution of Texas not only affirmed the state’s allegiance to the Confederacy but also explicitly rejected the authority of the United States government. The draft of this constitution was a direct response to the political and social upheavals caused by the Civil War and the state’s choice to side with the Southern Confederacy in the conflict.