Tyler Seeks Support from Democrats

　　Tyler began appointing Democratic advisors to his cabinet. And he gave his support to one of the Democrats' causes: making Texas a state in the Union.
Texas was an independent nation at the time. Some Americans wanted to bring Texas into the United States to further expand the country. But others were afraid that the territory would permit slavery. They wanted to keep an equal balance between slave-holding and non-slave-holding states.

　　President Tyler had the opposite fear. Michael Holt explains that Tyler was afraid that Texas would remain an independent republic and abolish slavery there.

　　"He and other southerners thought that was a terrible idea. But he also believed that this is what's going to put him in the history books. He's going to be responsible for adding this enormous republic of Texas -- although it wasn't quite as big as what they claimed -- to the United States."

　　The election of 1844 and the question of Texas statehood will be our story next week.

　　I'm Steve Ember, inviting you to join us next time for The Making of a Nation - American history from VOA Learning English.

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