Chart Handouts
James Newcomb and the Republican Party
The charts are a good place to get an idea about some of the
things taking place during Reconstruction in
The charts on the comparisons of the slave population to the
free populations in the U.S, and Texas gives you a sense of both the value of
the slaves as property to the agricultural interests of Texas as well as the
number of African Americans, percentage wise, that were enslaved. Once they are freed and given the right to
vote, they represented a large voting block that was capable of influencing
local, state, and national elections. As
property, the slaves (prior to their being freed) represented the most value of
any property or wealth within
Look at the chart on the vote for secession. Was there a large percentage of voters (all
white male property owners) voting for secession? What would be a main reason why these men
wanted to leave the
The chart on the election of Edmund J. Davis in 1869 tells us a lot about the voting strength of the Radical Republicans. How much did they win by? As you continue in the Quest, consider what factors might have accounted for their winning and what factors as well as who may have opposed them.
The final chart depicts the election of 1873 in which Davis
and the Radical Republicans who supported him are voted out of office. Compare it to the chart you looked at that
shows his winning the 1869 election. Is
there a significant difference between these two? What do you thing that difference is? By reading additional information, you will
begin to get clues about these elections and the differences that existed
within the Republican Party and