Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/838

UNITED STATES. the candidate for Vice-President. The Democratic convention, in the same month, nominated James K. Polk, of Tennessee, and George M. Dallas, of Pennsylvania, and adopted a platform calling for the ‘reannexation of Texas’ and the ‘reoccupation of Oregon.’ The position of Clay as to the annexation of Texas was so equivocal as to arouse the suspicion of many Northerners, while the position of the Democrats on the Oregon question helped them in the Northwestern States. The election resulted in the choice of Polk and Dallas after a very close contest in which the Democrats succeeded only by the fact that several thousand votes in New York were cast for the anti-slavery ticket.

At the next session of Congress a joint resolution for the annexation of Texas was passed early in 1845 by both Houses and approved on March 1st by the President. It renewed the features of the Missouri Compromise as regards the Texan territory north of the compromise line, and as to the territory south of that line the question of slavery was left to the decision of the inhabitants of the States to be formed out of Texas.

Tyler's administration was marked by the ‘Dorr Rebellion’ in Rhode Island (see disturbances in New York (see ), and by the construction under the direction of (q.v.) of the first successful long-distance telegraph line (1844).
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XV. (1845-49). Cabinet.—Secretary of State, James Buchanan, Pennsylvania, March 6, 1845. Secretary of the Treasury, Robert J. Walker, Mississippi, March 6, 1845. Secretary of War, William L. Marcy, New York, March 6, 1845. Secretary of the Navy, George Bancroft, Massachusetts, March 10, 1845; John Y. Mason, Virginia, September 9, 1846. Attorney-General, John Y. Mason. Virginia, March 5, 1845; Nathan Clifford, Maine, October 17, 1846. Postmaster-General, Cave Johnson, Tennessee, March 6, 1845.

Soon after the beginning of Polk's administration United States troops under General Taylor were sent across the Nueces River to Corpus Christi, in territory then in dispute between the United States and Mexico, the United States claiming the Rio Grande as the boundary of Texas, and Mexico claiming the Nueces. In the meantime, both the Texan Congress (on June 18, 1845) and a convention of the people (on July 4th) had ratified the act of annexation, and on December 29th Texas formally entered the Union. Up to this date Mexico, being distracted by revolutions, had simply protested against the action of the United States and had recalled her Minister from Washington; but in the spring of 1846 the further advance of General Taylor toward the Rio Grande brought United States troops into conflict with the Mexicans, a small engagement taking place on April 24th. The Mexicans were then defeated at Palo Alto on May 8th, and on the following day at Resaca de la Palma. On May 11, 1846, news of the hostilities on April 24th having reached Washington, the President olficially informed Congress of the occurrence and asked that war be declared. Both Houses responded to the message and to the awakened war spirit of the country by passing a bill (on May 13th) whose preamble began as follows: “Whereas, by the act of Mexico, a

state of war exists between that Government and the United States”—a statement that provoked much criticism from the opponents of the Administration, as false, in view of the fact that hostilities had been precipitated by the military occupation of territory claimed by Mexico. The bill appropriated $10,000,000 for the prosecution of the war, and under it enlistment was actively begun. Volunteers to the number of 50,000 men were authorized. On May 23d Mexico formally declared war upon the United States. Whatever view one might take of the political aspect of the war, the brilliant series of victories aroused widespread enthusiasm and pride; as against forces that outnumbered them, sometimes four to one and not inferior in training, in a hostile country, and against formidable obstacles, both natural and artificial, the troops of Taylor and Scott won successive triumphs by the most splendid courage and the most stubborn fighting. For a detailed account, see.

On February 2, 1848, peace was signed at (q.v.). Mexico resigned her claim to Texas, agreeing to the Rio Grande as the boundary, and also ceded New Mexico and Upper California to the United States for a payment of $15,000,000, the completion being thus attained of that great westward movement which had been going on since the Revolution.

Other important events of Polk's administration were the treaty with England (June 15, 1846) by which the long-disputed question of the northwest boundary was settled (see ‘Tariff of 1846’ (see ), which limited its purpose to the collection of revenues alone, without protection to native industries; the reënactment (1846) of the Independent Treasury Act; the introduction of the (q.v.); the formation of the Free-Soil Party; the admission of Iowa (December 28, 1846); the establishment of the new Territory of Oregon without slavery, and the admission of Wisconsin (May 29, 1848). It was during Polk's term also that in 1848 gold was discovered in California, that the sewing machine was patented (1846) by Elias Howe, and that the use of anæsthetics was introduced in surgery. It was at this time that the great flood of Irish immigration consequent upon the potato famine of 1846 began.
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The opposing candidates at the Presidential election of 1848 were (q.v.), of Michigan, and William O. Butler, of Kentucky, Democrats, against General Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana, and Millard Fillmore, of New York, Whigs, the newly-organized (q.v.) nominating Martin Van Buren, of New York, and Charles Francis Adams, of Massachusetts. Taylor and Fillmore received 163 electoral votes, as against 127 cast for Cass and Butler, the Democratic vote being reduced by the support given by the (q.v.) in New York to Van Buren.

XVI. (1849-50) (1850-53). Cabinet.—Secretary of State, John M. Clayton, Delaware, March 7, 1849; Daniel Webster, Massachusetts, December 6, 1852. Secretary of the Treasury, W. M. Meredith, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1849; Thomas Corvrin, Ohio, July 23, 1850. Secretary of War, George W. Crawford, Georgia, March 8, 1849; Winfield Scott (ad interim), July