Major Theme
American expansionism gained momentum in the late 1840s, leading to the acquisition of Texas and Oregon, and then to the Mexican War, adding vast southwestern territories to the United States and igniting political conflict over the slavery issue.
Major Questions
- Was American expansion across North America an “inevitable” development?
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What were the costs and benefits of the Mexican War both immediately and in the longer run of American history?
- Costs:
- Benefits:
Pre-Reading
- What were the attitudes of Americans during earlier periods of expansion (i.e.: Pinckney’s Treaty, Louisiana, Florida)?
- Recall the status of Texas in the late 1830s.
- What were the attitudes of the major parties (Democrats and Whigs) toward expansion?
Outline
The Accession of "Tyler Too"
- After Presidents Harrison’s short four week administration, John Tyler, a Virginia gentleman, took over the presidency. He had earlier resigned from the senate rather then accept distasteful instructions from the Virginia legislature.
- Tyler’s enemies accused him of being a Democrat in Whig clothing, but this charge was only partially true. Tyler belonged to the minority wing of the Whig party, which embraced a number of Jeffersonian states’ righters. Tyler was in fact put on this ticket to gain the vote of this fringe group of whom many were influential southern gentry.
- Tyler should never have joined this group though, because on almost every major issue he was at odds with the majority of the Whig party, which was pro-bank, pro-protective tariff, and pro-internal improvements.
John Tyler: A President Without a Party
- After their hard-won victory the Whigs introduced their not-so-secret platform out of Clay’s waistcoat pocket. It outlined a strongly nationalistic program.
- Financial reform was first. The Whig Congress hurried to pass a law ending the independent treasury system, and President Tyler agreed and signed it. Clay next drove a bill through Congress for a “Fiscal Bank” which would establish a new Bank of the US.
- Tyler flatly vetoed the bank bell on both practical and constitutional grounds. A drunken mob gathered at night near the White House shouting insults at Tyler.
- The Whigs tried again, but this time to pass a bill for a “Fiscal Corporation” but the still unbending president vetoed the substitute.
- Whig extremists dubbed Tyler as “His Accidency” and as an “Executive Ass”. Tyler received numerous letters threatening him with death. Tyler was kicked out of the Whig party, and a serious attempt to impeach him was approached in the House of Reps. His entire cabinet resigned in a body, except the Secretary of State Webster.
- Tyler reluctantly signed a law for a protective tariff in 1842.
A War of Words With Britain
- Hatred of Britain came during the nineteenth century came to a head periodically and had to be lanced by treaty settlement or by war. The poison had festered ominously by 1842.
- Anti-British passions were composed of bitter memories of the two Anglo-American wars, and the genteel pro0British Federalists had died out, yielding to Jacksonian Democrats.
- British travelers wrote acidly of American tobacco spitting, slave auctioneering, lynching ,eye gouging, and other unsavory features of the rustic Republic. These travel books stirred angry outburst in America. British magazines added fuel when they launched attacks on American shortcomings. American journals struck back, starting the “Third War with England” which was fought with paper.
- In the nineteenth century America needed to borrow money for internal improvements and Britain had the money to lend.
- Insurrection in Canada in 1837, although doomed to fail, was supported by hundreds of hot-blooded Americans who furnished military supplies or volunteered for armed service.
- In 1837 a ship, the Caroline, was attacked by the British bringing supplies across Niagara Falls to Canada, and set on fire. This brought passions to boil. This had alarming aftereffects. Washington officials logged complaints.
- Three years later in New York, a Canadian was arrested and indicted for murder in connection with the Caroline incident. The London Foreign Office regarded the Caroline raiders as a sanctioned armed force, so if the Americans killed McLeod it would be an act of war. McLeod produced an alibi and was released, though, alleviating tensions.
- Tension snapped taut again in 1841 when British officials in the Bahamas offered asylum to 130 Virginia slaves who had rebelled and capture the American ship Creole.
Manipulating the Maine Maps
- Early 1840s controversy involved the Maine boundary dispute
- The British were determined to build a road from seaport of Halifax to Quebec but the route ran through disputed territory claimed by Maine under peace treaty of 1783
- Lumberjacks from Canada and Maine entered the disputed no-man's-land of the Aroostook River Valley-->ugly fights=Aroostook War
- 1842: London Foreign Office sent a nonprofessional diplomat, Lord Ashburton, to Washington, who established cordial relations with Secretary Webster
- These two statesmen finally agreed on a compromise on the Maine boundary: Americans were to retain 7000 of the 12000 square miles of wilderness in dispute...the British got less land but won the Halifax-Quebec route.
- During negotiations, the Caroline affair was patched up by an exchange of diplomatic notes
The Lone Star of Texas Shines Alone
- Mexico refused to recognize Texas's independence and threatened war if America helped Texas
- Texans forced to maintain a costly military establishment
- Texas was driven to open negotiations with Britain and France in the hope of securing the defensive shield of a protectorate: 1839&1840, Texans concluded treaties with France, Holland, and Belgium
- Britain wanted an independent Texas to check the southward surge of the american colossus...then foreign powers could move into America and challenge the Monroe Doctrine----France intereseted in same thing and hoped fragmentatioin and militarization of America would occur
- British abolitionists hoping to free the few blacks in Texas then move on to freeing nearby slaves in the South
- British merchants regarded Texas as potentially important free trade area, British manufactureers perceived that the vast Texas plains constituted one of the great cotton-producing areas of the future
The Belated Texas Nuptials
- Texas was leading issue in presidential campaign of 1844: foes of expansion assailed annexation....southern hotheads cried "Texas or Disunion"
- proexpansion Democrats(James K. Polk) triumphed over Whigs(Henry Clay)
- Tyler arranged for annexation by a joint resolution-->required simple majority in both houses of Congress...passes in 1845=Texas formally invited to become the 28th star on the flag
- Mexico angry and charged that the Americans had despoiled it of Texas
- Continued existence of independent Texas threatened to involve U.S. in a series of wars in both America and Europe
- Achieving annexation was a good idea and came at a good time
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