Essay on Texas Annexation
The annexation of Texas in the 1840s had many advantages and disadvantages to our country. The divisions between those who supported and opposed this annexation were divided, mainly between the North and South and those representatives supporting each area of the nation. Southerners saw the acquisition of Texas as a way to expand our nation, spread slavery in the South to help empower them, and provide a place for the immigrants pressing the borders of our country. The North did not want Texas to cause the South to overpower them, they feared a war with Mexico, and believed that the growing slave population would cause the lower class of Northerners to be without work.
The 1841 death of President William Harrison led to the succession of Vice President John Tyler to the presidency. As the new President, John Tyler, instigated the process of manifest destiny. The idea of manifest destiny was to expand until all of North America was conquered for the United States. The issue of the annexation of Texas became prominent because of John Tyler’s need to find an issue to center around for the presidential debate of 1844. He believed that this issue would be able to cross over the party lines and that the annexation would be extremely popular, especially in the South. When he launched his campaign the year before the election, annexation was seen as urgent because of the rumors of Britain guaranteeing independence in return for slavery being abolished. Calhoun, who developed a partnership with Tyler, brought an annexation treaty to Senate based on these rumors of Britain taking over the South’s sole power of slavery. When the Senate refused the treaty, Calhoun attempted to annex Texas with a joint resolution and was not successful since Congress had adjourned. The issue of annexation remained in the minds of the country.
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