Pros And Cons Of Texas Annexation
Oppositions to Texas Annexation
On March 2, 1836, Texas had become an independent nation from Mexico. It had named itself the Republic of Texas and proudly stood between a growing United States, and a conflicted Mexico. Immediately facing problems, Texas had many economic failures, had trouble with nearby Indians, and could not form a stable military. It is for these reasons that Sam Houston, a major political figure and President of the Republic of Texas, decided that Texas could not sustain itself as an independent nation. Sam Houston suggested to the United States to annex Texas. This caused a bit of disruption in the United States, as people who opposed Texas annexation and people who wanted Texas annexation clashed. Many people thought …show more content…
that the United States should not annex Texas because it would lead to an uneven number of slave states, it would cause a war, it would disrupt foreign relations, and many people thought annexing was unjust.
One of the most major oppositional reasons was centered around slavery. Many people thought that if Texas was annexed, it would lead to an uneven number of slave states and free states. In the current United States, there were thirteen slave states and thirteen free states. The slave states consisted of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In the “North” were the free states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York. With the addition of Texas, there would be fourteen slave states and thirteen free states. Though this was good news for the South, it was angering to the North. The addition of Texas to the South meant their economy would be thriving and many slaves would be needed to work in Texas’s cotton fields. This would strengthen their power and the free states feared that the slave states would soon dominate the United States. John Quincy Adams, former president of the United States and a Congressman in the House of Representatives raged about Texas Annexation till his death. Adams once quoted that “The annexation of Texas will only cause the thin line of balance to break and wreak havoc upon us all.” Adams, being President before, was a major political figure who caused many people to side with him in the opposition of Texas. William Ellery Channing, a preacher and poet, brought religious aspects into the opposition. “Slavery in itself is unjust and wrong. Man was created equal under God and if Texas enters the United States, then more wrongness shall be bestowed upon this land.”
Another common reason people opposed the annexation of Texas, was because they feared war with Mexico and countries allied with Mexico. Mexico still did not recognize Texas as an independent country and Mexico still recognized Texas as part of Mexico. Mexico had said that if the United States annexed Texas then that would mean that they’re stealing land from Mexico, causing imminent war. Mexico’s threats were serious and the United States feared war. Not only would war deplete their resources, it would also sever all ties with Britain and France who were close allies of Mexico. Engaging in war with Mexico meant engaging into the war with Britain and France’s powerful forces and the people of the United States were not eager to do so. Henry Clay, an important Congressman, voiced his opinion on annexation in the Raleigh Letter which he wrote on April 17, 1844. “Annexation and war with Mexico are identical,” Clay was stubborn about his opinion and voiced it proudly and with reason. “I do not think that Texas ought to be received into the Union, as an integral part of it, in decided opposition to the wishes of a considerable and respectable portion of the Confederacy,” Martin Van Buren, former President of the United States, voiced this in his own letter in 1841. The United States was unsure at the moment whether Texas was worth it to go to war for.
Morally, many people thought that the idea of annexing in itself is unjust.
This was another reason the public opposed the idea of annexing Texas. Most people of the United States believed that annexing was unconstitutional. Martin Van Buren was again, an example of someone who believed that annexing was unconstitutional. He and many others believed that in order to annex another nation, an amendment that says that it is just to do so must be in the Constitution, which currently there was not. President John Tyler, who was the president of the United States during this time, decided to create a treaty for the annexation of Texas. When the attempt to annex Texas by treaty failed to gain the two-third Senate majority required to ratify a treaty, President Tyler accomplished it by a "Joint Resolution" of Congress, which only required a majority. Throughout the debate political parties objected that this method was not Constitutionally appropriate --that such an action required treaties between the two nations involved-- as well as that such a move would undercut national …show more content…
unity.
All in all, there were many disputes on whether or not Texas should be annexed.
Many people opposed Texas annexation because it caused an imbalance of slave and free states, some people opposed Texas annexation because they believed annexing was unjust and unconstitutional, and others prospected that annexing Texas meant imminent war with Mexico. Today in Eurasia, Russia is trying to annex Crimea, a section of Ukraine. This has arisen many oppositions and questions on whether annexation is just both morally and politically. This also raises another question, whether there are laws that all nations should follow. Yes, many people believe that freedom of speech is one of the major components of a nation’s laws. The nation is made up of the people who live there and they should have a voice in what the government is doing. They are the ones who are living there and without the nation wouldn’t even be a nation. Citizens should also have the right to bear arms if they do not have a criminal background, have a license and are of-age. If they are in the face of danger then they should be able to protect themselves if necessary, the police are not always around to save lives. Economically, different classes should have different tax rates. If a nation chooses to tax its people, then it would be reasonable to tax people in different classes with different tax rates. Those who are at an economic disadvantage should not have to pay as much as those with economic advantages. These are
basic laws that all nations should follow for they are both reasonable and moral. Currently, Texas is part of the United States but some people are still hostile towards it. The United States and Mexico aren’t the best of friends because of the US-Mexican War that resulted from annexing Texas in 1845, and some people in Mexico still believe that Texas is still their land. Whatever the oppositions, the Lone Star State sits proudly as part of the United States of America and its people, loyal to not only their state, but their new nation as well.
Bibliography
"News Release." AccuracyOrg. N.p., 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"Annexation Process: 1836-1845 A Summary Timeline." Annexation Process: 1836-1845 A Summary Timeline. N.p., 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"USCHS Home." USCHS Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"U.S. Capitol Historical Society / Capitol History / Featured Historical Articles." U.S. Capitol Historical Society / Capitol History / Featured Historical Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"Virtual American Biographies." Henry Clay. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
On March 2, 1836, Texas had become an independent nation from Mexico. It had named itself the Republic of Texas and proudly stood between a growing United States, and a conflicted Mexico. Immediately facing problems, Texas had many economic failures, had trouble with nearby Indians, and could not form a stable military. It is for these reasons that Sam Houston, a major political figure and President of the Republic of Texas, decided that Texas could not sustain itself as an independent nation. Sam Houston suggested to the United States to annex Texas. This caused a bit of disruption in the United States, as people who opposed Texas annexation and people who wanted Texas annexation clashed. Many people thought …show more content…
that the United States should not annex Texas because it would lead to an uneven number of slave states, it would cause a war, it would disrupt foreign relations, and many people thought annexing was unjust.
One of the most major oppositional reasons was centered around slavery. Many people thought that if Texas was annexed, it would lead to an uneven number of slave states and free states. In the current United States, there were thirteen slave states and thirteen free states. The slave states consisted of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In the “North” were the free states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York. With the addition of Texas, there would be fourteen slave states and thirteen free states. Though this was good news for the South, it was angering to the North. The addition of Texas to the South meant their economy would be thriving and many slaves would be needed to work in Texas’s cotton fields. This would strengthen their power and the free states feared that the slave states would soon dominate the United States. John Quincy Adams, former president of the United States and a Congressman in the House of Representatives raged about Texas Annexation till his death. Adams once quoted that “The annexation of Texas will only cause the thin line of balance to break and wreak havoc upon us all.” Adams, being President before, was a major political figure who caused many people to side with him in the opposition of Texas. William Ellery Channing, a preacher and poet, brought religious aspects into the opposition. “Slavery in itself is unjust and wrong. Man was created equal under God and if Texas enters the United States, then more wrongness shall be bestowed upon this land.”
Another common reason people opposed the annexation of Texas, was because they feared war with Mexico and countries allied with Mexico. Mexico still did not recognize Texas as an independent country and Mexico still recognized Texas as part of Mexico. Mexico had said that if the United States annexed Texas then that would mean that they’re stealing land from Mexico, causing imminent war. Mexico’s threats were serious and the United States feared war. Not only would war deplete their resources, it would also sever all ties with Britain and France who were close allies of Mexico. Engaging in war with Mexico meant engaging into the war with Britain and France’s powerful forces and the people of the United States were not eager to do so. Henry Clay, an important Congressman, voiced his opinion on annexation in the Raleigh Letter which he wrote on April 17, 1844. “Annexation and war with Mexico are identical,” Clay was stubborn about his opinion and voiced it proudly and with reason. “I do not think that Texas ought to be received into the Union, as an integral part of it, in decided opposition to the wishes of a considerable and respectable portion of the Confederacy,” Martin Van Buren, former President of the United States, voiced this in his own letter in 1841. The United States was unsure at the moment whether Texas was worth it to go to war for.
Morally, many people thought that the idea of annexing in itself is unjust.
This was another reason the public opposed the idea of annexing Texas. Most people of the United States believed that annexing was unconstitutional. Martin Van Buren was again, an example of someone who believed that annexing was unconstitutional. He and many others believed that in order to annex another nation, an amendment that says that it is just to do so must be in the Constitution, which currently there was not. President John Tyler, who was the president of the United States during this time, decided to create a treaty for the annexation of Texas. When the attempt to annex Texas by treaty failed to gain the two-third Senate majority required to ratify a treaty, President Tyler accomplished it by a "Joint Resolution" of Congress, which only required a majority. Throughout the debate political parties objected that this method was not Constitutionally appropriate --that such an action required treaties between the two nations involved-- as well as that such a move would undercut national …show more content…
unity.
All in all, there were many disputes on whether or not Texas should be annexed.
Many people opposed Texas annexation because it caused an imbalance of slave and free states, some people opposed Texas annexation because they believed annexing was unjust and unconstitutional, and others prospected that annexing Texas meant imminent war with Mexico. Today in Eurasia, Russia is trying to annex Crimea, a section of Ukraine. This has arisen many oppositions and questions on whether annexation is just both morally and politically. This also raises another question, whether there are laws that all nations should follow. Yes, many people believe that freedom of speech is one of the major components of a nation’s laws. The nation is made up of the people who live there and they should have a voice in what the government is doing. They are the ones who are living there and without the nation wouldn’t even be a nation. Citizens should also have the right to bear arms if they do not have a criminal background, have a license and are of-age. If they are in the face of danger then they should be able to protect themselves if necessary, the police are not always around to save lives. Economically, different classes should have different tax rates. If a nation chooses to tax its people, then it would be reasonable to tax people in different classes with different tax rates. Those who are at an economic disadvantage should not have to pay as much as those with economic advantages. These are
basic laws that all nations should follow for they are both reasonable and moral. Currently, Texas is part of the United States but some people are still hostile towards it. The United States and Mexico aren’t the best of friends because of the US-Mexican War that resulted from annexing Texas in 1845, and some people in Mexico still believe that Texas is still their land. Whatever the oppositions, the Lone Star State sits proudly as part of the United States of America and its people, loyal to not only their state, but their new nation as well.
Bibliography
"News Release." AccuracyOrg. N.p., 19 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"Annexation Process: 1836-1845 A Summary Timeline." Annexation Process: 1836-1845 A Summary Timeline. N.p., 3 Apr. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"USCHS Home." USCHS Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"U.S. Capitol Historical Society / Capitol History / Featured Historical Articles." U.S. Capitol Historical Society / Capitol History / Featured Historical Articles. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"Virtual American Biographies." Henry Clay. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.