The campaign of 1844 was an exciting one. The Democratic party fought to recover the power from which it believed itself accidentally thrust out in the previous election; and the. Whig party, devotedly attached to Henry Clay, gave him its most enthusiastic support. On the popular vote Polk received 1,337,243 and Clay 1,299,062 votes. This gave Polk 170 electoral votes and Clay 105. Birney received 62,300 votes. His vote added to that of Clay would have given the latter the electoral votes of New York and Michigan and resulted in Polk's defeat.

The joint resolution to annex Texas was passed in the closing days of Tyler's administration.

CHAPTER XI.

HISTORY UNDER PRESIDENT

POLK, 1845-1849.

HE annexation of Texas, provided for by the joint

THE

resolutions passed at the close of Tyler's administration, was made complete by the action of Congress a few days after it assembled in 1845. The first resolution provided that four States, in addition to the State of Texas, might hereafter, with the consent of that State, be formed out of its territory, and be entitled to admission under the provisions of the Federal Constitution; the States so formed and lying south of the Missouri compromise line, 36° 30′, to be admitted into the Union, with or without slavery, as the people of each State asking admission might desire; north of said line slavery or involuntary servitude to be prohibited.

The admission of Texas led to the war with Mexico, which had had never acknowledged the independence of Texas, and furthermore claimed as against Texas the territory between the Nueces and Rio Grande.

General Taylor was ordered in January, 1846, to advance to the Rio Grande, and being soon attacked by a Mexican force, the President sent a message to Congress, informing them that Mexico had "at last in

vaded our territory and shed the blood of our fellowcitizens on our own soil." Congress immediately passed an act reciting in its preamble that "by the act of the Republic of Mexico a state of war existed between that government and the United States," and providing for its prosecution. The Whigs generally protested against the recital of the preamble, but as generally voted for the bill, and, with some reluctance on the part of the Northern Whigs, supported the war after it was begun. Indeed, they were to take two of their Presidential candidates from its successful generals.

The war was prosecuted with great success, and by a series of victories that strongly ministered to the military pride of our people, and gave great popularity to the successful Generals, Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott. By the middle of September, 1847, the latter general captured the city of Mexico, after which fighting ceased. Peace was restored on the 2d of February, 1848, by the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, under...which Mexico relinquished all claim to Texas with the Rio Grande as its boundary, and ceded to the United States New Mexico and California at the price of fifteen millions of dollars. By the acquisition of this new territory the United States extended across the continent from ocean to ocean. The Liberty party of the North had generally been opposed to the war, regarding it as undertaken for the extension of slavery, and the slavery question presented itself whenever Congress undertook to acquire territory or to organize governments in the territory it had acquired.

When in August, 1846, the President in a special mes