The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986 Page: 141
610 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Annexation or Independence
parties applauded the heroic efforts of their kinsmen. To the great ma-
jority of observers in the United States, the issue seemed clear and
simple: a courageous, freedom-loving group of Americans were at-
tempting to throw off the shackles of a cruel and oppressive Mexican
tyranny. The fact that the situation was complicated and that the Mexi-
can government could hardly be termed cruel and oppressive remained
largely unappreciated in the United States amidst a barrage of pro-
Texas speeches, newspaper reports, and general propaganda. Numer-
ous enthusiastic rallies were held, large amounts of money subscribed,
and hundreds of volunteers raised. In the southwestern states, excite-
ment over Texas produced entire companies of men and equipment.
And much to the anger of Mexican officials in the United States, a
number of well-supplied ships sailed from New York and New Orleans
for Texas. Although these activities technically violated the Neutrality
Act of 1818, the law was full of loopholes and proved impossible to
enforce."
Several factors, however, soon tempered and complicated the initial
response in the United States. First, the actual military struggle did not
last long. Soon after the news of the rebellion came word of the stun-
ning Texas victory at San Jacinto and the Treaty of Velasco. And once
the Texans had defeated and captured Santa Anna, their new status as
a sovereign nation transformed the issue from independence to annex-
ation. After the new republic voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining
the U.S., the Texas government could be expected to press annexation,
a question on which Americans simply did not agree.'
Second, the Texas issue was complicated in the United States by the
diplomatic situation. Mexico did not recognize Texas as anything but a
Mexican province and maintained a treaty of amity and commerce with
the United States. In addition, numerous violations of the Neutrality
Act contributed to widespread suspicion that the expansionist Jackson
administration was deeply implicated in a scheme to separate Texas
from Mexico and then add the Mexican province to the United States.
As early as March 18, 1836, the Washington National Intelligencer, the
'"J[ames] E. Winston, "The Attitude of the Newspapers of the United States toward Texan
Independence," Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association for the Year 1914-1915
(Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1916), 16o- 175; James E. Winston, "Texas Annexation Sentiment in Mis-
sissippi, 1835-1844," SHQ, XXIII (July, 1919), 1-19; James E. Winston, "New Orleans News-
papers and the Texas Question, 1835-1837," SHQ, XXXVI (Oct., 1932), 109-129; Eugene C.
Barker, "The United States and Mexico, 1835-1837," Musisszppi Valley Historical Review, I
(June, 1914), 3-15; Norman E. Tutorow, Texas Annexation and the Mexican War: A Political Study
of the Old Northwest (Palo Alto, Calif., 1978), 17-46; Merk, History of the Westward Movement, 275.
7Eugene C. Barker, "The Annexation of Texas," SHQ, L (July, 1946), 51-52.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 89, July 1985 - April, 1986, periodical, 1985/1986; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117151/m1/179/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.