Download The American Nation Chapter 13 Westward Expansion, 1820–1860

The American Nation
Chapter 13
Westward Expansion,
1820–1860
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
The American Nation
Chapter 13: Westward Expansion, 1820–1860
Section 1:
Oregon Country
Section 2:
The Republic of Texas
Section 3:
California and the Southwest
Section 4:
The Mexican War
Section 5:
Americas Rush West
Copyright © 2003 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
The Mexican War
Chapter 13, Section 4
• How did the United States gain Oregon
and Texas?
• What were the causes and results of the
United States war with Mexico?
• What new lands did the United States
acquire as a result of the Mexican War?
• How did a mix of cultures shape California
and the Southwest?
The United States Gains Oregon and Texas
Chapter 13, Section 4
Oregon
• The United States and Britain agreed to a compromise. The
two countries divided Oregon at latitude 49°N latitude.
• Later, the Oregon Territory became the states of Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho.
Texas
• In 1844, Texan president Sam Houston signed a treaty of
annexation with the United States.
• Fearing war with Mexico, the United States Senate refused
to ratify the treaty.
• Houston pretended that Texas might ally itself with Britain.
This move prompted Congress to pass a joint resolution
admitting Texas to the Union.
Causes and Results of the Mexican War
Chapter 13, Section 4
Causes
Mexico did not accept Texan independence and was outraged by the
United States annexation of Texas.
Americans resented Mexico’s rejection of President Polk’s offer to buy
California and New Mexico.
A border dispute sparked war. Both nations claimed land between the Rio
Grande and the Nueces River and sent troops into the area. President Polk
claimed Mexico had invaded American soil and asked Congress to declare
war
Results
During the war, Americans in northern California revolted against Mexican
rule and declared California an independent republic, the Bear Flag
Republic.
In the fighting, the United States won control of all of New Mexico and
California. Despite the heroic stand of young Mexican soldiers in a battle at
Chapultepec near Mexico City, American forces took over the Mexican
capital.
The Mexican government moved to make peace. In 1848, it signed the
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, ending the war.
The Mexican War
Chapter 13, Section 4
The United States Acquires New Lands
Chapter 13, Section 4
In the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico had to cede, or
give up, some of its lands.
• Mexico ceded all of California and New Mexico to the
United States. These lands were called the Mexican
Cession.
• In return, the United States paid Mexico $15 million.
• The United States agreed to respect the rights of Spanishspeaking people in the Mexican Cession.
In 1853, the United States bought the Gadsden Purchase.
• The United States wanted to build a railroad across an area
that is now the southern part of Arizona and New Mexico.
• The United States paid Mexico $10 million for the strip of
land, known as the Gadsden Purchase.
A Mix of Cultures in California and the Southwest
Chapter 13, Section 4
After 1848, English-speaking settlers flocked to the
Southwest. They brought their culture and ideas about
democracy.
Ideas and practices that Americans adopted from the
Mexican Americans who lived in the Southwest.
• Silver mining techniques.
• Methods of irrigation.
• Spanish and Native American words, for example,
stampede, buffalo, tortilla, soda, and tornado.
• Some Mexican laws, for example, one law that said that
a husband and wife owned property jointly and another
law that said landowners could not cut off water to their
neighbors.
Section 4 Assessment
Chapter 13, Section 4
Hard feelings between Mexico and the United States had been growing since
Texas declared independence. War between the United States and Mexico
finally broke out when
a) Congress annexed Texas.
b) Mexican and American troops clashed in an area of land claimed by
both countries.
c) Mexico refused to sell California.
d) Sam Houston threatened to ally Texas with Britain.
American settlers in the Southwest adopted Mexican ways for
a) mining silver.
b) building railroads.
c) writing a constitution.
d) organizing a cession.
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Section 4 Assessment
Chapter 13, Section 4
Hard feelings between Mexico and the United States had been growing since
Texas declared independence. War between the United States and Mexico
finally broke out when
a) Congress annexed Texas.
b) Mexican and American troops clashed in an area of land claimed by
both countries.
c) Mexico refused to sell California.
d) Sam Houston threatened to ally Texas with Britain.
American settlers in the Southwest adopted Mexican ways for
a) mining silver.
b) building railroads.
c) writing a constitution.
d) organizing a cession.
Want to connect to the American Nation link for this section? Click here.