Annotated Bibliography
Texas Annexation
Academic Book
Tutorow, Norman E. Texas Annexation and the Mexican War: A Political Study of the Old Northwest. Palo Alto, CA: Chadwick House, 1978.
This book, written by Norman Tutorow explains how the people of the United States in both the north and south feel about the annexation of Texas. Along with this, Tutorow explains how the senate first rejected the petition of having Texas accepted as a state in the union. He then goes further into the process, thoughts, and motion of how the United States came to terms of admitting Texas as a state in 1845. The different compromises such as the Compromise of 1850 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo are also explained and why they were so important to this annexation.
Journal Articles
NESTER, WILLIAM. “The Annexation.” In The Age of Jackson and the Art of American Power, 1815-1848, 210–24. University of Nebraska Press, 2013.
Nester writes about the fears that the United States had if they were to not go through with the annexation of Texas. He notes that European powers would fight for Texas and claim it as their own. This article also shows that if the United States did not claim Texas as their own, then their hopes of Manifest Destiny and expansion would be ruined and the United States would not be what they had hoped.
Barker, Eugene C. “The Annexation of Texas.” The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 50, no. 1 (1946): 49–74.
This article written by Eugene barker goes into depth on the different problems that the United States faced while trying to decide whether they should annex Texas or not. It provides the different thoughts of the North and the South on why they thought they should or should not claim Texas. The main point of this being slavery, with the South wanting to add a slave state and the North wanting to abolish slavery.
Morse, Jennifer Roback. “Constitutional Rules, Political Accidents, and the Course of History: New Light on the Annexation of Texas.” The Independent Review 2, no. 2 (1997): 173–200.
In this article, Jennifer Roback Morse describes the annexation from more of a political side on how everything occurred as well as the problems that came with trying to annexation. It gives an understanding on major topics that came with the annexation such as the Compromise of 1850, the constitution, as well as voting within the annexation. This piece gives a great perspective on how things happened politically and how everything happened leading up to and after the annexation of Texas.
Primary Sources
“The Treaty of Annexation – Texas; April 12, 1844.” Avalon Project – the Treaty of annexation – Texas; April 12, 1844.
The Treaty of Annexation was made on April 12, 1844. The people of Texas indicated their wish to be included into the Union of the United States when they formed their constitution, and they continue to express that desire with similar unanimity in order to more effectively provide for their security and prosperity. However, the United States merely took this action in order to enhance their own security and prosperity as well as the aspirations of the Texas government and people.
“Annexation as Proposed by the House.” Map. Annexation as Proposed by the House Proposed Annexation of Texas. Annexation as Proposed by the House Proposed Annexation of Texas, 1845.
While the U.S. Senate was debating a resolution that had already been passed by the House of Representatives and would result in the annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States, this engraved map was published in the Newark Daily Advertiser in 1845. The “free district” only makes up a small percentage of the “slave district,” demonstrating how pervasive slavery was in the hypothetical state. This map is a great representation of how the House of Representatives proposed Texas into the United States.
Houston, Sam. Sam Houston to James Pinckney Henderson, February 21, 1844. April 5, 2011. Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
President of Texas, Sam Houston, wrote a letter to General James Pinckney Henderson on February 21, 1844. In his letter he grants General Henderson and Van Zandt power to conclude the treaty of annexation. He also states that they could make an alliance with the Government of the United States. The only thing that Houston wanted, was to make sure that Texas either became part of the United States as a state or even as a territory with the citizens of Texas having every right that at United States citizen has.