1) Spain and Mexico had great problems controlling the borderlands. The borderlands were an area around the border between Mexican, Spanish, and American territory. Settlers in the Texas borderlands were supposed to convert to Catholicism and make all their slaves permanent indentured servants. The Texan settlers were not doing this though. Mexican authority had a very difficult time enforcing their laws because of the sheer size of the land and the amount of people that were violating the rules.
2) The Texas Revolution created a tense but open-to-trade relationship between the United States and Mexico. The area of New Mexico (Santa Fe) opened its trade to American merchants after the Texas revolution, and because of this opportunity for lucrative trade, busy trails and commerce developed along the path between Missouri and Santa Fe. Relations between the two countries did decrease after the Texas revolution and this affected the Santa Fe trade in a bad way. Settlers, businessmen, and soldiers from both the United States and Mexico attacked each other and this led to a militarization-type conflict. .
3) The Mormons had a great effect on U.S. expansion to the west. Prior to the Mormon settlement near Salt Lake, the western frontier was known as a place that inspired rugged individualism and disorder among the people. The Mormon settlements established discipline and cooperation, which was needed for the settlement to survive in the harsh land. The Salt Lake settlement's organized government and religious dedication allowed it to be able to expand, developing devices such as an extensive irrigation system, making survival easier. The Mormon settlements paved the way for other settlers in the west because it gave an example of how to act.
4) Expansion issues were the central issues of the 1844 presidential campaign. Incumbent John Tyler's stand on expansion issues stood with neither party, so he was clearly out of the race.
