In the 1800’s Mexico wanted to populate its northern territories
(Texas). It invited American’s to move to Mexico to populate the area now
called Texas. Many US citizens moved to Mexico taking their slaves with them.
This offended the Mexican conscious and when they could take slavery no more
they told the Texans to set their slaves free. The Texans refused and sought annexation
by the US.
The new president of the US, William Henry Harrison, was
opposed to slavery, but the vice president supported it. The pro-slavery forces
poisoned Harrison making vice president Tyler the new president. Tyler
supported the idea of making Texas a slave state and on March 1, President
Tyler signed the bill allowing Texas to be annexed.
Mexico didn’t like the US taking its land away from them and
the annexation led to war. One famous battle occurred at the Alamo. Today,
American school children are taught that the great freedom fighters at the Alamo
were fighting for freedom and independence from Mexico. They weren’t. They were
fighting to keep slavery.
