The annexation of Texas emerged as an important political issue because of the South’s (Democrats) insistence of expanding slavery and the North’s (Whigs) attempts to prevent the expansion of slavery.
As soon as the Republic of Texas went into existence it unanimously voted to be annexed by the United States. The Texans also legalized slavery and to make it worse, also outlawed free blacks in the state. With Sam Houston as the Texans’ first president and Andrew Jackson in the White House, the Republic of Texas did not think it would have to wait too long for annexation by the United States. The Democratic Party had become the party of the southern slave states and was eager to annex Texas to the Union as soon as possible. The powerful …show more content…
All of the slave states thought it was very important for their continued existence in the Union to keep expanding slavery. But Andrew Jackson, though being the leader of the Democrats, knew what a political problem it would be to add another slave state to the Union, and he above all else wanted to preserve the Union. Jackson knew how the North, the Whigs, would react if he tried to annex Texas. Martin Van Buren was slated to carry the mantle for the Democrats in the next election and Jackson did not want to endanger his chances of winning. So Andrew Jackson did nothing to annex Texas until his last day in office when he recognized the Republic of Texas officially. By President Jackson doing nothing, Martin Van Buren did indeed succeed Jackson as president and he followed Jackson’s lead by also doing nothing for his four years as …show more content…
He was the first Whig president and the Whigs also controlled both houses of congress. Harrison lasted only one month before dying of pneumonia and thus John Tyler was thrust into the presidency. Tyler was from Virginia, a slave owner from a slave state, and an ex-Democrat. President Tyler had a strong desire to annex Texas even though he was a Whig. Tyler had left the Democratic Party over the South Carolina nullification crises and had become a Whig, as had many others. Tyler ended up having a political fallout with Henry Clay, the leader of the Whigs, because he vetoed the new national bank that Clay and the Whigs supported. By 1842 the Whigs had kicked him out of the party, so president Tyler had no party. Then in 1844 an explosion on the USS Princeton, a steam warship, killed the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Navy and gave Tyler the opportunity to appoint southern Democrats to those positions. He appointed John C. Calhoun as Secretary of State and Calhoun went to work to annex Texas to the union. But Calhoun made a mistake, by writing the British ambassador and telling him “blacks were inferior to whites and better off enslaved.” This letter really upset the Northern states and they rejected Calhoun’s annexation treaty 35-16. This round went to the North, as they were able to stave off adding a slave state for the time
As soon as the Republic of Texas went into existence it unanimously voted to be annexed by the United States. The Texans also legalized slavery and to make it worse, also outlawed free blacks in the state. With Sam Houston as the Texans’ first president and Andrew Jackson in the White House, the Republic of Texas did not think it would have to wait too long for annexation by the United States. The Democratic Party had become the party of the southern slave states and was eager to annex Texas to the Union as soon as possible. The powerful …show more content…
All of the slave states thought it was very important for their continued existence in the Union to keep expanding slavery. But Andrew Jackson, though being the leader of the Democrats, knew what a political problem it would be to add another slave state to the Union, and he above all else wanted to preserve the Union. Jackson knew how the North, the Whigs, would react if he tried to annex Texas. Martin Van Buren was slated to carry the mantle for the Democrats in the next election and Jackson did not want to endanger his chances of winning. So Andrew Jackson did nothing to annex Texas until his last day in office when he recognized the Republic of Texas officially. By President Jackson doing nothing, Martin Van Buren did indeed succeed Jackson as president and he followed Jackson’s lead by also doing nothing for his four years as …show more content…
He was the first Whig president and the Whigs also controlled both houses of congress. Harrison lasted only one month before dying of pneumonia and thus John Tyler was thrust into the presidency. Tyler was from Virginia, a slave owner from a slave state, and an ex-Democrat. President Tyler had a strong desire to annex Texas even though he was a Whig. Tyler had left the Democratic Party over the South Carolina nullification crises and had become a Whig, as had many others. Tyler ended up having a political fallout with Henry Clay, the leader of the Whigs, because he vetoed the new national bank that Clay and the Whigs supported. By 1842 the Whigs had kicked him out of the party, so president Tyler had no party. Then in 1844 an explosion on the USS Princeton, a steam warship, killed the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Navy and gave Tyler the opportunity to appoint southern Democrats to those positions. He appointed John C. Calhoun as Secretary of State and Calhoun went to work to annex Texas to the union. But Calhoun made a mistake, by writing the British ambassador and telling him “blacks were inferior to whites and better off enslaved.” This letter really upset the Northern states and they rejected Calhoun’s annexation treaty 35-16. This round went to the North, as they were able to stave off adding a slave state for the time