NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Life in the New Republic
Lesson 2: Farming and Ranching
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How does geography influence the way people live?
Terms to Know
consist to be formed, made up, or composed of
subsistence crop a crop grown to be used on the farm where it was raised
supplement to add something to a quantity or effort
cash crop a crop grown for the purpose of being sold
squatter a person who settles on or uses land that does not belong to him or her
What do you know?
In the first column, answer the questions based on what you know before you study. After the lesson,
fill in the last column.
Before
Questions
What cash crops did Texans
grow during the republic?
Now
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How did ranching start in Texas?
What was the status of slavery
under the republic?
Farms and Plantations
Guiding Question What types of farming were practiced in the
Republic of Texas?
In the Republic of Texas, agriculture was a major part of the
economy. Agriculture at the time was based on small family farms.
Most of these farms did not rely on enslaved African Americans.
Farmers tried to grow, raise, hunt, gather, and make whatever they
needed to survive. A basic family farm consisted, or was made up,
of about 120 to 160 acres (49 to 65 hectares). Most of it was used to
grow subsistence crops to feed the family.
Defining
1. What is a subsistence
crop?
Reading Essentials and Study Guide 177
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Life in the New Republic
Lesson 2: Farming and Ranching, continued
Marking the
Text
2. Circle names of
subsistence crops and
underline the names of
the cash crops grown
in Texas during the
republic.
Identifying
Cause and Effect
3. Why did the growing
of sugarcane increase
dramatically in the
1840s?
4. How did family farms
and plantations differ
during the republic?
Marking the
Text
5. Highlight the information about how
Texas cattle drives
started.
178
Reading Essentials and Study Guide
Small farmers usually set aside a few acres for cash crops. Cotton
was the most common cash crop. Money made from the sale of a
cash crop was used to buy things farmers could not make themselves,
such as a plow.
Small farmers also raised livestock. They often allowed cattle
and hogs to roam free in unfenced pasture, where they would
forage, or search, for food.
On big farms, or plantations, owners grew large amounts of
cash crops, such as cotton and sugarcane. Cotton had a long
history in Texas. Puebloan people had raised cotton. Early Spanish
colonists also grew cotton.
Many Anglo Americans who came to Texas in the 1820s and
1830s were from the South. They were familiar with growing
cotton and did so in Texas. Enslaved labor was common across the
South, and these settlers greatly expanded slavery in Texas. Plantation
owners typically relied on enslaved African Americans to grow and
harvest the crops. Most cotton plantations in Texas were located
along the Colorado, Brazos, and Trinity rivers.
Sugarcane was the second largest cash crop in the republic.
Farmers in Austin’s colony had raised sugarcane in the 1820s, and
its production increased throughout the 1830s. In the 1840s, when
the cotton crop on the coast was ruined by pests and bad weather,
farmers there turned to sugarcane. Sugarcane production increased
dramatically after that. Improved farming and production methods
led to large-scale sugarcane farming in the 1840s. The main sugarproducing region was Brazoria County.
Ranching
Guiding Question Why did ranching develop in Texas?
Ranching in Texas began with the Spanish. They brought cattle,
horses, sheep, and other livestock to their colony. Spanish cattle
ranchers influenced Anglo American ranchers in many ways.
Anglo American ranchers copied Spanish saddles and equipment
and herding and roping methods. From 1762 to 1800, when Spain
controlled Louisiana, Texan ranchers drove their herds to New Orleans
to sell. This practice began the Texas cattle drives.
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
Reading
Progress Check
Main subsistence crops included corn, sweet potatoes, and a
variety of vegetables. Corn was a major food for Texans. They used
corn to make corn bread, tortillas, and hominy. Farmers also fed
corn to their animals to supplement, or add to, the grasses they
grazed on.
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Life in the New Republic
Lesson 2: Farming and Ranching, continued
Many Anglo Americans who came to Texas to farm turned to
cattle ranching instead. Land grants and plentiful grass made
ranching an attractive alternative to farming. By the time of the
republic, cattle ranching was an important industry. Beef and
hides could be sold for cash to farmers and townspeople. They
were also bartered for food, clothing, and other goods.
Explaining
6. Why did cattle ranching
become an important
industry in Texas?
A breed of cattle known as the Texas Longhorn became popular
at this time. It was a hardy breed that could survive long drives
and resisted many diseases.
The Spanish also introduced sheep and goat ranching to
Texas. The climate was especially good for raising these animals.
At first, sheep and goats were raised mainly for their meat. Later,
large sheep ranches in Spanish Texas declined, but the industry
revived during the republic. American settlers brought new
breeds to produce wool, which was a valuable good sought by
U.S. textile mills.
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Some livestock farmers were squatters. They grazed their
herds on lands they did not own and moved on to new grazing
land as needed. Squatters benefitted Texas by helping settle
unclaimed land. They also became successful, tax-paying ranchers.
Many important ranchers were Tejanos, such as María Calvillo,
who owned and operated a goat ranch. Treviño Circle T Ranch
was founded by Bartolomé de Lizarraras y Cuellar, who raised
cattle, goats, and sheep. This ranch existed from the time of
Spanish rule through the republic and well into the 1900s. The
Bustamante Ranch grew peanuts in addition to raising sheep,
goats, and cattle.
Slavery in the Republic
Guiding Question What was the relationship between slavery and
agriculture in Texas?
In 1836 about 5,000 enslaved African Americans lived in Texas. By
1845, their numbers had increased to about 30,000. Many of them
arrived with slaveholder immigrants from the southern United
States. Texas plantation owners also purchased enslaved workers.
By 1861, about one in four Texas families held slaves.
Defining
7. What is a squatter?
Reading
Progress Check
8. Why did some early
settlers switch from
crop farming to raising
livestock after arriving
in Texas?
Analyzing
9. By about how much
did the population
of enslaved people
increase in Texas
between 1836 and 1845?
Reading Essentials and Study Guide 179
NAME ________________________________________ DATE _____________ CLASS ______
Life in the New Republic
Lesson 2: Farming and Ranching, continued
Marking the
Text
10. Highlight the information about the type
of work enslaved
people did.
Reading
Progress Check
11. How did enslaved
African Americans
contribute to the
economy of the Texas
Republic?
Producing large amounts of cash crops relied on enslaved
workers. It also built the Texas economy. In the 1850s there was a
600-percent increase in cotton production. However, an economy
based on slave labor may have kept Texas from developing more
modern industries.
Most enslaved African Americans in the republic worked on
cotton plantations, in sugarcane fields, and on farms. While many
adults did field work, some handled livestock or worked as house
servants. Some were skilled workers, such as blacksmiths, carpenters,
and masons. A smaller number worked in towns as house servants
or mechanics, or they were hired out as day laborers.
Enslaved people worked without pay. They had to live with
the knowledge that a family member could be sold at any time.
They often suffered from physical and emotional abuse and
were denied basic human rights. Enslaved people were provided
with food, clothing, and shelter, but little else. They ate mostly
corn and pork, and perhaps vegetables and wild game or fish.
They often lived in small, dirt-floor cabins and had little medical
care.
Enslaved workers tried to maintain a family and social life.
Religion and music were extremely important and brought relief
from their hard lives.
Check for Understanding
1. Expository What effects did Anglo American settlers from the southern United States have
on slavery in Texas?
2. Persuasive Were the Spanish important to the development of ranching in Texas? Explain.
180
Reading Essentials and Study Guide
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Writing