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WAR WITH MEXICO Chapter 12, Section 3 The New Mexico Territory In the 1800s, New Mexico was the large area between the Texas and California territories. Spanish conquistadors had made the region a Spanish colony in the 1500s. They founded a settlement there called Santa Fe. Once free from Spain, Mexico won the New Mexico territory. The New Mexico Territory Mexico welcomed Americans into the area. It hoped that trade would boost the economy. William Becknell was the first American trader to reach Santa Fe in 1821. His route to the settlement was known as the Santa Fe Trail. Santa Fe Trail Santa Fe Trail Beginning in Missouri, the trail crossed the Rocky Mountains. As more traders came to Santa Fe, the trail became a busy route. Americans also began settling in the area. They hoped it would one day be part of the United States. California’s Spanish Culture California became a state in the new Mexican nation. Mexican settlers in California set up huge estates called ranchos. The rancheros, or ranch owners, treated the Native Americans who worked for them almost like enslaved people. Moving West In the 1840s, more Americans came to California. Army officer John C. Frémont wrote of the area’s mild climate and vast resources. Americans talked about annexing California. They wanted the United States to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific. War con Mexico U.S.–Mexico relations were tense in the early 1800s. Both countries argued over the border between Texas and Mexico. President Polk wanted California and New Mexico and plotted to get them. He decided to go to war for the land, but he wanted Mexico to make the first strike. Polk offered Mexico a deal. The United States would pay Mexico $30 million for California and New Mexico if Mexico would agree to make the Rio Grande River the Texas border. In addition, the United States would take over Mexico’s war debts to Americans. Mexico did not like the offer. It refused and threatened to reclaim Texas. War! Polk sent troops into the disputed area between Texas and Mexico. On April 24, 1846, Mexican troops attacked U.S. forces. On May 11, Congress declared war on Mexico. US - War Plan Polk went ahead with his war plan. First, U.S. troops would secure the Texas border. Then they would take New Mexico and California. Finally, they would seize Mexico City, the capital of Mexico. Bear Flag Republic In June 1864, a group of Americans took a northern town in California and declared that California was independent. They called it the Bear Flag Republic. Continued Conflict... In July 1846, U.S. forces landed in California. They took over the republic and put down a revolt by the Californios, or the Mexicans who lived in California. In August 1846, U.S. forces captured Santa Fe. By the end of 1847, the U.S. army under General Winfield Scott had taken Mexico City. Mexico surrendered. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848. Mexico agreed to the Rio Grande as the border between Texas and Mexico. In what is called the Mexican Cession, Mexico also ceded, or gave, California and New Mexico to the United States for $15 million. Gadsden Purchase Then, in 1853, Mexico sold the United States a strip of land south of New Mexico. This purchase, called the Gadsden Purchase, brought the U.S. mainland to its current size.