The Annexation of Texas: More Harmful than Beneficial?
- Press Corps
- Jun 7, 2021
- 3 min read
Enya Samuelle Oh & Nabilah Saiful
Charleston Courier
7 June 2021
In the first council session of the Historical U.S Senate Committee, senators expressed their opinions on the issue of the annexation of Texas into the Union. There were many points brought to the floor, both in support of the action and against it.
Multiple senators, mostly from southern states, were in support of the annexation of Texas. Senator David Rice Atchison, representing Missouri, brought up the advantages that the annexation of Texas would bring. He said that “The annexation of Texas is line with the idea of Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansionism… [and] is extremely popular among members of the union … due to the importance of slavery to the agricultural economy in Texas.” The idea of Manifest Destiny was used to validate continental acquisitions in the Oregon Country, Texas, New Mexico and California (Britannica, 2021).
The idea of the annexation of Texas improving Texas’ economy was mentioned multiple times by various senators during the first council session, one of whom was Senator Ambrose H. Sevier, who represented Arkansas. “Certain aspects of Texas, such as it currently holding an estimate of 30000 slaves and the fact that agriculture is the primary industry of the region, an industry that is heavily benefitted by slavery, depends on [agriculture],” highlighted the Senator, who was in support of the annexation. During this period, the Texan economy did indeed depend on the cotton industry and the development of railroads, which were only possible due to tens of thousands of slaves brought in. (The Texas Politics Project, 2016)
One of the key disadvantages that was pointed out by the senators was the possibility of rising tension between the free states of the North and the slave states of the South. As Senator John M. Clayton had stated during the council session, “[The Annexation of Texas] destroys the balance between free and slave states, sowing conflict between the northern and southern states.” By annexing Texas into the union, the delicate balance of free and slave states in the Senate would be compromised, giving the slave states more leverage in the Senate. “The rapid expansion of the United States intensified the issue of slavery as new states were added to the Union, leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.” (History.com Editors., 2010) By annexing Texas into the Union, the Senate would be risking the chance of a civil war, which would be highly disadvantageous to the American economy. Hence, annexing Texas into the union would be a disadvantageous action, as it would strain further already tense relations between the North and South.
The Annexation of Texas would also bring about drastic effects to international relations, especially to its relations with Mexico. Mexico, having previously had control over Texas when the country gained independence from Spain, still regarded Texas as part of its territory. To annex Texas would be to possibly intrude on Mexican territory, risking conflict and perhaps war. Being such close geographical neighbours, the conflict would have dire consequences. However, we do not believe the U.S.A has reason to fear conflict with Mexico. Firstly, there are many other ways to resolve this issue. Negotiations and Tribunals can be held to discuss these matters in a civil manner, so there is no guarantee that conflict would arise at all, much less arise to the point of an outbreak of war. If, however, conflict does occur, the U.S is militarily capable of defeating Mexico. Our military capability is not to be underestimated. Hence we believe that although annexing Texas would give rise to the possibility of conflict with Mexico, it is nothing the U.S is incapable of handling.
In conclusion, The Charleston Courier is in support of the motion to annex Texas. It would bring about many economic prospects, and as a slave state, it would benefit from the manpower that could be used in the agricultural field that so greatly makes up Texas' economy. Although there are some possible downsides to the annexation of Texas into the Union, we believe they are far outweighed by the benefits that annexing Texas into the Union would bring.
References
The University of Texas at Austin of Liberal Arts. (2016, January 11).
The Transformation of the Texas Economy. The Texas Politics Project.
Heidler, D. S. and Heidler, . Jeanne T. (2021, April 2). Manifest Destiny. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Editors. (2010, April 5). Manifest Destiny. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/manifest-destiny.
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