Texas admitted to the Confederate States of America

Background. Following the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, public opinion in the Lower South, including Texas, shifted toward secession. Seven states had already declared secession before Lincoln took office. The Confederate States of America was formed on February 8, 1861, by these initial seceding states, establishing a confederation of sovereign states with Montgomery, Alabama, as its capital.

Secession Process. Texas declared its secession from the Union on February 1, 1861. This action was part of a broader wave in which seven Deep South states passed secession ordinances by February 1861. Southern leaders met in Montgomery in February 1861 to adopt a first constitution establishing a confederation of "sovereign and independent states"; a second constitution written in March 1861 sought to replace that confederation with a federal government.

Admission to the Confederacy. Texas joined the Confederate States of America on March 2, 1861. This admission occurred after the state replaced its governor, Sam Houston, who had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy. The event solidified Texas's status as one of the eleven Southern states that formed the Confederate States, a body refused recognition by the United States government.