Remember the Alamo! The Making of a Nation No. 47: Andrew Jackson Part 3

September 26, 2013

Making of a Nation

From VOA Learning English, welcome to The Making of a Nation, our weekly program of American history for people learning English. I’m Steve Ember.

The national election of 1832 put Andrew Jackson in the White House for a second term as president.

One of the major events of his second term was the fight against the Bank of the United States.

In 1836, the bank’s charter ended, and the Treasury Department took responsibility for most of the government’s finances. Many people considered Jackson’s bank veto one of the most important actions of his presidency.

Another major event of Andrew Jackson's second term as president involved Texas. The United States had given its claim to Texas to Spain in 1819. Then Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821. After that, Texas belonged to Mexico.

During the 1820s, Americans poured into Texas. Most of the settlers came from the states of Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. Many owned slaves and brought the slaves with them to Texas.

American settlers in Texas were able to buy land for almost nothing. But they had to promise to join the Roman Catholic Church. They also had to promise to obey the laws of Mexico.

Over time, Mexican leaders saw the danger of continuing to permit Americans to settle in Texas. The Mexican government sent an official to inspect conditions along the border with the United States. The official reported that as he traveled north through Texas, he saw less and less that was Mexican and more and more that was American.