He had been a long time in Congress, and had been Speaker of the
House for four years. Yet nobody had heard very much about him, and
nearly everyone was surprised when his party succeeded in electing
him.
During Polk's term of office three states were admitted to the
Union. The first of these was the great State of Texas. After the
Louisiana Purchase the United States had claimed Texas as part of
Louisiana. But the Spaniards to whom all Mexico belonged disputed
their claim, and declared that Texas belonged to them. The dispute
went on until the United States bought Florida from Spain. Then in
part payment for Florida the Americans gave up all claim to Texas.
But really this agreement could matter little to Spain, for the
Mexicans were already in revolt, and in 1821 declared themselves
independent.
Meanwhile many Americans began to settle in Texas. The United States
Government began to feel sorry that they had given it up, and they
tried to buy it from the Mexicans. The Mexicans, however, refused
to sell it. But many men in the southern states became more and
more anxious to get Texas. Because they saw that if they did not
get some more territory free states would soon outnumber slave
states. For all the land south of the Missouri Compromise line had
been used up, the only part left being set aside as Indian Territory.
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