enough dissension to allow bitter rivalries within the Demo-
cratic party to come to the fore, and these were manifested
in the contest to secure the nomination for the presidential
campaign of 1844. As Jackson's choice, and as the most popu-
lar contender, Martin Van Buren seemed assured of this
honor up till a few months before the nominating conven-
tion assembled. Then it was that the Texas issue was sud-
denly and decisively projected upon the American political
scene, as the result of the secret machinations of a handful
of Democratic politicians working under the auspices of the
administration of John Tyler. Van Buren chose to oppose
annexation. His enemies seized upon this chance to turn
the tide of sentiment against him. The Democracy very nearly
blew apart when Van Buren was set aside in the Baltimore
convention of 1844 (the first significant--though not the first
--party convention in this country), and a "dark horse" was
chosen to run in his stead. Though the Democrats won the
election of 1844, the passions and animosities engendered at
the Baltimore convention remained to contribute substan-
tially to the instigation of a new and terrifying political issue
--the struggle over slavery--a dispute which was only settled,
if at all, by the bloodiest war in our history. The events lead-
ing up to the schism, which was the result of the convention
of 1844, and their ramifications are the basis of this study.

Here, then, is a detailed analysis of intra-party strife and
political intrigue. Such an analysis, I think, affords a sub-
stantial clue to a better understanding of both the Jacksonian
era and the heartbreaking period which followed it. In a
larger sense, a fuller understanding of the American two-
party system may possibly be gleaned from these pages. For,
indeed, the game of politics has not changed so much since

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