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The 1844 election was in many ways the battle between those who supported the annexation of Texas and those who opposed it due to fear that slave owners would eventually take over the country.
The Democratic candidate James Polk tied the issue of annexing Texas to the annexation of the entire Oregon territory (which included modern-day British Columbia) in order to appeal to both Southern slave owners and Northern free-soilers.
The Whigs led by Henry Clay opposed Manifest Destiny and expansion and were more interested in industrial development.
Clay eventually came out in support of annexing Texas but only if he could avoid going to war with Mexico.
Polk ended up winning the election, but many believe that Clay's ambiguous stance on Texas cost him votes with anti-slavery Northerners who voted for the anti-slavery Liberty party instead.
My question would be, what would have happened if Clay had won that election? How different would the United States be?