[Illustration:  James K. Polk]

Language of this sort did not please the antislavery Whigs; and in New York numbers of them voted for James G. Birney and Thomas Morris, candidates of the Liberty party.  The result was that the vote for Birney in New York in 1844 was more than twice as great as he received in the whole Union in 1840.  Had half of these New Yorkers voted for Clay instead, he would have received the electoral vote of New York and would have been President.

[Illustration:  %THE OREGON COUNTRY%]

%361.  Texas annexed to the United States.%—­Tyler, who saw in the result of the election a command from the people to acquire Texas, urged Congress in December, 1844, to annex it at once.  But in what manner should it be acquired?  Some said by a treaty.  This would require the consent of two thirds of the Senate.  But the Democrats did not have the votes of two thirds of the Senate and so could not have secured the ratification of such a treaty.  It was decided, therefore, to annex by joint resolution, which required but a majority for its passage.  The House of Representatives accordingly passed such a resolution for the admission of Texas, and with her consent for the formation of four additional states out of the territory, those north of 36 deg. 30’ to be free.  The Senate amended this resolution and gave the President power to negotiate another treaty of annexation, or submit the joint resolution to Texas.  The House accepted the amendment.  Tyler chose to offer the terms in the joint resolution.  Texas accepted them, and in December, 1845, her senators and representatives took their seats in Congress.

%362.  Oregon.%—­By the admission of Texas, the Democrats made good one of the pledges in their platform of 1844.  They were now called on to make good the other, which promised the whole of Oregon up to 54 deg. 40’.  To suppose that England would yield to this claim, and so cut herself off entirely from the Pacific coast, was absurd.  Nevertheless, because of the force of popular opinion, the one year’s notice necessary to terminate joint occupation was served on Great Britain in 1846.  The English minister thereupon presented a treaty extending the 49th parallel across Oregon from the Rocky Mountains to the coast, and drawing a line down the strait of Juan de Fuca to the Pacific.  Polk and the Senate accepted this boundary, and the treaty was proclaimed on August 5, 1846.  Two years later, August 14, 1848, Oregon was made a territory.

%363.  General Taylor enters Texas; War with Mexico begins.%—­When Texas came into the Union, she claimed as her western boundary the Rio Grande from its mouth to its source and then a line due north to 42 deg..  Now this line was disputed by Mexico, which claimed that the Nueces River was the western boundary of Texas.  The disputed strip of territory was thus between the Nueces and the Rio Grande (p. 321).