Texas was annexed into the United States of America.

And the deed was done by President Polk, not Tyler.

Here’s the short version of the story:

In 1843, President Tyler negotiated a treaty of annexation with the Republic of Texas. Tyler sent the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification.

But it failed to pass. The Texas Treaty was defeated on June 8, 1844, by a vote of 35-16, below the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution.

James K. Polk was elected president later in 1844 on a platform of bringing Texas into the Union.

Tyler realized after the election that public opinion favored annexation of Texas, which would give him leverage with Congress if he tried again.

A new plan put together by Polk and begun by Tyler sought annexation of Texas by means of a joint resolution of Congress.

A joint resolution of Congress is an action which requires only a simple majority of both the House and the Senate.

A joint resolution is not a treaty.

On February 26, 1845, less than a week before Polk took the presidential oath of office, Congress passed the joint resolution.

The resolution made Texas a state if Texas’ legislature approved.

In July 1845, the Texas Congress did that.

Polk completed the annexation process by signing the Texas annexation order on Dec. 29, 1845.

One mistake though: Section 6 states that John Tyler “annexed the Republic of Texas” but this is not true. Texas was an independent nation and so is the only state to enter the United States under a TREATY, and not annexation.