Introduction
In 1845, Texas was annexed by the United States to become the 28th state. Having been part of Mexico until 1836, a group of American settlers living in Mexico Texas declared independence calling their new country the Republic of Texas. For nine years, the newly declared Republic of Texas was an independent state (Menchaca 50). The pro and anti-slavery political factions argued over the issue of whether Texas should expand slavery. The U.S politics was fractured, between the inter and intra-part battles, over the annexation, and concerns revolved around whether the country should be a pro-slavery or anti-slavery state. The divisions were later associated with the Civil War in the 1860s. Eventually, Texas was admitted to the United States as a slave state (Minor and Justin 81). The annexation contributed to the Mexican-American War between 1846 and 1848. In part, the conflict began on whether the Rio Grande or Nueces was Mexico’s rue northern border
Historical Debate
There were two main arguments associated with the U.S. annexing Texas. On one side, no Congress wanted to upset the pro vs. the anti-slave balance. Every political leader tried to maintain peace between the northern and the southern states, and an extra free or slave state would begin an uproar (Minor and Justin 87). On the other side, Americans believed the annexation would cause conflict between the U.S. and Mexico. However, the Mexican state had not yet acknowledged Texas as part of it. The annexation was an appealing issue to the British since they did not entertain the notion that the United States would expand westwards (Menchaca 51). The two sides agree that Texas should be annexed as part of the U.S. However, their disagreements were whether the state should be a free or slave state (Menchaca 53). The other disagreement from the people was the impending conflict that would later happen between the U.S. and Mexico.
The evidence used on whether Texas should be an anti or pro-slavery state was based on popular sovereignty. According to popular sovereignty, the people living in the new territories decided to choose whether they wanted free or slave trade (Menchaca 56). The evidence on whether the U.S. annexation would cause war between the U.S. and Mexico was based on two main reasons. The first reason was that Americans were being killed on American land by Mexicans (Minor and Justin 94). The other was associated with the desire to expand westward, hence having California fully.
Conclusion
The reading changed the way I understood the subject since I can now better interpret the meaning associated with the topic. Moreover, I can now better communicate on the issue since I have a different perspective on annexation. The issues presented in the reading are still relevant since they help inform my understanding of how and why the U.S. incorporated the state of Texas. Despite the war that followed the annexation, the U.S. came out victorious with the 1848 Guadalupe Treaty (Minor and Justin 98). When asked to tackle a national or global issue, the reading would help me by factoring in the concerns presented by the involved parties. Subsequently, I would employ my understanding of the pros and cons of the issue to determine which side deserved to have victory. Eventually, I would base my understanding of solving the challenge on the existing protocols between the two sides to help inform what should happen next.
Works Cited
Menchaca, Martha. The Mexican American Experience in Texas: Citizenship, Segregation, and the Struggle for Equality. University of Texas Press. 2022.
Minor, Benjamin B, and Justin H. Smith. Annexation of Texas. Great Neck Publishing, 2017.