WAR WITH MEXICO

THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO (FEBRUARY 23 – MARCH 6, 1836)AKA – THE FIGHT OVER TEXAS INDEPENDENCEWE WILL COME BACK TO THIS!!GREAT STORY FEAR OF U.S. WAS TEXAS WOULD A SLAVE STATE

THE ALAMO

IMPORTANT PEOPLE Polk- expansionist, President of the United

States during the time of the Mexican-American War. Polk is noted for his foreign policy successes. He was the first president who retired after one term and did not seek re-election.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Zachary Taylor-the twelfth President of the United States. Known as "Old Rough and Ready.” He lead U.S. troops to victory at several critical battles of the Mexican-American War.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE CONT… Winfield Scott-he served on active duty as

a general longer than any other man in American History and most historians rate him the ablest American commander of his time. Over the course of his fifty-year career, he commanded forces in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Black Hawk War, the Second Seminole War, and, briefly, the American Civil War.

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

John C. Frémont-an American military officer, eexplorer, the first candidate of the Republican Party for the office of President of the United States.

THE WAR The Annexation of Texas was considered

an act of war.

California wanted to join the United States

Polk wanted to bring them in but did not want to have a war.

DECLARATION OF WAR Polk offered about $30,000,000 for New

Mexico and California.

Dispute over the border US wanted it to be Rio Grande rather than

the Nueces River.

DECLARATION OF WAR CONT.. Polk sent General Zachary Taylor with

2000 troops to Rio Grande.

When ordered to withdraw the Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and ambushed the Americans, killing/wounding sixteen men on April 25, 1846.

Polk wrote to congress requesting a declaration of War against Mexico.

D.O.W. … Congress approved the request.

Northerners feared that victory over Mexico might add more territory and lead to even more slave states.

Mexico City was captured by General Winfield Scott on September 14,1847

BEAR FLAG June 1846 John C. Frémont and band of

frontiersmen helped to set up “Bear Flag”.

CONQUEST OF NEW MEXICO AND CALIFORNIA CONT.. General Stephen Kearny lead his troops

to Santa Fe and raised the United States flag over New Mexico.

CONQUEST CONT….

Dec 1846 Kearny and his force wereconfronted by the Mexican Californians, but with the help from the navy they defeated them and the U.S. received control of California.

THE PEACE TREATY Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexico

dropped all its claims to Texas and agreed that Texas belonged to the U.S.

The U.S. was given all the land between Texas and the Pacific. (includes; California, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado.)

Mexico Received $15,000,000.

THE PEACE TREATY CONT… The Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)

resolved the border dispute between Maine and Canada.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) filled in the outlined of the present United States except for Alaska and Hawaii.

TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO

GADSDEN PURCHASE Gadsden Purchase: A piece of land

south of Gila River in Arizona and New Mexico, bought from Mexico in 1853, for $10,000,000.

Believed to offer the best rail route across the southern Rockies to the Pacific.

GADSDEN PURCHASE CONT… The American’s had a lot of land but

when Polk requested for the senate to approve The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, many voted against it because they wanted to annex the whole of Mexico.

Antislavery men, and Whigs, also opposed the treaty. It barely made the 2/3 vote by just 3 votes.

DIVIDED NATION Every new piece of land that was won

cause more disputes and arguments.

Southerners and Northerners thought nothing but whether the new lands would spread the Slave Power.

Each section was afraid that the other could become more powerful by gaining more land.

FINAL THOUGHT

“The United States will conquer Mexico, but it will be as the man swallows the arsenic, which brings him down in turn. Mexico will poison us.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson.