1844 Election
The Issues
The issues of the 1844 election revolved around the doctrine of Manifest Destiny, the proposed annexation of Texas and slavery.
Manifest Destiny
The concept of manifest destiny has existed since the beginning of the Republic. Never a set political doctrine, the philosophy of manifest destiny embodied the idea that the United States should pursue a course of continuous expansion and that it was the destiny of the United States to occupy the entire North American continent from "sea to shining sea." The concept did not receive a name until James L. O'Sullivan, a Democratic party head, proclaimed in 1845:
".... the right of our manifest destiny to over spread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federaltive development of self government entrusted to us. It is right such as that of the tree to the space of air and the earth suitable for the full expansion of its principle and destiny of growth."
Continued Expansion
The concept now had a name for the force that had thus far driven American expansion. The Northwest Indian Wars of the late 18th Century, the Florida Crises of 1818 and the movement to subjugate the Amerindian tribes had all been manifestations of this unspoken creed. The pressures between slave and free state expansion would ultimately become one of the many reasons the Civil War broke out 20 years later.
Manifest Destiny and the 1844 Election
James Polk campaigned on the theme of continued expansion by supporting the acquisition of the territory that would become the Oregon Territory and the annexation of Texas. Henry Clay waffled on the issue, confusing voters as to his stance.
Texas Annexation
Republic of Texas declares independence from Mexico.
At Washington-On-The-Brazos a convention of Texans declared independence from Mexico on March 3, 1836. Also at this convention David Burnet was appointed interim president of the Republic until elections could be held. A constitution was adopted at this convention also on March 17. The Republic existed from 1836 until 1845, when it was admitted to the United States as a State.
A gentleman named Richard Ellis presided over this convention. He was originally from Virginia, had moved to Alabama and then to Texas Bowie County in 1834. His unanimous election to president of the constitutional convention helped hold that body together until the drafting of the constitution was complete.
Washington-On-The-Brazos is located on the Brazos River in south-central Texas at a ferry crossing. It had been settled in 1821. A small settlement, it became the birthplace of the Texan Republic and in 1842 it served as the capitol. The delegates which labored to form the Republic had been elected and represented every municipality in Texas. The building the delegates worked in was unheated and the delegates endured near freezing weather inside as they worked at forming a government. An advancing Mexican army commanded by Santa Ana forced the citizens of the town and the delegates to the convention to flee. This was the same army which days before had decisively beaten the Texans at the Alamo.
The Texans defeated this superior Mexican Army at San Jacinto on April 21, capturing Mexican General Santa Ana, which ensured Texan Independence.
Political Issue
Texas petitioned the United States for annexation soon after declaring independence. Both the Whigs and Democrats opposed the annexation because Texas wanted to enter as a slave state, which would upset the delicate balance between slave and free states. The issue continued to fester until 1843, when President John Tyler began to support annexation. He began secret talks with the Texans and came to an agreement. He submitted the treaty to the Senate, after which the document became public. The campaign for President revolved around the issue, however after the election lame duck President John Tyler and Congress worked together to pass, and sign, the legislation and sending it to the Texas legislature before the new Congress and President took office.
Oregon Territory
British explorer Alexander Mackenzie had explored the area that would become the Canadian province of British Columbia in 1792, establishing a British claim to the region. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, which had explored the area that would become Oregon in 1803 - 06, establishing an American claim to the region. The two nations agreed to joint custody of the region as part of the Treaty of 1818. Initially, most of the business conducted by Canadians in the region was the fur trade, mostly conducted by the Hudson Bay Company. In 1841 the Oregon Trail was established, which began in Independence, Missouri and terminated at Oregon City. Local citizens of the region, left largely on their own by Britain and the United States, held a series of meetings in the now ghost town of Champoeg, Oregon, resulting in the formation of the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1843. The ongoing dispute with Great Britain over the boundary between the Canadian and United States portions of the region played a role in the 1844 when Polk linked the Texas situation with the Oregon country, proposing that Texas be admitted as a slave state and the Oregon Territory be organized as a free region. He thus gained both pro-slavery and abolitionist votes.
Slavery
The slavery issue revolved mainly about the power struggle between the northern free state and the southern slave states. The debate in this election was mainly about admitting Texas as a slave state and balancing their admission with admitting the Oregon country as a territory as a free territory. The Liberty Party's abolitionist stance played a minor role. That debate would be left to the Republican Party which would rise in the mid-1850's.
© 2020 Paul Wonning
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