"On the Cusp of War: Houston in the 1860s" HHA Houston History Conference 

The election of Abraham Lincoln to the U.S. Presidency in November of 1860 was seen as a major threat to the institution of slavery and Texas responded in the same way as all of the states whose economies relied on the forced labor of Africans: Secession. The Union responded and the Civil War began. 

It took five long, bloody years to fight the war, with a total loss of over 623,000 lives. Everything changed; the Civil War maintained the Union, but the Union would never be the same. And neither was Houston.

Join the Houston History Alliance for our Fifth Annual Houston History Conference where we’ll explore the social, institutional and economic changes in the Houston area as a result of the Civil War. Afternoon topics will continue to look at the question from the viewpoint of more modern changes in Houston.

Register Now!