I would expect the influx of refugees from the US durring the Civil War will serve to add further cultural development to the nation.
Lone Star Republic
- Thread starter Kaiser Chris
- Start date
Texas joining the South won't be so simple. From my perspective as an outsider and not working with all the info available, I'd have to say no to joining the South. Why? Well, here's why I think they won't join the South:
First off, they won't "join" the South due to a thing called nationalism, patriotic pride, and the fact that it's been ingrained in people's minds for years that Texas is a nation and a very well off one, at that. Kaiser Chris states:
Which means several things. Texas is still around in '61, meaning it made it passed the Civil War stage of Central, North America as I remember Chris stating repeatedly, the ACW for this TTL occurs in the '50s. The other meaning, if Texas has been an independent nation since '36 and the ACW begins in the '50s, there's been quite a bit of time for people to have been Texanized. Add in the many immigrants who are enjoying Texas' laws and life opposed to laws and life back home, whether in the US or in Europe or even Asia and Africa. This just gives more people willing to become Texan, that and they're allies with the French. People who dislike Slavery, something I find amusing considering this Texan Political group and it's goals in TTL:
Yeah... They make no sense to me. Want to be friends with ole Mexico, who hate Slavery and them. Then there's the entire issue of France. The nation to abolish, reestablish, then once more abolish Slavery if I remember right. I believe it was first abolished for them in 1794, brought back by the "Tiny Emperor" Napoleon in the year 1802, then abolished again in 1848? I'm probably wrong on that, unfortunately. But anyways, back to the issue at hand. Assuming what I've said is correct, then the Pro-Slavery group is Pro-French, which has it's French Immigrants probably leaning on them to get rid of slavery or is made up of French citizens who enjoyed having slaves and have now fled to Texas to keep that right. Even better is that California and Indians are apparently Pro-Slavery, although more by relation of the party then personal views.
Anyways, if Texas joins the ACW it stands quite a bit too loose, as well as gain. France likely won't support them, so there goes some allied aid as it'd drag them into a war in which Britain and Germany might consider helping out the US if only to ensure France didn't get to much power. To be honest, if played wrong or right, the American ACW here has perhaps an even bigger potential to spark WW1. Back to topic. So with France not aiding them, it'd just be them and the South which to be honest, ought to be somewhat weaker. Having just fought a war, the US likely had recruits from everywhere, and while the North makes back their population via waves of immigration, the South is more of relying on natural births. Add in the fact, the South has even less RR currently and even less modernization as well as industrialization. Though, they will have experienced officers, the North also has that too, having just had quite a bit of people as officers fighting in the Third Anglo-American War, or whatever you want to call it (American Conquest of the North, Expulsion of the Brits, War to Free the Quebecois, The Northern Campaign/War, War of 1845, Mr. Harrison's War, Third Time's A Charm, Twice in Three Tries, British Fail Against Americans... Again, Royaly Losing the War, Arrogance is thy Downfall, Deaths on your head Ms. Queen, Listening to Advisors kinda Helps out a lot, Lucky Sonofabitches those Americans, "Europe's more Important!" say the Brits for the first time ever, A New Leaf in Global Politics and Warfare alongside Geography, 1812's Revenge, etc...) So, essentially, though it'd give them another ally, they'd be fighting a more urbanized, industrialized, and modernized enemy with an even bigger army despite the South and Texas joining together. Also, joining the war would see Texas fighting the US Navally, leading to its merchant fleet being subject to "pirate" raids, and US retaliatory strikes. The South will have an even harder time financing itself leading to Texan having to play the main role in the alliance aside from fighting. Then the Texans will either have to invade via ship, or head north and attack across the Mississipi, or go East into the South before North and fighting there. Either way, it's going to be quite a journey. Plus, should Texas lose, the punishments aren't going to be kind. Perhaps losing Cali, maybe the US trying to effectively conquer ole Texas. Economic punishments for sure, restrictions to the military, and perhaps some trade agreements in Americans favor.
Now here's what I believe Texas will do: Proclaim "neutrality" and officially have that hold. Meanwhile, Confederates are getting arm shipments, uniform, medical supplies, food, ammo, etc... from the Texans, quite a bit of Pro-Slave Texans join Confederate Army, a couple Texan ships go missing and become Confederate ships, some US merchant ships end up going missing having been raided by Texas. Texas selling Confederate Cotton and maybe Confederate soldiers/diplomats using Texas ships to travel to Britain/France/Russia/a European Nation to ask for some aid and recognition (The Trent Affair, what's that? Last I check it was the Americans Assaulting the Austin that almost started a war between Texas and America. Obviously never happened, and won't happen in this TTL). Heck, maybe some Confederate soldiers get training in Texas.
Alright, now that's over, I want to state this:
I like this political party the most out of the two. Something which I'm sure most, if not everyone here does, after all, the other one is "Pro-Slavery". Also sure, this one has some support for slavery via "Moderate Abolitionism", which means it's not everyone is wanting it, but it's still one of the two political parties and effectively controls Texas Government, so having the goal of "Moderate Abolitionism" is quite a thing. Even more so, seeing how they're likely to get it done with Texas not having as many slaves it did by OTL, with those being replaced by these Germans, Tejanos, Chinese, Catholics, Arizona people, and Western Texas. So yeah, I think slaves in Texas are likely going to have it good soon even more so if Texas doesn't do segregation and is willing to educate the slaves via an organization similar to the Freedman's Bureau. Even better is their focus in Education, Infrastructure, and the strong military. All good things in my eyes. Even the "Strong Central Government" part is good to me. I'd say, this is the current best of two options when deliberating between the two based on 21st Century Morals and personal preferences.
Now, a question. Will Texas subscribe Social Darwinism and/or go through a Gilded Age?
Edit: Having forgotten about this.
I'm going to mention my thoughts on it, so here they are:
Most of the Americans fleeing are going to be several things. Slaves, people who disagree with the Confederacy but can't make it to the Union, or Slaveholders who don't want to get screwed by the Union when they win. That means several things. If it's slaves, then I can't do much but postulate, considering we haven't heard anything like OTL's Fugitive Slave Laws having been passed by TTL's Texas or America, which means quite a bit. Without them, the South will be pissed and Texas alongside the North will get African-Americans much faster. They'll be free, but somewhat uneducated, which will mean a lot. Now the abolitionists that can't get out of the South but can get to Texas are going to be somewhat happy and somewhat disappointed. Texas still has slavery, but nothing so far shows that the divisional lines due to that are really bad and that Texas isn't freeing some slaves. Of course, there's nothing to suggest otherwise. Though, the Crockett Years and rise of the Western Union doesn't really say that they are tolerable towards escaped slaves, so... yeah. Then there's the Slaveholders fleeing. More hatred for blacks right there might just create a White Supremacist group. Maybe, we'll see Texas taking a hardline approach on anything like Terrorism due to them. I've no idea. In the end, perhaps they'll all provoke a rise of Nativism as they annoy the different ethnicities within the Texan Nation and take away some jobs from other Texans, however, I can't see that as most of the Texans are still Immigrants themselves.... With some of the population having been born there. Mainly the Tejanos, Native Americans, and descendants of the original American settlers, plus whatever kids have been born here since their parents came over. But yeah, they'll racial and ethnic tensions in Texas for a while.
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MagicalPhantom345: Chinese Immigrants will be briefly talked about in the culture post, but I'll have a segment dedicated to Chinese-Texans when I talk about them in my next immigration post "Immigration in the Lone Star Republic 1848-1861".
The influx of southern refugees and migrants from the Civil War will also be touched upon after the Civil War, detailing their conflicts with Texas society and their addition to Texan culture.
terranova210486: I'll talk about the situation for African-Americans post Civil War in the Lincoln administration and his successors. It will be overall way better than OTL, I can promise you that much.
I'll talk about Slavery in Texas in one complete Chapter right before the Mexican War begins, both its uses and the movements for and against it. While there are some abolitionists in Texas society, it is important to remember that it's not a united or organized movement like in the North, and it's not a huge national problem like in the United States due to the low number of slaves in Texas and their concentration in East Texas. No Texas will not join the South. Most Texans now consider themselves independent of the United States and won't want to get involved even if they're descended from the south. It's also important to remember that the Mexican War will be going on at the same time, preventing Austin from having the ability to support even if they want to. Finally, it'd be complete suicide to support the Confederacy even if the Mexican War wasn't going to happen. The United States is a huge power in the Americas and while conditions for the Civil War are different, this isn't going to be a Confederate-wank. If Texas supported the Confederacy, then they would be invaded after the war is over and France wouldn't support, the United States finally having the ability to annex the Southwest. That's not to say that certain groups or individuals in Texas won't support the Confederates though. Again, more details will be revealed later.
MagicalPhantom345: Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try to add some of them in the Chapter.
I'm going to be dedicating a single post to this since you bring about a huge amount of questions for the timeline:
First, I want to respond to most of your questions by saying that Texas will NOT be joining the American Civil War. Like I stated previously, Texas is going to be involved in the Mexican War so they have no capacity to intervene, not that they'd be of much help in their current state. Like I responded with terranova, there will be many groups or individuals in Texas who are sympathetic to the south, but some of them will refrain from taking action due to their patriotism and focus on Mexico. Austin's official policy is going to be one of neutrality, but Texas will be involved with both sides one way or the other. Unnoffically aid will be transferred to the Confederacy from Texas in the war, at the same time the government is going to be supporting the Union as the legit government, and the reason they can't stop this is due to the nation's priorities of winning the war against Mexico. The President in charge during the war, will have a wait it out policy where Texas will ally with the Confederacy if they win, and continue strengthening ties with the Union if they win. The outcome of the Civil War will affect Texas's immediate policies in the rest of the 60's and 70's. Lastly the ACW beings in 1861 like OTL with Lincoln as President, though the makeup of the Confederacy and the process of succession and beginning stages of the war, will be far more different. More revealed later.
I'd also like to address several concerns you have with the Western Union Party. First, Crockett and the Western Union do NOT want to become buddies with Mexico, they just want relations normalized so both countries can live in peace and trade across the border (the Mexican War is going to reveal that it's not going to work). The Republicans are basically like "Fuck Mexico, we're more powerful and they tried to oppress us", wanting to keep a close eye on them. The Western Union's policy comes from Houston's OTL actions where he tried to make multiple attempts at a permanent peace with the Mexican government, while Lamar never gave a damn. I'd also like to clarify what I meant by "Pro-Slavery". By Pro-Slavery, they are not like the Southern Democrats who want the institution to live forever as part of their bullshit heritage. The Western Union Party just wants to keep the status quo with slavery being legal across Texas. This is not a universal party platform, but something that represents them due to most of the party members being American immigrants from the South, who'd like to keep their slaves. More will be explained in the slavery and future abolition chapters. What's important to remember, is that the Western Union does not have a political platform saying they will support slavery to the end of time. They are open to compromise on the subject and are not zealots like the Deep South. As for the rest of the party; California couldn't care less since slavery hardly exists in its borders, Indians don't care since it doesn't affect them, French are the ones in the party who are against it, but don't make a big fuss since it's not a fundamental part of Texas's society or economy.
I'm glad you like the Republicans. They'll be staying to modern day along with the Western Union. Throughout Texas history they'll be the dominant party in politics due to their large support base and nationalistic policies. There will be plenty of political eras where the opposition rules, as shown with the incoming Crockett administration. The Third Party that will show up later is also going to immensely affect things as they are the complete opposite on the political spectrum than Republicans. Overall the Western Union is going to improve their policies over time and the slavery issue will get solved more smoothly. When the Republicans have "Moderate Abolitionism", that doesn't mean it's a part of their party platform as many politicians, including Lamar, own slaves. What's important to remember is that the Republicans do not draw support from the plantation society, and their support groups all have high levels of anti-slavery feelings. Making them the first to propose abolition in the future. Spoiler Alert; Rick Perry is still a Republican and Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater might make appearances.
Texas is going to lean more towards the Gilded age as the latter half of the 19th Century will be focused on economic growth and the strengthening of Texas's position in the world. I'd like to state something for the future. Blacks will not be a prominent minority group in Texas for a long time. This is due to the fact that Texas will only have around 200,000 slaves in Texas during abolition, and as immigrants continue to arrive from across the globe and Texas's NIR rises, Blacks will continue to grow, but they will have nowhere near the same impact as African-Americans on society due to the black population becoming a smaller minority in percentage over time. As the years go by, Black immigration will increase from the U.S as Texas's economy continues to grow and industrialize. The late 20th century will see an explosion in Afro-Texan culture, as immigrants arrive from Africa and the U.S in waves due to a process similar to the Sun Belt migration.
The racial and ethnic divisions in Texas post Civil War will be shown later. America's future actions on slavery during the Douglas years and Abolitionists opinion on Texas's status will be explained later. When the Southern exodus does begin though, they'll be in for a shock as most of their "cousins" don't hold the same values on slavery and southern culture as they do. To show Texas's main reaction to slavery, I'm going to promise everyone right now that there will be an abolition arc in the future.
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Update will come sometime tomorrow.
P.S I just love your alternate names for the Oregon War. I cracked up reading each one of them and I can see a Wikipedia page using these, or these being actual alternate names when teaching history.
Those two could really shake up the political discourse of whatever country you dropped them in if they are anything like they were in OTL. Of course there is no guarantee they will be.
Good. No matter the timeline southern slavers need a reality check.
As I thought. It's the only good course of action. Of course, I'd suggest that Texas aid the Union as well, otherwise some feelings might arise from the Northern Populace after learning the Texans helped out their rebellious brothers. Then there's the entire Southern dislike for Texas as they didn't truly help out the Confederates, of course, it'll likely be more of how they felt about the British and French not really helping them in OTL.
Crap. So it's OTL time, but different things. Now I'm really hoping we don't go over OTL's 600k deaths for this war.
Makes more sense then what I was thinking. Guess I was overreacting?
I guess they've found modernization a little early? No... Fine. Anyways, it makes quite a bit of sense.
Oh. Okay, I see what you meant by Pro-Mexico, essentially. It's a way of ensuring their citizens won't have to worry about War with Mexico yet again. A secure southern border. No more worries about trade routes being attacked, more money from trade, a way to decrease the army size as you don't necessarily have to worry about them doing something stupid.
Okay, I definitely overreacted about that bit. And the way you've explained it makes sense.
Yet another confirmation I went overrboard on the slavery situation, however, it did confirm the fact that the French within the party are anti-slavery like I thought, obviously not all of them, but enough for it to matter.
Alright. Sounds good for Texas.
Communists/Socialists early? Just joking, but now to be serious, will this Third Party end up having the regulated fate of any Third Party within the Central, North American Geographical area? Meaning, will they end up like most US Third Parties which just so happens to be, dissolving having been relatively ineffective during the years they were active only to have the other two parties later pick up part of their policies and make some of the changes they want years after the Third Party dissolved?
Of course.
Yep. Just like I thought.
By this do we mean the Texan thought process? The way the Gilded Age modernized and industrialized America, now doing that for Texas? The waves of immigration and rise of nativism? Socialism's rise, Social Darwinism's smothering grasp having taken ahold of the wealthy and some working class? Edited In: Wait... You answered that in the text I quoted and I didn't even recognize that, did I...?
Well maybe no Jim Crow laws? No Polls Tax, no Grandfather Clause, no Segregation? Something similar to the 13th Admendment is passed easier?
Of course, and may I say I'm looking forward to it.
Well, it'll be interesting. Confederates are in for some problems. Last I checked, if they uphold traditional Southern Values of the time, anybody non-white is below them. Que pissing off the Tejanos and the Natives, which happen to be major powers in Texas as far as I know.
We'll hold you to it. I promise.
You're welcome. Can't wait to read it.
Thanks. Now for my second performance with the American Civil War... once we see why it kicked off and what happened during it in this TTL.
Thanks for responding. While most of your answers have been clear, and the questions not be able to be answered right now due to spoilers, I will answer about the third party. The afformentioned third party I talked about, will make an appearance in the 1890's and will stay to present day, unlike other American political parties. As a hint though, this new party is one that has existed in OTL, but has been defunct for a very long time.
Working on Chapter 56 right now. Will post in a few hours.
Populists? Socialists? Know-Nothings or an equivalent of that? Whigs? Federalists? Wait... Is it an American Political Party, or one that's actually just state-wise for Texas according to OTL? Progressive Party? Uh... Damn, I really don't know anymore political parties. Well, I gave out all of my guesses.
.
.
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Or did I! Bull-Moose Party. (At this moment I'm just tossing out party names and hoping to hit a mark. It's like throwing knives at a target, while it's nighttime and you've just finished spinning around.)
Cool. Will read the chapter late. Have a good time writing it, and don't get Writer's Block.
Chapter 56 Culture ofThe Lone Republic 1836-1861
Chapter 56 Culture of the Lone Star Republic 1836-1861
"What exactly are we Texans like? Well let me tell you it's not something that you can answer in a single sentence."- Stephen F. Austin 1850
"I don't give a damn about entering the Union cause I am a full blooded Texan. I took part in the Revolution that built this nation, and I intend to see it last to the next century."- President Mirabeau Lamar 1841
"I am not a Mexican. I am a Texan."- Presidential Candidate Juan Seguin 1859
In the early years of the Republic, it was quite difficult to exactly describe what Texas culture was, or what was unique about the nation. When Europeans of the time met with a Texan, many just assumed that they were Mexican and had little to no idea of what life in Texas was like. Due to this, Texas had a very static public image in foreign nations that made it look like they were just a by-product of America, which in some cases can be true. It wasn't until the late 19th century after the Mexican War that Texas culture began to spread across the globe with the birth of the "Wild West" culture that still is a prominent image of Texas today. The truth of the matter is though, that Texas had been developing its unique culture and customs ever since it first declared independence. The reason there was such a difficulty at the time, was due to the huge amount of diversity and ethic blending that made even the United States look homogeneous. In just a quarter of a decade from 1836 to 1861, Texas exploded from a backwater country with a low population of 100,000 to that of 2 Million. Many of them being immigrants or the acculturation of Indians that brought about many unique cultures to that of the existing Anglo-Tejano model. In this chapter we will be looking at what was exactly Texan in the first decades of the Republic, and see how that early culture lead to what is the Republic of Texas today.
Art&Literature: While Texas was introduced to many forms of art, the one that frequently dominated across its many different culutres was naturalism or landscape art. Artists and writers that came to Texas were frequently amazed by the diverse natural environments across the Republic and the laid back casual culture of its people. Most works of art in this era while limited due to the growing population and establishment of cultural identity, were dedicated to these topics. Paintings were the most frequently used methods of fine arts, with artists painting scenes of the Texas landscape; whether they be the sunset in a horizon, the grassy plains and forests of the east, majesty of the Rio Grande and Colorado, harsh Arizona deserts, Deseret mountainside, or the Pacific environment of California. When creating artwork that focused on people, much attention was given to the everyday lives of Texans, with particular focus placed on the ranchers, Indians, Texas Rangers, frontier settlers, and life within the settlements. Most Texas novels that were created at this time could also be placed into similar categories. The most popular domestic series being "Chronicles of the Southwest" an adventure/travel series of works coauthored by German Karl May and Frenchmen Louis Bernard on their travels across the Republic. These adventure and domestic novels would make their way to Europe and entice more people to come to Texas based on the dreams of life in the Southwest. The works of Karl May are definitely considered to be most influential due to its impact in the still developing German national culture and its role in German literature by introducing several German protagonists and tales that became household names, while Texas itself became a popular topic in German and even French literature. Lastly, Texas art is very important for introducing the western world to Indian culture in a manner that is not based on ignorance or superiority. This lead to a fascination in Indian life and its preservation from assimilation due to the increased interest in their practices.
A Landscape scene showing a field of Bluebonnets
Entertainment: In the early years of Texas there were very few national forms of entertainment that were spread across the Republic. Performance venues such as theaters, concerts, and various competitions were localized and not spread on a national or even commonwealth scale. Sports would not be developed until the late 19th century, so there was only running, combat, shooting, and shows of strength. Many festivals and celebrations still occurred but these revolved around the later mentioned holidays and cultural practices. What did develop in Texas though, was the one method of entertainment that has basically become a major part of its identity to this day, the rodeo. The first rodeos do not have an recorded origin, but are generally said to have started in the 1840's across Texas. These resulted in county affairs where local fairs were created in order to celebrate harvests and promote livestock and agricultural products to any outsiders who might be willing to support the local economy. With the growth of the ranching sector as an integral part of the Texas economy, particular attention was paid to the cowboys and local ranchers and their livestock, with competitions to determine the best breeds. Through the creation of several games to entertain the fair goers, the method for the modern rodeo was created where several competitions would be held that involved the events of horse racing, bull riding, barrel racing, cattle wrestling, livestock shows, shooting galleries, Cowboy&Indian reenactments, and crop competitions. The Rodeo would become so popular in later years that it would soon spread throughout the Western hemisphere in Mexico, Yucatan, Midwest and Pacific America, Chile, Argentina, and even Australia and New Zealand today. While Rodeos have generally become a mild worldwide phenomenon and a major part of the Texas Identity, there is much debate as to whether or not it is a sport. Whatever the case, Rodeo became an official Olympic sport in the 1936 Galveston Games (though it is not used in Olympics outside of Texas)
In terms of the music scene, much development on the Southwestern genre did not truly begin until after the Mexican War. The two main genres that did rise was the mariachi band of Mexican music and the traditional Southern music. Outside of certain cultural festivals, these two types of music would be the ones most played in Texas. With the instruments of the harmonica, guitar, trumpet, violin, banjo, and accordion being used in both genres. Southern music often had English lyrics to accompany it like Mariachi did with Spanish. The only time when both styles would be used would be in the hoedown dance where a band would play either music while the partygoers would dance in the newly created styles of square dancing or the dosie doe.
Bronco riding at the 2016 Houston Livestock Show&Rodeo (Right) A traditional hoedown (Left)
Food: Texan food in the early years of the Republic was not a single collection of dishes that were created in Texas, but rather a huge combination of different ethnic dishes from across the globe. Because of this, there were no real large movements that had attempted to establish a culinary identity. The most popular styles of food that would spread throughout Texas at this time would be Southern American, German, Mexican, and Chinese. Soon two very distinct styles of Texan food would emerge. Tex-Mex and Texan. Tex-Mex is a style of food created by Tejanos for the purpose of enticing Texans to eat their food in restaurants, with these dishes being made in several American elements. This would result in the creation of several Texan foods such as the burrito, guacamole, nachos, chili, and fajitas. The rise in popularity of these dishes would soon come to spread the usage of Latin dishes in general. With tortillas being served as a staple alongside bread, and Mexican spices being used in the cooking of several non-Latin dishes. Texan also developed at this time, being a hybrid mix of southern cuisine and the native Texan diet. Heavy preference usually goes to the selection of beef or chicken, and the usage of vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and lettuce in each dish. Texan foods also became notorious for introducing a heavy reliance on fried food. The most obvious difference between Texan and Southern foods is the sheer quantity in which it is served. A Texan dish would usually be large enough to hold 2 or three servings for a person, in a single plate. Becoming part of the saying that everything is bigger in Texas. With the heavy population of Cattle, beef and dairy base products were highly used in casual meals. Wheat became the main crop used for food in Texas, while California developed a Mediterranean diet based on its agriculture of tomatoes, grapes, oranges, and other citrus. Like most aspects of Texas culture, it's official cuisine would not be formally organized until the dawn of the 20th century, and its growth across the world not occurring until after the Great War.
A typical Tex-Mex meal
Holidays: The creation of many of Texas's current holidays were not established in the early years of the Republic. This is due to many Texans celebrating American holidays or that of a specific ethnic holiday within a minority culture. The first established one that was widely celebrated is Independence day on March 2nd. Most religious holidays observed were Christian ones with Christmas and Easter being celebrated across the Republic at its time of year. The growth of the Catholic population would also force certain Catholic holidays to become wider celebrations in Texas, even being celebrated by Protestant Texans for the cultural celebrations. These were All Saint's Day, Good Friday, Halloween (The day of the dead celebrations in Mexico) and the Feast of Our lady of Guadeloupe. The only non Tejano or Texan holiday that was celebrated cross culturally was that of the Chinese Cultural festivals, its practice and celebration being spread throughout California. In order to further establish the Texan identity, national holidays were created by the Texas Congress in its early years. These were Alamo Day, San Jacinto Day, Cabeza de Vaca Day (Discovery of Texas by the Spanish), and Election Day so that the population could go out and vote. As the Texan culture developed, many unique Texan holidays would be created in the latter 19th century and the 20th Century.
Languages: Officially as it has been since the creation of the Constitution in 1836, English has been the national language of the Republic of Texas with Spanish acting as a recognized informal secondary language that is part of Texas's culture. The reason that the Texas Constitution wrote this is due to the fact that the only two groups who had lived in Texas at the time of its creation were the Tejanos and American immigrants. With English being presented as the dominant language due to the present majority of Anglo-Texans. This gradually changed over time as more ethnic groups immigrated to Texas, and the nation suddenly found dozens of languages being spoken in its borders. With regards to the cultural norm on what would be spoken, English was accepted as the lingua franca and most immigrants were native Tejanos, and Indian tribes were generally encouraged to speak it in order to prevent any national divisions because of speech. Due to this, an American could travel to Texas and speak in English with a majority of its citizens in a casual conversation and could conduct business negotiations with English documents. This however, did not prevent the spread of other languages into the lives of Texans. Spanish soon spread among the population due to the rise in the position of Tejano's and the increasing numbers of immigrants from Latin America, with Tejanos becoming the second largest ethnic group in Texas and soon developing their own unique Texan culture. Spanish was often used as an intermediary language between non-English speakers, especially when dealing with Indian groups such as the Apache's. Much of the Spanish vocabulary also made its way into the terminology that Texans used for daily practices and items, later diffusing across the greater English world. Often Anglo-Texans or would soon learn Spanish in order to deal with their Tejano partners and conduct business without the need of an interpreter, while subliminally adding many Spanish phrases and words in their usage of English. Even the most Southern of American immigrants would later be found using Spanish cuss words and phrases in conversations with other immigrants from Southern America. With the growth of Spanish's popularity as a secondary language, multiple businesses and organizations across Texas would come to label their signs and papers in Spanish so that they could receive more business and dealings with the Tejano population. Spanish literature was soon being printed alongside English Texan and American literature, introducing Texans to the broader culture of the Latin American world. With all of these factors, the average Texan would use both Spanish and English multiple times daily and would often switch between languages in the span of seconds within conversations or with new ones. Developing a linguistic identity similar to that of the Franco-English culture in Quebec.
The second language to receive high spread was German. German immigrants were the third largest group behind Tejanos, and were the ones that integrated themselves most successfully in Texas society with German-Texans being found in all different walks of life across the Republic. While Germans were the ethnic group that had the easiest time learning English, many were prideful of their homeland and would often use it in private or publicly in highly concentrated German communities. With the same reasons as that of Spanish, many Texans would learn German so that they could interact with these people on an equal level and entice a greater amount of business and partnership due to respect of their customs. The main difference that separates the usage of Spanish and German though, is that German is often solely used in the State of Texas, in the area of West and North Texas to be exact. This is due to the fact that German immigrants would often cluster together in frontier towns that offered plenty of space of land for farming. This being in contrast to the Tejanos who are spread out across the Republic. The only major urban area where Germans could be found in high numbers were the cities of New Braunfels, Fredricksberg, and Galveston. Galveston being the most populated city in the state of Texas where Germans were able to establish an elite position on the island due to their status as some of the first settlers, and backing of many of the islands business and prominent roles in the immigration system. So while German was not used as casually as Spanish, it could still be found as a usage in conversation throughout Texas with it becoming a second or third language to residents of the frontier. Lastly, with the high amount of Germans and their relatively high status in comparison to their American brethren, German was not only preserved as a culture, but flourished in Texas. This led to the creation of the Texan dialect in German. A dialect of the German langauge which often transforms the German vocabulary to follow that of North American English instead of its German translation. Leading to Texan German being the dominant form of German throughout the Western Hemisphere by the dawn of the 21st century.
Among the many other languages that were spread in Texas, they were never able to achieve the same success as their Spanish and German counterparts. This was for numerous reasons but primarily due to the fact that either Texans weren't interested in bothering to learn the language, or said ethnic group was too small to receive any special attention. This was often the case with that of the Indian, French, Czech, Slavic, and Italian immigrants. One notable exception were the Chinese who became one of the largest groups in Texas, but never had Mandarin become widespread due to Chinese having been seen as too foreign. Still, Mandarin Chinese would spread at a moderate level in California to the point where many vernacular terms in California would come from Chinese. In accordance to their actual usage however, most Texans never really attempted to force these various ethnicities and races to speak only English, and let them keep their native tongue, but with an expectation to at least learn basic English to be a part of Texan society. With this mindset, many languages were preserved and grown, particularly in the case of Indians, and now result in Texas being the home of over 100 different languages today, the spread being contributed due to globalization in the 21st century.
An Example of the differences between Texan German and Standard German
Politics: In terms of politics in Texas, this section will not cover the political ideologies, parties, or typical voter representation as it does in previous chapters, but rather its overall effect of the population. Like their early American counterparts, Texas had high participation rates on election day in the 80's and sometimes 90's of percentage. With the party system being developed in the 1840's with the establishment of the Republican and Western Union party, a general divide in partisanship started to form in the population. Unlike the United States however, this did not become a direct part in the social lives of Texans, and most people were not divided by party stance or ideology. With politics only being a major topic of discussion in times of conflict or passing of a new and radical law to the existing political structure. In the early Presidential elections, the reason that candidates were chosen were often due to personal platforms and personality than solely based on parties. While genral demographics were created for each party, a member of either side of the political spectrum could easily switch positions depending on the candidate. Most focus and attention to politics was actively given to the local and county stages where their elected leaders policies would affect them the most versus the actions of Austin. The most fervent participants in national politics were those who were direct members of either party, or congressional politicians and national bureaucrats. Over time the partisan divide would increase with each election, the Republicans drifting to a right manner, while the Western Union became centrist. The divide was only ever truly cemented in the Texan Gilded Age after the Mexican War, along with the emergence of the Populist Party.
Religion: In terms of religion for the Republic, A Texan was either one of three lines; a Catholic, Protestant, or shaministic in the case of the Indian population. As mentioned in previous posts, Catholicism was able to spread throughout Texas and become a majority population due to the high numbers of Tejanos, French, Germans, later waves of Irish, and the increased missionary efforts of the Catholic Church. With the Church's position only strengthening after the founding of Italy. Due to the majority population and diversity of the Catholic population, most Protestant American immigrants generally began to treat them as equals or at least tolerate their practices. The Catholic Church would later become an important social aspect of Texas society with the Church's teachings spreading in daily practices and their ideology influencing the voting methods of active voters. Protestantism is generally based upon the power of the Baptist Church within Texas. While other denominations were eventually introduced such as the Methodist or mainstream evangelicals, Baptist cemented their position of power due to the highly devoted membership of the Southern immigrants to Texas. The Baptist Church would frequently be located in East Texas, and primarily advocated to white Texans, though they could be found throughout the frontier along with Catholic missions. Baptists were highly disorganized and didn't have an structure similar to the Catholic, Lutheran, or Episcopalian Churches, though they were commonly united by a roughly similar doctrine and had their congregations be influenced by their fiery preachers on Sunday, Baptist values representing mainstream Protestant values in Texas. Mormonism also began to flourish in Deseret with the permanent foundation of the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City. Though its population outside of Deseret was slim and they had few converts from established churches, with their practices and effects being elaborated on the latter chapter of the Mormon Rebellion. Indian folk religions for the most part never grew to non-Indian populations and they were mostly kept to their local tribes. Over time with the growth of missionary movements in Texas, Indian practitioners of their respective religions would decline in large numbers over the decades. But due to the Indian population's special autonomy and rights in Texas, their traditions were retained and religious practices later categorized for modern historians.
An 18th century Spanish Mission (Left) An image of a typical 19th century Baptist Church (Right)
In totality this is what it roughly means to be an early Texan. A citizen of the Republic of Texas that came from one of numerous different cultures, that lived in a nation that embraced diversity and the freedom and spirit of independence. Over time with Southwestern cultural norms being developed and Texas increasing its prosperity and growth with each new President, the citizens of the Republic were becoming Texanized. In that they were losing their main identity status of their homeland, and were slowly being acculturated to the patriotism and national spirit of Texas. In the next culture chapter "Culture of the Lone Star Republic 1861-1900" we shall explore the permanent creation of Texan culture, and Texan identity with the birth of the Southwestern ideal.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. After much time spent on this post, I give to you the culture of an independent Texas. Man, that was quite an amount of work. Next chapter shall focus solely on the Crimean War. After that is a return to the Crockett Years in Texas.
"What exactly are we Texans like? Well let me tell you it's not something that you can answer in a single sentence."- Stephen F. Austin 1850
"I don't give a damn about entering the Union cause I am a full blooded Texan. I took part in the Revolution that built this nation, and I intend to see it last to the next century."- President Mirabeau Lamar 1841
"I am not a Mexican. I am a Texan."- Presidential Candidate Juan Seguin 1859
In the early years of the Republic, it was quite difficult to exactly describe what Texas culture was, or what was unique about the nation. When Europeans of the time met with a Texan, many just assumed that they were Mexican and had little to no idea of what life in Texas was like. Due to this, Texas had a very static public image in foreign nations that made it look like they were just a by-product of America, which in some cases can be true. It wasn't until the late 19th century after the Mexican War that Texas culture began to spread across the globe with the birth of the "Wild West" culture that still is a prominent image of Texas today. The truth of the matter is though, that Texas had been developing its unique culture and customs ever since it first declared independence. The reason there was such a difficulty at the time, was due to the huge amount of diversity and ethic blending that made even the United States look homogeneous. In just a quarter of a decade from 1836 to 1861, Texas exploded from a backwater country with a low population of 100,000 to that of 2 Million. Many of them being immigrants or the acculturation of Indians that brought about many unique cultures to that of the existing Anglo-Tejano model. In this chapter we will be looking at what was exactly Texan in the first decades of the Republic, and see how that early culture lead to what is the Republic of Texas today.
Art&Literature: While Texas was introduced to many forms of art, the one that frequently dominated across its many different culutres was naturalism or landscape art. Artists and writers that came to Texas were frequently amazed by the diverse natural environments across the Republic and the laid back casual culture of its people. Most works of art in this era while limited due to the growing population and establishment of cultural identity, were dedicated to these topics. Paintings were the most frequently used methods of fine arts, with artists painting scenes of the Texas landscape; whether they be the sunset in a horizon, the grassy plains and forests of the east, majesty of the Rio Grande and Colorado, harsh Arizona deserts, Deseret mountainside, or the Pacific environment of California. When creating artwork that focused on people, much attention was given to the everyday lives of Texans, with particular focus placed on the ranchers, Indians, Texas Rangers, frontier settlers, and life within the settlements. Most Texas novels that were created at this time could also be placed into similar categories. The most popular domestic series being "Chronicles of the Southwest" an adventure/travel series of works coauthored by German Karl May and Frenchmen Louis Bernard on their travels across the Republic. These adventure and domestic novels would make their way to Europe and entice more people to come to Texas based on the dreams of life in the Southwest. The works of Karl May are definitely considered to be most influential due to its impact in the still developing German national culture and its role in German literature by introducing several German protagonists and tales that became household names, while Texas itself became a popular topic in German and even French literature. Lastly, Texas art is very important for introducing the western world to Indian culture in a manner that is not based on ignorance or superiority. This lead to a fascination in Indian life and its preservation from assimilation due to the increased interest in their practices.
A Landscape scene showing a field of Bluebonnets
Entertainment: In the early years of Texas there were very few national forms of entertainment that were spread across the Republic. Performance venues such as theaters, concerts, and various competitions were localized and not spread on a national or even commonwealth scale. Sports would not be developed until the late 19th century, so there was only running, combat, shooting, and shows of strength. Many festivals and celebrations still occurred but these revolved around the later mentioned holidays and cultural practices. What did develop in Texas though, was the one method of entertainment that has basically become a major part of its identity to this day, the rodeo. The first rodeos do not have an recorded origin, but are generally said to have started in the 1840's across Texas. These resulted in county affairs where local fairs were created in order to celebrate harvests and promote livestock and agricultural products to any outsiders who might be willing to support the local economy. With the growth of the ranching sector as an integral part of the Texas economy, particular attention was paid to the cowboys and local ranchers and their livestock, with competitions to determine the best breeds. Through the creation of several games to entertain the fair goers, the method for the modern rodeo was created where several competitions would be held that involved the events of horse racing, bull riding, barrel racing, cattle wrestling, livestock shows, shooting galleries, Cowboy&Indian reenactments, and crop competitions. The Rodeo would become so popular in later years that it would soon spread throughout the Western hemisphere in Mexico, Yucatan, Midwest and Pacific America, Chile, Argentina, and even Australia and New Zealand today. While Rodeos have generally become a mild worldwide phenomenon and a major part of the Texas Identity, there is much debate as to whether or not it is a sport. Whatever the case, Rodeo became an official Olympic sport in the 1936 Galveston Games (though it is not used in Olympics outside of Texas)
In terms of the music scene, much development on the Southwestern genre did not truly begin until after the Mexican War. The two main genres that did rise was the mariachi band of Mexican music and the traditional Southern music. Outside of certain cultural festivals, these two types of music would be the ones most played in Texas. With the instruments of the harmonica, guitar, trumpet, violin, banjo, and accordion being used in both genres. Southern music often had English lyrics to accompany it like Mariachi did with Spanish. The only time when both styles would be used would be in the hoedown dance where a band would play either music while the partygoers would dance in the newly created styles of square dancing or the dosie doe.
Bronco riding at the 2016 Houston Livestock Show&Rodeo (Right) A traditional hoedown (Left)
Food: Texan food in the early years of the Republic was not a single collection of dishes that were created in Texas, but rather a huge combination of different ethnic dishes from across the globe. Because of this, there were no real large movements that had attempted to establish a culinary identity. The most popular styles of food that would spread throughout Texas at this time would be Southern American, German, Mexican, and Chinese. Soon two very distinct styles of Texan food would emerge. Tex-Mex and Texan. Tex-Mex is a style of food created by Tejanos for the purpose of enticing Texans to eat their food in restaurants, with these dishes being made in several American elements. This would result in the creation of several Texan foods such as the burrito, guacamole, nachos, chili, and fajitas. The rise in popularity of these dishes would soon come to spread the usage of Latin dishes in general. With tortillas being served as a staple alongside bread, and Mexican spices being used in the cooking of several non-Latin dishes. Texan also developed at this time, being a hybrid mix of southern cuisine and the native Texan diet. Heavy preference usually goes to the selection of beef or chicken, and the usage of vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and lettuce in each dish. Texan foods also became notorious for introducing a heavy reliance on fried food. The most obvious difference between Texan and Southern foods is the sheer quantity in which it is served. A Texan dish would usually be large enough to hold 2 or three servings for a person, in a single plate. Becoming part of the saying that everything is bigger in Texas. With the heavy population of Cattle, beef and dairy base products were highly used in casual meals. Wheat became the main crop used for food in Texas, while California developed a Mediterranean diet based on its agriculture of tomatoes, grapes, oranges, and other citrus. Like most aspects of Texas culture, it's official cuisine would not be formally organized until the dawn of the 20th century, and its growth across the world not occurring until after the Great War.
A typical Tex-Mex meal
Holidays: The creation of many of Texas's current holidays were not established in the early years of the Republic. This is due to many Texans celebrating American holidays or that of a specific ethnic holiday within a minority culture. The first established one that was widely celebrated is Independence day on March 2nd. Most religious holidays observed were Christian ones with Christmas and Easter being celebrated across the Republic at its time of year. The growth of the Catholic population would also force certain Catholic holidays to become wider celebrations in Texas, even being celebrated by Protestant Texans for the cultural celebrations. These were All Saint's Day, Good Friday, Halloween (The day of the dead celebrations in Mexico) and the Feast of Our lady of Guadeloupe. The only non Tejano or Texan holiday that was celebrated cross culturally was that of the Chinese Cultural festivals, its practice and celebration being spread throughout California. In order to further establish the Texan identity, national holidays were created by the Texas Congress in its early years. These were Alamo Day, San Jacinto Day, Cabeza de Vaca Day (Discovery of Texas by the Spanish), and Election Day so that the population could go out and vote. As the Texan culture developed, many unique Texan holidays would be created in the latter 19th century and the 20th Century.
Languages: Officially as it has been since the creation of the Constitution in 1836, English has been the national language of the Republic of Texas with Spanish acting as a recognized informal secondary language that is part of Texas's culture. The reason that the Texas Constitution wrote this is due to the fact that the only two groups who had lived in Texas at the time of its creation were the Tejanos and American immigrants. With English being presented as the dominant language due to the present majority of Anglo-Texans. This gradually changed over time as more ethnic groups immigrated to Texas, and the nation suddenly found dozens of languages being spoken in its borders. With regards to the cultural norm on what would be spoken, English was accepted as the lingua franca and most immigrants were native Tejanos, and Indian tribes were generally encouraged to speak it in order to prevent any national divisions because of speech. Due to this, an American could travel to Texas and speak in English with a majority of its citizens in a casual conversation and could conduct business negotiations with English documents. This however, did not prevent the spread of other languages into the lives of Texans. Spanish soon spread among the population due to the rise in the position of Tejano's and the increasing numbers of immigrants from Latin America, with Tejanos becoming the second largest ethnic group in Texas and soon developing their own unique Texan culture. Spanish was often used as an intermediary language between non-English speakers, especially when dealing with Indian groups such as the Apache's. Much of the Spanish vocabulary also made its way into the terminology that Texans used for daily practices and items, later diffusing across the greater English world. Often Anglo-Texans or would soon learn Spanish in order to deal with their Tejano partners and conduct business without the need of an interpreter, while subliminally adding many Spanish phrases and words in their usage of English. Even the most Southern of American immigrants would later be found using Spanish cuss words and phrases in conversations with other immigrants from Southern America. With the growth of Spanish's popularity as a secondary language, multiple businesses and organizations across Texas would come to label their signs and papers in Spanish so that they could receive more business and dealings with the Tejano population. Spanish literature was soon being printed alongside English Texan and American literature, introducing Texans to the broader culture of the Latin American world. With all of these factors, the average Texan would use both Spanish and English multiple times daily and would often switch between languages in the span of seconds within conversations or with new ones. Developing a linguistic identity similar to that of the Franco-English culture in Quebec.
The second language to receive high spread was German. German immigrants were the third largest group behind Tejanos, and were the ones that integrated themselves most successfully in Texas society with German-Texans being found in all different walks of life across the Republic. While Germans were the ethnic group that had the easiest time learning English, many were prideful of their homeland and would often use it in private or publicly in highly concentrated German communities. With the same reasons as that of Spanish, many Texans would learn German so that they could interact with these people on an equal level and entice a greater amount of business and partnership due to respect of their customs. The main difference that separates the usage of Spanish and German though, is that German is often solely used in the State of Texas, in the area of West and North Texas to be exact. This is due to the fact that German immigrants would often cluster together in frontier towns that offered plenty of space of land for farming. This being in contrast to the Tejanos who are spread out across the Republic. The only major urban area where Germans could be found in high numbers were the cities of New Braunfels, Fredricksberg, and Galveston. Galveston being the most populated city in the state of Texas where Germans were able to establish an elite position on the island due to their status as some of the first settlers, and backing of many of the islands business and prominent roles in the immigration system. So while German was not used as casually as Spanish, it could still be found as a usage in conversation throughout Texas with it becoming a second or third language to residents of the frontier. Lastly, with the high amount of Germans and their relatively high status in comparison to their American brethren, German was not only preserved as a culture, but flourished in Texas. This led to the creation of the Texan dialect in German. A dialect of the German langauge which often transforms the German vocabulary to follow that of North American English instead of its German translation. Leading to Texan German being the dominant form of German throughout the Western Hemisphere by the dawn of the 21st century.
Among the many other languages that were spread in Texas, they were never able to achieve the same success as their Spanish and German counterparts. This was for numerous reasons but primarily due to the fact that either Texans weren't interested in bothering to learn the language, or said ethnic group was too small to receive any special attention. This was often the case with that of the Indian, French, Czech, Slavic, and Italian immigrants. One notable exception were the Chinese who became one of the largest groups in Texas, but never had Mandarin become widespread due to Chinese having been seen as too foreign. Still, Mandarin Chinese would spread at a moderate level in California to the point where many vernacular terms in California would come from Chinese. In accordance to their actual usage however, most Texans never really attempted to force these various ethnicities and races to speak only English, and let them keep their native tongue, but with an expectation to at least learn basic English to be a part of Texan society. With this mindset, many languages were preserved and grown, particularly in the case of Indians, and now result in Texas being the home of over 100 different languages today, the spread being contributed due to globalization in the 21st century.
An Example of the differences between Texan German and Standard German
Politics: In terms of politics in Texas, this section will not cover the political ideologies, parties, or typical voter representation as it does in previous chapters, but rather its overall effect of the population. Like their early American counterparts, Texas had high participation rates on election day in the 80's and sometimes 90's of percentage. With the party system being developed in the 1840's with the establishment of the Republican and Western Union party, a general divide in partisanship started to form in the population. Unlike the United States however, this did not become a direct part in the social lives of Texans, and most people were not divided by party stance or ideology. With politics only being a major topic of discussion in times of conflict or passing of a new and radical law to the existing political structure. In the early Presidential elections, the reason that candidates were chosen were often due to personal platforms and personality than solely based on parties. While genral demographics were created for each party, a member of either side of the political spectrum could easily switch positions depending on the candidate. Most focus and attention to politics was actively given to the local and county stages where their elected leaders policies would affect them the most versus the actions of Austin. The most fervent participants in national politics were those who were direct members of either party, or congressional politicians and national bureaucrats. Over time the partisan divide would increase with each election, the Republicans drifting to a right manner, while the Western Union became centrist. The divide was only ever truly cemented in the Texan Gilded Age after the Mexican War, along with the emergence of the Populist Party.
Religion: In terms of religion for the Republic, A Texan was either one of three lines; a Catholic, Protestant, or shaministic in the case of the Indian population. As mentioned in previous posts, Catholicism was able to spread throughout Texas and become a majority population due to the high numbers of Tejanos, French, Germans, later waves of Irish, and the increased missionary efforts of the Catholic Church. With the Church's position only strengthening after the founding of Italy. Due to the majority population and diversity of the Catholic population, most Protestant American immigrants generally began to treat them as equals or at least tolerate their practices. The Catholic Church would later become an important social aspect of Texas society with the Church's teachings spreading in daily practices and their ideology influencing the voting methods of active voters. Protestantism is generally based upon the power of the Baptist Church within Texas. While other denominations were eventually introduced such as the Methodist or mainstream evangelicals, Baptist cemented their position of power due to the highly devoted membership of the Southern immigrants to Texas. The Baptist Church would frequently be located in East Texas, and primarily advocated to white Texans, though they could be found throughout the frontier along with Catholic missions. Baptists were highly disorganized and didn't have an structure similar to the Catholic, Lutheran, or Episcopalian Churches, though they were commonly united by a roughly similar doctrine and had their congregations be influenced by their fiery preachers on Sunday, Baptist values representing mainstream Protestant values in Texas. Mormonism also began to flourish in Deseret with the permanent foundation of the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City. Though its population outside of Deseret was slim and they had few converts from established churches, with their practices and effects being elaborated on the latter chapter of the Mormon Rebellion. Indian folk religions for the most part never grew to non-Indian populations and they were mostly kept to their local tribes. Over time with the growth of missionary movements in Texas, Indian practitioners of their respective religions would decline in large numbers over the decades. But due to the Indian population's special autonomy and rights in Texas, their traditions were retained and religious practices later categorized for modern historians.
An 18th century Spanish Mission (Left) An image of a typical 19th century Baptist Church (Right)
In totality this is what it roughly means to be an early Texan. A citizen of the Republic of Texas that came from one of numerous different cultures, that lived in a nation that embraced diversity and the freedom and spirit of independence. Over time with Southwestern cultural norms being developed and Texas increasing its prosperity and growth with each new President, the citizens of the Republic were becoming Texanized. In that they were losing their main identity status of their homeland, and were slowly being acculturated to the patriotism and national spirit of Texas. In the next culture chapter "Culture of the Lone Star Republic 1861-1900" we shall explore the permanent creation of Texan culture, and Texan identity with the birth of the Southwestern ideal.
A/N: Sorry for the delay. After much time spent on this post, I give to you the culture of an independent Texas. Man, that was quite an amount of work. Next chapter shall focus solely on the Crimean War. After that is a return to the Crockett Years in Texas.
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Thanks for the Chapter. Also, it'll be interesting to see the Populist Parties effect, though this party may be slightly different then OTLs... I'm which case that would explain why they're still around till today in this TTL. So I'm assuming the PP is appealing to everyone, or rather the working class and poor in cities as well as outside of cities? Any Ocala demands made from them, eh?
Nice work with the Culture post! Do you think we can get a map of the different states of Texas?
So a few of you my have already seen it, but for those (like me most of the time) who don't look for such things Chris has been kicked. Why am I bothering to post this, well, he asked me to, and he also asked me to tell you that the next update should be out next Monday.
He's kicked for a week. So it's going to be updated Next Monday.
As for why he's kicked, I do not know, and I do not wish to pry.
As for why he's kicked, I do not know, and I do not wish to pry.
Someone mind explaining the meaning behind "kicked"? Is it essentially being banned/temp-banned?