Texas, New Mexico, and the Compromise of 1850: Boundary Dispute and Sectional Crisis

Writing from the vantage point of the Texas–New Mexico boundary issue, Mark J. Stegmaier provides definitive analysis of the dispute settled by the last great accord on sectional issues between North and South—the Compromise of 1850. Considering the crisis’s overall implication for the Civil War, he meticulously examines Texas and New Mexico documents, U.S. government records, maps, newspapers—particularly reports by Washington correspondents—and collections of personal letters. In addition, he introduces a revisionist analysis of roll-call voting in the U.S. Congress and Texas legislature. Stegmaier recounts how, with the support of Southern radicals, Texas attempted to extend its jurisdiction despite opposition from New Mexicans and U.S. political leaders. Threatened by military occupation, New Mexicans countered by seeking free-state status, while Presidents Taylor and Fillmore committed U.S. forces to defend the territory against a Texas attack.