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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Collection Reference Number | GLC02925.17 |
| From Archive Folder | Album of letters to Alfred Burr and Henry Deming |
| Title | Thomas Ritchie to a general about the annexation of Texas |
| Date | 2 May 1850 |
| Author | Ritchie, Thomas (1778-1854) |
| Document Type | Correspondence |
| Content Description | Thanks the General for a copy of Ritchie's own letter from 1836, in which he argued for the annexation of Texas. Recalls that he sent a similar letter to Secretary of State Martin Van Buren around the same time, and that Van Buren seemed to agree with him. Remembers that it was, ironically, Van Buren's later opposition to annexation that cost him the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1844. This letter comes from Alfred E. Burr's scrapbook, but it is unclear who the "General" was. The docket, which is written in a separate hand, but also addressed to "Gen." suggests that the letter passed through several hands. The docket asks for the permission of "Gen." before sending the letter to Cleveland. |
| Subjects | Texas American West Westward Expansion President Election Politics Government and Civics |
| People | Ritchie, Thomas (1778-1854) Van Buren, Martin (1782-1862) |
| Place written | Washington, D.C. |
| Theme | Government & Politics; Westward Expansion |
| Sub-collection | The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1860-1945 |
| Additional Information | Thomas Ritchie was a powerful Virginia newspaperman, and a longtime Democratic ally of Martin Van Buren's, until the two split over the issue of the annexation of Texas. |
| Copyright | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |
| Module | Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945 |