British commanders attempted to reverse their floundering fortunes by launching a campaign in the South. There the British would find not just crops such as tobacco, rice and indigo that were vital to their economy, but stronger Loyalist...

From a son of Benjamin Franklin to a Mohawk leader to the governor of Massachusetts, these men chose to side with the British. In a way, the American Revolution was also a civil war. By 1774, American colonists were divided into two...

Discusses the cotton economy in the Lower and Upper South of Texas in the 1800s, and the role transportation played in its growth, or lack thereof in some regions. Wheat was more widely grown in the Upper South where the yeomen farmed.

A brief look at the declaration of independence from Mexico by Texas in 1836, the removal of restrictions on slavery, and how this dramatically increased the population and led to a much greater reliance on the cotton industry in the...

From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes what Asa Whitney did to promote the idea of a transcontinental railroad in the North. His efforts provoked the South into campaigning for...

After the Dred Scott decision by the US Supreme Court, the friction between the North and South over slavery escalated, and the North began to fear that they might not be able to prevent slavery from spreading into their states. The Dred...

Outlines the agricultural differences between the Upper and Lower South of Texas prior to the Civil War.

From a lengthy essay on the history of the railroad in the United States. This section describes how the debate over where to place the transcontinental railroad line - in the North or in the South - began to take shape. It began with...

Presents a summary and list of interesting facts on the Eli Whitney Cotton Gin that revolutionized the cotton industry in the South.

Learn about this Revolutionary War battle that took place January 17, 1781, between Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in North America that ended in a long-term victory for the American colonists.

Discusses the groups of people who settled in Texas in the mid-1800s.

Describes the role Texas played in trading food crops in the mid-1800s.

Discusses where different southern states stood on the issue of secession prior to the Civil War.