It was largely unmerited, for Tyler was a capable man, had seen service
in Congress and as governor of his state; but he was dry and
uninspiring, and not big enough for the presidency, into which he could
never have come except by accident. His administration was marked by few
important events except the annexation of Texas, which will be dealt
with more particularly when we come to consider the lives of Sam Houston
and the other men who brought the annexation about. He retired to
private life at the close of his term, appearing briefly twenty years
later as a member of a "congress" which endeavored to prevent the war
between the states, and afterwards as a member of the Confederate
Congress, in which he served until his death.
Clay secured the Whig nomination for himself, in the campaign of 1844,
and his opponent on the Democratic ticket was James Knox Polk, a native
of North Carolina, but afterwards removing to Tennessee. He had been a
member of Congress for fourteen years, and governor of Tennessee for
three, and was a consistent exponent of Democratic principles. Two great
questions were before the country: the annexation of Texas and the right
to Oregon. Polk was for the immediate annexation of Texas and for the
acquisition of Oregon up to 54 deg. 40" north latitude, regardless of Great
Britain's claims, and "Fifty-four forty or fight!" became one of the
battle-cries of the campaign.
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