John Tyler, Henry Caly and Texas scenario

[Darth_Kiryan]

John Tyler is well known as the man who pushed through Texas annexation and James Polk definitely certified it at the beginning of his administration. ANd Henry Clay himself seemed to flip-flop between being pro/anti-anexxation.

Given that Clay and Tyler really did not like each other, is it possible that if Henry Clay wins in 1844, that Tyler could just force though the Annexation still as a bit of a snub to Clay, and whether or not its still possible for the Mexican-American war to still go off as OTL? Just under Clay instead.

 

[Amadeus]

John Tyler is well known as the man who pushed through Texas annexation and James Polk definitely certified it at the beginning of his administration. ANd Henry Clay himself seemed to flip-flop between being pro/anti-anexxation.

Given that Clay and Tyler really did not like each other, is it possible that if Henry Clay wins in 1844, that Tyler could just force though the Annexation still as a bit of a snub to Clay, and whether or not its still possible for the Mexican-American war to still go off as OTL? Just under Clay instead.

Possibly. It depends on whether or not Clay's election is seen as a rebuke of the pro-Texas faction. Given that he hedged on the issue late in the campaign, which likely cost him the election, it didn't seem that Clay was genuinely against the annexation of Texas. But if the POD involves Clay winning because he doesn't flip-flop on Texas, his election will be taken as a sign that most voters don't want annexation. This would complicate Tyler's efforts to pass the annexation. But if he succeeds, then Clay is stuck with the same situation as Polk and its possible that a war would break out. However, one could make a fair argument that Polk provoked the war in order to annex California. Clay in contrast did not have expansionist dreams. So there is also a possibility that Texas is not annexed (at least not yet) if Clay had been elected.