380 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



was then a province or state belonging to Mexico, although 

 a large immigration of Americans from the Southern states, 

 taking their slaves with them, gave to it a decidedly Ameri- 

 can cast, and established in Texas a strong political party, 

 orthodox in the slavery creeds, and earnest in its agitation 

 for annexation to the United States. In !*:><.) the Mexican 

 (invernment abolished slavery, in consequence of which act 

 Texas revolted, and seven years later established itself as an 

 i in 1 -pendent republic. 



The Texans at once sought incorporation into the Union, 

 and the Southern states clamored for its annexation against 

 the opposition of the North. The issue became a vital one 

 in the campaign of 1844, and Polk, the Democratic candi- 

 date, was on the side of annexation. Mexico had never 

 acknowledged the independence of her seceding state, and 

 WHS supposedly Teady^to iTght~^5tKer~TIian yield it to the 

 Tinted States. 



The underlying motive for the acquisition of Texas was 

 so apparent that a better reason for annexation had to be 

 found, in order to circumvent the opposition of the North. 

 Mr. Calhoun, Secretary of State under President Tyler, had 

 become alarmed by his own zeal for its acquisition, and feared 

 the North would become too vigorously aroused when his real 

 motives were thoroughly understood ; but Polk was fully 

 equipped and ready to meet the situation. It was known in 

 Congress that France and England were unfavorably im- 

 pressed with the idea of Texan incorporation into the Union, 

 on account of a supposed disturbance of the "balance of 

 power" on the Western continent, which such a territorial 

 change would bring about. In his message of December, 

 1845, Mr. Polk said : - 



Even France, . . . most unexpectedly, and to our unfeigned 

 regret, took part in an effort to prevent annexation and to impose 

 on Texas, as a condition of the recognition of her independence 

 by Mexico, that she would never join herself to the United 

 States . . . and lately the doctrine has been broached in some of 

 them [powers of Europe] of a " balance of power " on this conti- 

 nent to check our advancement. The United States . . cannot 



