History of the United States from the earliest discovery of America to the end of 1902 . 0 -F O S s^^ o ^ I 97 from Greenwich 93 CHAPTER III. THE MEXICAN WAR Attracted by fertility of soil and ad-vantages for cattle-raising, large numbersof Americans had long been emigrating toTexas. By 1830 they probably compriseda majority of its inhabitants. March 2,1836, Texas declared its independence ofMexico, and on April loth of that yearfought in defence of the safne the decisivebattle of San Jacinto. Here Houstongained a complete victory over SantaAnna, the Mexican President, capturedhim, and extorte
History of the United States from the earliest discovery of America to the end of 1902 . 0 -F O S s^^ o ^ I 97 from Greenwich 93 CHAPTER III. THE MEXICAN WAR Attracted by fertility of soil and ad-vantages for cattle-raising, large numbersof Americans had long been emigrating toTexas. By 1830 they probably compriseda majority of its inhabitants. March 2,1836, Texas declared its independence ofMexico, and on April loth of that yearfought in defence of the safne the decisivebattle of San Jacinto. Here Houstongained a complete victory over SantaAnna, the Mexican President, capturedhim, and extorted his signature to a treatyacknowledging Texan independence. This,however, as having been forced, the Mexi-can Government would not ratify. Not only did the Texans almost to aman wish annexation to our Union, but,as we have seen, the dominant wing of i8o SLAVERY CONTROVERSY [1845 the democratic party in the Union itselfwas bent upon the same, forcing a demandfor this into their national platform in Buren did not favor it, which was thesole reason why he forfeited to Polk the. General Sam. Houston. democratic nomination in 1844, Polk waselected by free-soil votes c^st for Birney,which, had Clay received them, would havecarried New York and Michigan for himand thus elected him ; but the result washailed as indorsing annexation. Calhoun,Tylers Secretary of State, more influential i845] THE MEXICAN WAR i8i than any other one man in bringing itabout, therefore now adv6cated it morezealously than ever. Calhouns purposein this was to balance the immense growthof the North by adding to southern terri-tory Texas, which would of course becomea slave State, and perhaps in time makeseveral States. As the war progressed hegrew moderate, out of fear that the Southsshow of territorial greed would give theNorth just excuse for sectional Clay, with nearly the entire WhigParty, from the first opposed the Tyler-Calhoun programme. Clays own reasonfor this, as his memorable
Size: 1437px × 1739px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyorkcscribnerss
