1. Political Balance: Texas was initially primarily inhabited by Anglo settlers from the southern United States, who brought their institution of slavery with them. Its admission to the Union as a slave state would have upset the delicate balance between free states and slave states in the Senate, potentially exacerbating tensions between the North and South.
2. Annexation Controversy: Texas was initially an independent nation, known as the Republic of Texas, before it sought annexation by the United States in 1845. Annexation was a controversial issue that involved debates about expanding the territory of the United States and further entrenching the institution of slavery.
3. Opposition from Northern States: Many Northern states, particularly those with strong abolitionist sentiments, opposed the admission of Texas as a slave state. They feared it would strengthen the political power of the South and make it more difficult to abolish slavery.
4. The Mexican-American War: Texas's annexation triggered the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), in which the United States prevailed and acquired a vast amount of territory in the Southwest, including what is now the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, and Kansas. This territorial acquisition further inflamed tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery in the newly acquired territories.
5. Compromise of 1850: Texas was finally admitted to the Union as a slave state in 1845 as part of the Compromise of 1850, a series of legislative measures designed to address the controversy surrounding slavery and expansion. The compromise also admitted California as a free state, established the territories of New Mexico and Utah without specifying their status on slavery, and toughened the Fugitive Slave Act, which required all citizens to assist in the capture of escaped enslaved people.
So, while Texas applied for statehood as early as 1836, its admission was delayed for about nine years primarily due to political considerations surrounding the balance between free and slave states, coupled with the consequences of its controversial annexation and the broader tensions over slavery in the United States.
