Texas annexation

Texas annexation was the incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States as its 28th state, completed in December 1845. It intensified disputes over slavery, borders, and relations with Mexico.

Texas Revolution: The 1835–1836 conflict in which settlers and Tejanos won independence from Mexico for Texas. The revolution created the independent republic that the United States later annexed.
Joint resolution: A legislative measure requiring approval by both chambers of Congress and the president to become law. Congress used this route in 1845 to authorize Texas annexation without a treaty.
Mexican–American War: An armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 over territory and political control. Mexico regarded annexation as a threat, and the disputed Texas boundary helped trigger war.
Anti-annexation movement: A U.S. political movement opposing the incorporation of Texas before 1845. Opponents feared war with Mexico and the expansion of slavery.
Republic of Texas: An independent state that existed from 1836 until its incorporation into the United States in 1845. Its government pursued annexation after nearly a decade of independence.
Treaty of annexation of Texas: A 1844 treaty proposing to annex Texas, rejected by the U.S. Senate. Its defeat prompted supporters to pursue annexation through a joint resolution.
Texas–Mexico border: The international boundary between Texas and Mexico, disputed after Texas independence and U.S. annexation. The United States and Mexico disagreed over whether the border lay at the Rio Grande or Nueces River.
Abolitionism in the United States: A movement seeking to end slavery in the United States. Abolitionists opposed adding Texas because it would strengthen slaveholding interests.
Manifest Destiny: The nineteenth-century belief that U.S. expansion across North America was justified or inevitable. Expansionist arguments helped build support for adding Texas to the United States.
United States Congress: The federal legislature of the United States, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress approved the joint resolution that offered terms for Texas's incorporation.

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