Question

in 1836, texas gained independence from mexico. shortly after it became free from mexico, texas requested to be annexed by the united states. the united states did not annex texas until 1845. which was one of the reasons that the united states did not initially want to annex texas? a. the united states already had enough land and did not see the need to expand. b. americans were not interested in settling in texas because it was too far away from the other states. c. because texas allowed slavery, northerners were opposed to allowing another slave state into the union. d. the united states did not think that there were any valuable natural resources in texas.

Explanation:

To determine why the US initially didn't want to annex Texas, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The US was expanding, so "enough land" is incorrect.
• Option B: Texas was not too far for settlement; this is false.
• Option C: Texas was a slave state. Northerners opposed adding another slave state (due to the balance of free and slave states in the Union), so this matches the historical context of the slavery debate and annexation delay.
• Option D: Texas had valuable resources (e.g., land, potential for cotton), so this is incorrect.

Answer:

C. Because Texas allowed slavery, Northerners were opposed to allowing another slave state into the Union.