The History of Texas - Essay Example

The annexation of Texas to the United States was delayed due to differences that existed at the time. Initially, there was a division of the north and south due to looming Texas annexation. The northern was against slavery while the southern felt that Texas would be another state with pro-slavery policy. Therefore, President John Tyler who supported the seizure was defeated by congressional northern and some members of the south (Kubiak's 1). The other obstacle to seizure was Mexico's insistence that Texas was part of its territory.  Upon nomination of James K. Polk, there was the restoration of the annexation call. He asserted all the Oren territory belonged to the American people. He convinced the northern that annexation would be beneficial to them all. After the election, the boundary that existed between Washington state and British Columbia was recognized (Kubiak's 1). This was done without war, and hence the northerners were convinced that this policy cared more about southern expansion at the expense of the north (Kubiak's 1). However, Polk did not surrender to Mexican demand. This led to war, and he ended up winning all the territory he had offered to purchase from the Mexican. During the war, he sent troops into the disputed area of Rio Grande (Kubiak's 1). The Mexican at the same time sent troops that led to skirmishes of 1846. America suffered a numbered of causalities, and this forced congress declaration of war. The war was fought from three different fronts. This led to Mexico losing Texas, California, New Mexico, and some parts of Northern Mexico (Kubiak's 1). The Mexican government was ineffective, and the command was divided while Americans had better arms with complete command. After this war, there was the signing of the treaty of Hildago in 1848 (Kubiak's 1). In this treaty, Texas was ceded, California, and New Mexico to the United States (Kubiak's 1). The united states agreed to pay $15 million. Present-day Texas was born.

The joining of Texas had a noticeable impact on the southwest development. There was a steady increase in the number of migrants. There was also an influx of educated artisans and businesspersons. With such influx, there was established a plantation in which enslaved blacks were recruited to provide cheap labor (Kubiak's 1). Secondly, statehood allowed the expansion of the territory with the installation of railroads. This gave an opportunity for the ranchers to sell their cattle easily. At the same time, the cotton farmers could sell their products easily. Many of the cities in Texas such as Dallas became a commercial hub (Kubiak's 1). There was a leap in banking and insurance activities as the region became the world’s leading cotton producer. There was also the development of schools and universities after statehood.