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Letter from Orson Hyde, 30 April 1844

Source Note

Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

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, Letter,
Washington DC

Created as district for seat of U.S. federal government by act of Congress, 1790, and named Washington DC, 1791. Named in honor of George Washington. Headquarters of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of U.S. government relocated to Washington ...

More Info
, to “Dear Brethren” [the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
(including JS)],
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Hancock Co., IL, 30 Apr. 1844; handwriting and signature of
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
; seven pages; JS Collection, CHL. Includes address, postal stamps, dockets, archival notation, and dockets.
Two bifolia, the first measuring 9¾ × 7⅞ inches (25 × 20 cm) and the second measuring 9⅝ × 7¾ inches (24 × 20 cm). The paper of the first bifolium is blue and is ruled with twenty-five horizontal blue lines per page; the second bifolium is ruled with twenty-seven horizontal blue lines per page. The letter was inscribed on the first three pages of the first bifolium and on all four pages of the second bifolium. Before mailing,
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
placed the second bifolium inside the first, trifolded the letter twice in letter style, addressed it, and sealed it with a red adhesive wafer. Remnants of the wafer remain on the verso of the last leaf. The letter was later refolded for filing. At some point, the bifolia were attached by multiple staples. Those staples have since been removed.
The letter was docketed by Jonathan Grimshaw, who served as a clerk in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) from 1853 to 1856.
1

Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 30 Aug. 1856, in Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 364.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

Historian’s Office. Letterpress Copybooks, 1854–1879, 1885–1886. CHL. CR 100 38.

Graphite notations were later added, apparently by a clerk or secretary for Andrew Jenson, who began working in the Church Historian’s Office (later Church Historical Department) in 1891 and served as assistant church historian from 1897 to 1941.
2

Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

The letter may have been listed in an inventory produced by the Church Historian’s Office circa 1904.
3

“Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL. The JS Collection includes five letters that Orson Hyde wrote in 1844. The circa 1904 inventory references a letter from Hyde to the “council of the Church.” During his trip to Washington DC in spring 1844, Hyde addressed three letters, including this one, specifically to the Council of Fifty. (See Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 9 June 1844; and Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 11 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

By 1973 the document had been included in the JS Collection at the Church Historical Department (now CHL).
4

See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.


The document’s early docket, its notations, its possible inclusion in a circa 1904 inventory, and its later inclusion in the JS Collection indicate continuous institutional custody.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Historian’s Office, Journal, 7 June 1853; Wilford Woodruff, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, to George A. Smith, 30 Aug. 1856, in Historian’s Office, Letterpress Copybooks, vol. 1, p. 364.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

    Historian’s Office. Letterpress Copybooks, 1854–1879, 1885–1886. CHL. CR 100 38.

  2. [2]

    Jenson, Autobiography, 192, 389; Cannon, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891; Jenson, Journal, 9 Feb. 1891 and 19 Oct. 1897; Bitton and Arrington, Mormons and Their Historians, 47–52.

    Jenson, Andrew. Autobiography of Andrew Jenson: Assistant Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . . . Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1938.

    Cannon, George Q. Journals, 1855–1864, 1872–1901. CHL. CR 850 1.

    Jenson, Andrew. Journals, 1864–1941. Andrew Jenson, Autobiography and Journals, 1864–1941. CHL.

    Bitton, David, and Leonard J. Arrington. Mormons and Their Historians. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1988.

  3. [3]

    “Letters to and from the Prophet,” ca. 1904, [4], Historian’s Office, Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904, CHL. The JS Collection includes five letters that Orson Hyde wrote in 1844. The circa 1904 inventory references a letter from Hyde to the “council of the Church.” During his trip to Washington DC in spring 1844, Hyde addressed three letters, including this one, specifically to the Council of Fifty. (See Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 9 June 1844; and Orson Hyde, Washington DC, to “Dear Brethren,” Nauvoo, IL, 11 June 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)

    Historian’s Office. Catalogs and Inventories, 1846–1904. CHL. CR 100 130.

  4. [4]

    See the full bibliographic entry for JS Collection, 1827–1844, in the CHL catalog.

Historical Introduction

On 30 April 1844,
Orson Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
wrote his third of five extant letters from
Washington DC

Created as district for seat of U.S. federal government by act of Congress, 1790, and named Washington DC, 1791. Named in honor of George Washington. Headquarters of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of U.S. government relocated to Washington ...

More Info
to JS and the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
in
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, Illinois. Hyde was in Washington to deliver a memorial prepared by the council that, if accepted by Congress, would make JS a member of the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
Army and give him the command of one hundred thousand armed volunteers to protect migrating settlers to the
Oregon territory

Lewis and Clark expedition wintered in area, 1805–1806. Treaty of 1818 between U.S. and England provided decade of joint rights to area. Major immigration to area from existing U.S. states commenced, 1839. Oregon Trail used as main route to area, beginning...

More Info
, the
Republic of Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
, and other western settlements. Hyde had sent updates to the council in letters dated 25 and 26 April, detailing the meetings he and
apostle

Members of a governing body in the church, with special administrative and proselytizing responsibilities. A June 1829 revelation commanded Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer to call twelve disciples, similar to the twelve apostles in the New Testament and ...

View Glossary
Orson Pratt

19 Sept. 1811–3 Oct. 1881. Farmer, writer, teacher, merchant, surveyor, editor, publisher. Born at Hartford, Washington Co., New York. Son of Jared Pratt and Charity Dickinson. Moved to New Lebanon, Columbia Co., New York, 1814; to Canaan, Columbia Co., fall...

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had held with members of the
Illinois

Became part of Northwest Territory of U.S., 1787. Admitted as state, 1818. Population in 1840 about 480,000. Population in 1845 about 660,000. Plentiful, inexpensive land attracted settlers from northern and southern states. Following expulsion from Missouri...

More Info
congressional delegation and President
John Tyler

29 Mar. 1790–18 Jan. 1862. Lawyer, politician. Born on Greenway Plantation, Charles City Co., Virginia. Son of John Tyler and Mary Armistead. Attended College of William and Mary. Following graduation, returned to Greenway, 1807. Served as Virginia state ...

View Full Bio
.
1

Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844; Letter from Orson Hyde, 26 Apr. 1844; Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 24–26 Mar. 1844.


After discussing the memorial with these officials, Hyde reported in his 25 April letter to the Council of Fifty that the
Latter-day Saints

The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...

View Glossary
had “an undoubted right to go to Oregon” but that Congress was unlikely to pass any legislation regarding Texas or Oregon for the time being.
2

Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844.


Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
focused much of his 30 April letter on the debate over the annexation of
Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
—a major political issue in 1844. A few weeks earlier, news broke that representatives from the Republic of Texas had secretly agreed to an annexation treaty with
Tyler

29 Mar. 1790–18 Jan. 1862. Lawyer, politician. Born on Greenway Plantation, Charles City Co., Virginia. Son of John Tyler and Mary Armistead. Attended College of William and Mary. Following graduation, returned to Greenway, 1807. Served as Virginia state ...

View Full Bio
’s secretary of state,
John C. Calhoun

18 Mar. 1782–31 Mar. 1850. Lawyer, politician. Born near Hutchinson’s Mill, Ninety-Sixth District (later Calhoun Mill, Mount Carmel, McCormick Co.), South Carolina. Son of Patrick Calhoun and Martha Caldwell. Graduated from Yale, 1804, in New Haven, New Haven...

View Full Bio
.
3

“Texas Treaty,” Daily Madisonian (Washington DC), 12 Apr. 1844, [2]; Howe, What Hath God Wrought, 679.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Daily Madisonian. Washington DC. 1841–1845

Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. The Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Presidential hopefuls
Martin Van Buren

5 Dec. 1782–24 July 1862. Lawyer, politician, diplomat, farmer. Born in Kinderhook, Columbia Co., New York. Son of Abraham Van Buren and Maria Hoes Van Alen. Member of Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. Worked as law clerk, 1800, in New York City. Returned...

View Full Bio
and
Henry Clay

12 Apr. 1777–29 June 1852. Lawyer, public speaker, professor, statesman, politician. Born in Hanover Co., Virginia. Son of John Clay and Elizabeth Hudson. Episcopalian. Admitted to Virginia bar, Nov. 1797. Moved to Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky, Nov. 1797...

View Full Bio
, leading figures of the Democrat and Whig parties, respectively, argued publicly against annexation in letters that appeared in newspapers.
4

See “Mr. Clay’s Letter,” and “To the Editor of the Globe,” Globe (Washington DC), 29 Apr. 1844, 139, 140.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Globe. Washington DC. 1831–1845.

With annexation seemingly off the table, Hyde suggested that the council write a letter asking the president of Texas,
Sam Houston

2 Mar. 1793–26 July 1863. Clerk, teacher, attorney, politician. Born near Lexington, Rockbridge Co., Virginia. Son of Samuel Houston and Elizabeth Paxton. Moved to Blount Co., Tennessee, ca. 1808. Left home to live with Cherokee Indians. Served in U.S. Infantry...

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, what incentives his government might offer the Saints if they were to send volunteers to help Texas secure its independence from
Mexico

North American nation. Occupied by Mesoamerican civilizations, ca. 800 BC–1526 AD. Conquered by Spanish, 1521, who established Mexico City as new capital on site of Aztec capital Tenochtitlán. Ruled by viceroyalty of New Spain, 1535–1821. Started war for ...

More Info
. Based on the information he had gathered and reported, Hyde also proposed that the council consider raising money for the church by using enslaved labor to produce sugar in Texas and increasing agricultural production in
Hancock County

Formed from Pike Co., 1825. Described in 1837 as predominantly prairie and “deficient in timber.” Early settlers came mainly from mid-Atlantic and southern states. Population in 1835 about 3,200; in 1840 about 9,900; and in 1844 at least 15,000. Carthage ...

More Info
, Illinois. He also added two postscripts to the letter offering further information and advice.
Hyde

8 Jan. 1805–28 Nov. 1878. Laborer, clerk, storekeeper, teacher, editor, businessman, lawyer, judge. Born at Oxford, New Haven Co., Connecticut. Son of Nathan Hyde and Sally Thorpe. Moved to Derby, New Haven Co., 1812. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, ...

View Full Bio
wrote the letter to his “Dear Brethren”—JS and the
Council of Fifty

An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth. An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.” On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several...

View Glossary
—but addressed the wrapper to
Sidney Rigdon

19 Feb. 1793–14 July 1876. Tanner, farmer, minister. Born at St. Clair, Allegheny Co., Pennsylvania. Son of William Rigdon and Nancy Gallaher. Joined United Baptists, ca. 1818. Preached at Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, and vicinity, 1819–1821. Married Phebe...

View Full Bio
, who was not only a council member but also the postmaster of
Nauvoo

Principal gathering place for Saints following expulsion from Missouri. Beginning in 1839, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints purchased lands in earlier settlement of Commerce and planned settlement of Commerce City, as well as surrounding areas....

More Info
, which meant that he could send and receive mail without charge.
5

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 19 Mar. 1844; “List of Letters,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 17 Jan. 1844, [3]. As a postmaster, Rigdon was entitled to franking privileges, meaning he could receive mail for free.


Comprehensive Works Cited

Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

JS received Hyde’s letter by 25 May 1844, when he assembled the Council of Fifty to discuss the information the letter reported. Fewer than half of the council members attended this meeting because many of them were out of town promoting JS’s campaign for president of the
United States

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
.
6

Council of Fifty, “Record,” 25 May 1844; JS, Journal, 25 May 1844.


Nevertheless, the council “orderd an answr” to Hyde to be written by
Willard Richards

24 June 1804–11 Mar. 1854. Teacher, lecturer, doctor, clerk, printer, editor, postmaster. Born at Hopkinton, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts. Son of Joseph Richards and Rhoda Howe. Moved to Richmond, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, 1813; to Chatham, Columbia Co...

View Full Bio
.
7

JS, Journal, 25 May 1844. In this letter, Richards informed Hyde that the council was still committed to electing JS as president of the United States and that if Congress were to pass all or part of the memorial, the council would decide whether to accept or reject the final product. (Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to Orson Hyde, [Washington DC], 25 May 1844, copy, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.)


Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844; Letter from Orson Hyde, 26 Apr. 1844; Memorial to the United States Senate and House of Representatives, ca. 24–26 Mar. 1844.

  2. [2]

    Letter from Orson Hyde, 25 Apr. 1844.

  3. [3]

    “Texas Treaty,” Daily Madisonian (Washington DC), 12 Apr. 1844, [2]; Howe, What Hath God Wrought, 679.

    Daily Madisonian. Washington DC. 1841–1845

    Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. The Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

  4. [4]

    See “Mr. Clay’s Letter,” and “To the Editor of the Globe,” Globe (Washington DC), 29 Apr. 1844, 139, 140.

    Globe. Washington DC. 1831–1845.

  5. [5]

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 19 Mar. 1844; “List of Letters,” Nauvoo Neighbor, 17 Jan. 1844, [3]. As a postmaster, Rigdon was entitled to franking privileges, meaning he could receive mail for free.

    Nauvoo Neighbor. Nauvoo, IL. 1843–1845.

  6. [6]

    Council of Fifty, “Record,” 25 May 1844; JS, Journal, 25 May 1844.

  7. [7]

    JS, Journal, 25 May 1844. In this letter, Richards informed Hyde that the council was still committed to electing JS as president of the United States and that if Congress were to pass all or part of the memorial, the council would decide whether to accept or reject the final product. (Willard Richards, Nauvoo, IL, to Orson Hyde, [Washington DC], 25 May 1844, copy, Willard Richards, Journals and Papers, CHL.)

Page [1]

Whashington

Created as district for seat of U.S. federal government by act of Congress, 1790, and named Washington DC, 1791. Named in honor of George Washington. Headquarters of executive, legislative, and judicial branches of U.S. government relocated to Washington ...

More Info
April 30th. 1844.
Dear Brethren,
As the subjects to which our attention has recently been directed, are so all absorbing to the mind, that I am induced to write often, and lay before you from time to time, the train of my own thoughts upon matters engrossing the interest of our entire community; giving you an opportunity to glean therefrom such relics as, in your better judgment, may tend to facilitate the execution of the grand scheme which has so deeply enlisted our united energies.
It is now reduced to a certainty, that
Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
will not be admitted into our
union

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
, at present; for Messrs.
[Henry] Clay

12 Apr. 1777–29 June 1852. Lawyer, public speaker, professor, statesman, politician. Born in Hanover Co., Virginia. Son of John Clay and Elizabeth Hudson. Episcopalian. Admitted to Virginia bar, Nov. 1797. Moved to Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky, Nov. 1797...

View Full Bio
and
[Martin] Van Buren

5 Dec. 1782–24 July 1862. Lawyer, politician, diplomat, farmer. Born in Kinderhook, Columbia Co., New York. Son of Abraham Van Buren and Maria Hoes Van Alen. Member of Reformed Protestant Dutch Church. Worked as law clerk, 1800, in New York City. Returned...

View Full Bio
have both taken a stand adverse to the annexation of that territory to our
Republic

North American constitutional republic. Constitution ratified, 17 Sept. 1787. Population in 1805 about 6,000,000; in 1830 about 13,000,000; and in 1844 about 20,000,000. Louisiana Purchase, 1803, doubled size of U.S. Consisted of seventeen states at time ...

More Info
in their letters received here yesterday.
1

On 29 April 1844, the Washington Globe printed letters written by Clay and Van Buren in which both men voiced their opposition to annexing Texas. Clay wrote, “Annexation and war with Mexico are identical. . . . I certainly am not willing to involve this country in a foreign war for the object of acquiring Texas. . . . I regard all wars as great calamities, to be avoided, if possible, and honorable peace as the wisest and truest policy of this country.” Van Buren’s letter, a lengthy response to Congressman William H. Hammett’s inquiry about the former president’s views on the question of Texas, dissected the constitutionality and prudence of annexation. Van Buren held that while annexing Texas was not unconstitutional, he opposed it because Mexico was still engaged in trying to retain Texas and it would reflect unfavorably on the United States by those who “look upon us and our institutions with distrustful and envious eyes.” (See “Mr. Clay’s Letter,” and “To the Editor of the Globe,” Globe [Washington DC], 29 Apr. 1844, 139, 140.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Globe. Washington DC. 1831–1845.

This has given an additional radiance of hope to the
Clay

12 Apr. 1777–29 June 1852. Lawyer, public speaker, professor, statesman, politician. Born in Hanover Co., Virginia. Son of John Clay and Elizabeth Hudson. Episcopalian. Admitted to Virginia bar, Nov. 1797. Moved to Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky, Nov. 1797...

View Full Bio
men, but has smitten the Vanites with wild confusion. They know not what to do. They talk of other Candidates. They want some one who will go for
Texas

France established colony in area, 1685. First Spanish settlement created, 1718. After Mexican War of Independence from Spain, 1821, area became part of Mexico and immigration increased. Conflict between Mexican government and Texian residents resulted in...

More Info
and
Oregon

Lewis and Clark expedition wintered in area, 1805–1806. Treaty of 1818 between U.S. and England provided decade of joint rights to area. Major immigration to area from existing U.S. states commenced, 1839. Oregon Trail used as main route to area, beginning...

More Info
.
2

In early spring 1844, Van Buren was a likely candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, but after publicly announcing his opposition to annexing Texas, he lost critical support at the party’s convention in May. Instead, the Democrats nominated James K. Polk, a former Speaker of the House from Tennessee and a proponent of annexing Texas. The Democratic Party further demonstrated its support for expansionist policies by adopting a measure that favored the annexation of Texas and affirming in its party platform the United States’ right to the Oregon territory. (See Klotter, Henry Clay, 298–299; and Howe, What Hath God Wrought, 682–683.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Klotter, James C. Henry Clay: The Man Who Would Be President. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.

Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. The Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

I have proposed Genl. Smith to them, and told them that his measures embraced every thing they could desire,
3

With the help of William W. Phelps, JS articulated his support for expansionist policies in General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States. JS favored congressional action that would potentially join the United States with all of North America, including not only Texas and Oregon but also Mexico and Canada, into “one great family” and held that “if Texas petitions Congress to be adopted among the sons of liberty, give her the right hand of fellowship.” (JS, Journal, 29 Jan. 1844; General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States, ca. 26 Jan.–7 Feb. 1844.)


but it passed off with a smile. One of the Memorials sent by me will be read in the Senate today by
Maj. [James] Semple

5 Jan. 1798–20 Dec. 1866. Realtor, lawyer, politician, judge, farmer, postmaster, inventor, land agent. Born in Green Co., Kentucky, 5 Jan. 1798. Son of John Walker Semple and Lucy Robertson. Moved to Burkesville, Cumberland Co., Kentucky, by 1810; to Edwardsville...

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,
4

Semple, a Democratic senator representing Illinois, did not read the memorial until the next Monday, 6 May 1844. The memorial was then referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1887; Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 575 [1844].)


Comprehensive Works Cited

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005, the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive. Edited by Andrew R. Dodge and Betty K. Koed. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005.

The Congressional Globe, Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Congress. Vol. 8. Washington DC: Blair and Rives, 1840.

and the other in the house on Monday next by
Mr. [John] Wentworth

5 Mar. 1815–16 Oct. 1888. Teacher, newspaper editor and owner, lawyer, politician, historian. Born in Sandwich, Strafford Co., New Hampshire. Son of Paul Wentworth and Lydia Cogswell. Graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, Grafton Co., New Hampshire...

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in all probability.
5

Congressman Wentworth attempted to present the memorial prepared by the Council of Fifty to the House of Representatives on 25 May 1844. Congressman Joseph R. Ingersoll, a Whig from Pennsylvania, objected to the memorial’s reception by the House, and Congressman John B. Weller, a Democrat from Ohio, argued that other memorials should be read by the House if it were to hear this one from the Latter-day Saints. Wentworth moved to suspend the rules so that he could bring the memorial into a discussion about Oregon in a Committee of the Whole, but his motion failed. When Wentworth reported this result in a letter to JS on 25 May 1844, he announced that he would let JS know who had voted against the motion to suspend the rules so that “you may see who prefer surrendering Oregon to the British rather than protect American settlers in going & in remaining there.” The Illinois representatives with whom Hyde met in Washington—Wentworth, John J. Hardin, Joseph P. Hoge, and Stephen A. Douglas—all voted in favor of Wentworth’s motion. (Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 624 [1844]; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1312, 2136; John Wentworth, Washington DC, to JS, [Nauvoo, IL], 25 May 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)


Comprehensive Works Cited

The Congressional Globe, Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Congress. Vol. 8. Washington DC: Blair and Rives, 1840.

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005, the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive. Edited by Andrew R. Dodge and Betty K. Koed. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005.

The Bill in the Senate will be referred to the committee on
Oregon

Lewis and Clark expedition wintered in area, 1805–1806. Treaty of 1818 between U.S. and England provided decade of joint rights to area. Major immigration to area from existing U.S. states commenced, 1839. Oregon Trail used as main route to area, beginning...

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who are composed entirely of southwestern members, with
Gen. [David R.] Atchison

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

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of
Mo.

Area acquired by U.S. in Louisiana Purchase, 1803, and established as territory, 1812. Missouri Compromise, 1820, admitted Missouri as slave state, 1821. Population in 1830 about 140,000; in 1836 about 240,000; and in 1840 about 380,000. Latter-day Saint ...

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for chairman; and
Gen. A.

11 Aug. 1807–26 Jan. 1886. Lawyer, judge, agriculturist, politician, farmer. Born at Frogtown, near Lexington, Fayette Co., Kentucky. Son of William Atchison and Catherine Allen. About 1830, moved to Liberty, Clay Co., Missouri, where he became a prominent...

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having introduced a bill on
Oregon

Lewis and Clark expedition wintered in area, 1805–1806. Treaty of 1818 between U.S. and England provided decade of joint rights to area. Major immigration to area from existing U.S. states commenced, 1839. Oregon Trail used as main route to area, beginning...

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[p. [1]]
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Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Letter from Orson Hyde, 30 April 1844
ID #
1344
Total Pages
8
Print Volume Location
Handwriting on This Page
  • Orson Hyde

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    On 29 April 1844, the Washington Globe printed letters written by Clay and Van Buren in which both men voiced their opposition to annexing Texas. Clay wrote, “Annexation and war with Mexico are identical. . . . I certainly am not willing to involve this country in a foreign war for the object of acquiring Texas. . . . I regard all wars as great calamities, to be avoided, if possible, and honorable peace as the wisest and truest policy of this country.” Van Buren’s letter, a lengthy response to Congressman William H. Hammett’s inquiry about the former president’s views on the question of Texas, dissected the constitutionality and prudence of annexation. Van Buren held that while annexing Texas was not unconstitutional, he opposed it because Mexico was still engaged in trying to retain Texas and it would reflect unfavorably on the United States by those who “look upon us and our institutions with distrustful and envious eyes.” (See “Mr. Clay’s Letter,” and “To the Editor of the Globe,” Globe [Washington DC], 29 Apr. 1844, 139, 140.)

    Globe. Washington DC. 1831–1845.

  2. [2]

    In early spring 1844, Van Buren was a likely candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, but after publicly announcing his opposition to annexing Texas, he lost critical support at the party’s convention in May. Instead, the Democrats nominated James K. Polk, a former Speaker of the House from Tennessee and a proponent of annexing Texas. The Democratic Party further demonstrated its support for expansionist policies by adopting a measure that favored the annexation of Texas and affirming in its party platform the United States’ right to the Oregon territory. (See Klotter, Henry Clay, 298–299; and Howe, What Hath God Wrought, 682–683.)

    Klotter, James C. Henry Clay: The Man Who Would Be President. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.

    Howe, Daniel Walker. What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848. The Oxford History of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.

  3. [3]

    With the help of William W. Phelps, JS articulated his support for expansionist policies in General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States. JS favored congressional action that would potentially join the United States with all of North America, including not only Texas and Oregon but also Mexico and Canada, into “one great family” and held that “if Texas petitions Congress to be adopted among the sons of liberty, give her the right hand of fellowship.” (JS, Journal, 29 Jan. 1844; General Smith’s Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States, ca. 26 Jan.–7 Feb. 1844.)

  4. [4]

    Semple, a Democratic senator representing Illinois, did not read the memorial until the next Monday, 6 May 1844. The memorial was then referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1887; Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 575 [1844].)

    Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005, the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive. Edited by Andrew R. Dodge and Betty K. Koed. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005.

    The Congressional Globe, Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Congress. Vol. 8. Washington DC: Blair and Rives, 1840.

  5. [5]

    Congressman Wentworth attempted to present the memorial prepared by the Council of Fifty to the House of Representatives on 25 May 1844. Congressman Joseph R. Ingersoll, a Whig from Pennsylvania, objected to the memorial’s reception by the House, and Congressman John B. Weller, a Democrat from Ohio, argued that other memorials should be read by the House if it were to hear this one from the Latter-day Saints. Wentworth moved to suspend the rules so that he could bring the memorial into a discussion about Oregon in a Committee of the Whole, but his motion failed. When Wentworth reported this result in a letter to JS on 25 May 1844, he announced that he would let JS know who had voted against the motion to suspend the rules so that “you may see who prefer surrendering Oregon to the British rather than protect American settlers in going & in remaining there.” The Illinois representatives with whom Hyde met in Washington—Wentworth, John J. Hardin, Joseph P. Hoge, and Stephen A. Douglas—all voted in favor of Wentworth’s motion. (Congressional Globe, 28th Cong., 1st Sess., p. 624 [1844]; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1312, 2136; John Wentworth, Washington DC, to JS, [Nauvoo, IL], 25 May 1844, JS Collection, CHL.)

    The Congressional Globe, Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth Congress. Vol. 8. Washington DC: Blair and Rives, 1840.

    Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–2005, the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive. Edited by Andrew R. Dodge and Betty K. Koed. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005.

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