The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938 Page: 145
383 p. : maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Andrew Jackson and the Erving Affidavit
Poinsett in October, 1829, as minister to Mexico, the President
expressed desire that Butler impress upon the Mexican adminis-
tration the imminent and increasing danger of a revolt for inde-
pendence in Texas which would assuredly be aided by further
American emigrants and which, in succeeding, would deprive
Mexico of the profit still available to her from a seasonable sale
of that territory to the United States. Jackson had not only
advised Butler from the start to explain his mission to Mexico
with "the frankness of a soldier," but had expressly, in a per-
sonal letter to the Mexican President, introduced Butler in this
character of "soldier." The Old Hero plainly hoped to intimidate
Mexico into ceding the desired land.4 In the early days of Butler's
mission Jackson repeatedly advised him that Texas must belong to
the United States if peace with Mexico were to be enduring, and
instructed his agent to keep this "friendly" sentiment, with sup-
porting arguments, constantly before the Mexican government.
Of his private letters to Butler in this vein, that of October 7,
1830, is particularly noteworthy here:
And you may with all the frankness of a soldier urge the policy
of adopting the Grand Prarie, as a permanent boundary . . . for
I say to you confidentially, whenever the present boundary is run
and our western Citizens [in Texas] find the imposition that has
been practised upon them, no power can restrain them, and they
will be sufficiently numerous to declare themselves independent
and maintain it. . .. Our future peace with Mexico depends upon
extending our boundary farther west, And if you cannot get it
to the grand prararie obtain to the Brasos. ....
But candour dictates the fact should be disclosed that the Gov-
ernment possessing the Mississippi must at some day possess all
its tributary streams.
Therefore the grand prairie including this would be boundary
that would give permanent peace to the two Republics: Our right
by the Louisiana Treaty being once complete to all this boundary
and more. The citizens of the U States will never be contented
untill this boundary is acquired, when they become informed it
was wantonly given away to keep down the prosperity and growing
political influence of the west. . . .5
The "imposition" which Jackson claimed was practised on the
4af. the present writer's paper in Southwestern Social Science Quarterly,
XIII, 267, note; 269.
sBassett, Correspondence of Jackson, IV, 183.145
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 41, July 1937 - April, 1938, periodical, 1938; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101103/m1/161/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.