Presidential Election of 1844

Annexation of Texas

The debate over whether the United States should annex Texas greatly exacerbated tensions in the Democratic Party, more than in the Whig Party. A latent pro-Texas faction existed in the Democratic Party. As a proponent and visionary of the two-party system in the United States, Martin Van Buren feared the formation of parties along sectional issues, which he believed would split the Union. The annexation of Texas threatened this arrangement. Van Buren worked to articulate party policies that would appeal across sections, and sought to keep this issue out of the 1844 campaign. The Texas issue gained momentum, primarily because Tyler needed an issue on which to stake his campaign. Tyler and John C. Calhoun effectively framed the issue [Page 575]as one of survival for slavery. The United States needed to acquire the Texas territory in order to protect slavery from British interference. Van Buren was principally opposed to the preemptive use of force. He attempted to satisfy the pro-Texas and anti-Texas factions of the party by carving out a moderate position, voicing support for annexation if the next Senate voted for it.

National Conventions

In May of 1844, the Whig national convention met in Baltimore. Clay easily received the nomination for president. Theodore Frelinghuysen (New Jersey) was chosen as his running mate. The Democrats' candidate selection process was beset with intra-party antagonisms. Van Buren's desire to return to the White House met resistance due to questions of his electability, his alliance with hard-money men, and his association with Andrew Jackson's economic policies. Also, many presidential aspirants feared another Van Buren term would endanger their chances of attaining the high office. This group included James Buchanan (Pennsylvania), Cal-houn (South Carolina), and Lewis Cass (Michigan). Van Buren still had a strong chance of securing the nomination primarily due to the inability of the anti-Van Buren Democrats to coalesce around a single challenger.

The Democratic national nominating convention also convened in Baltimore in May. By this time, the question of the annexation of Texas had taken center stage. Van Buren's stance on this issue put him at odds with many of the southern and western Democrats, who saw the annexation of Texas as necessary to safeguard the legality of slavery in the United States. Mindful of his supporters in his home state of New York, the growing abolition sentiment there and in other northern areas, Van Buren staked out a moderate position in hopes of maintaining the north-south coalition he had successfully cultivated for so long.

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