Final answer:
Texas was admitted into the Union in 1845 after the Texas Admission Act was passed, amid controversies regarding slavery and expansionism. Key figures like Sam Houston played a significant role in negotiations, aligning with President James K.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Admission of Texas into the United States
The admission of Texas into the Union in 1845 under the Texas Admission Act served as a significant point of controversy and symbolized the increasing tensions over slavery in the United States. After gaining independence from Mexico and becoming an independent Lone Star Republic in 1836, Texas sought annexation to the United States. Key figures like Sam Houston, president of the Texas Republic, were instrumental in pursuing this goal.
The annexation of Texas involved a series of negotiations, particularly with President James K. Polk, who was an advocate for American expansion under the notion of "Manifest Destiny." Slaveholding interests saw the annexation as a means to expand slavery westward.
Prior to its admission, Texas had organized itself as an independent republic due to the initial reluctance of American politicians to annex it, partly due to the potential for conflict with Mexico and the contentious issue of slavery. However, by 1845, a deal was struck, and Texas was admitted into the United States, a move that satisfied many expansionists but alarmed antislavery northerners and exacerbated sectional crises.
Texas's entry into the Union was pivotal for the slaveholding South and was a clear indication of the federal government's stance on the expansion of slavery at that time. The discussions around this admission, coupled with the contemporaneous admission of Florida as a slave state, heightened concerns regarding the imbalance between free and slave states and foreshadowed the looming sectional conflicts that ultimately led to the Civil War.