Download Mexican-American War

Chapter 11, Section
3
The Mexican-American War
Manifest Destiny
 American expansion depended on land
 By 1840’s, the United States had a
strong economy and rising population
 Needed more room for farms, ranches,
businesses, and families
 Americans looked to the West as theirs
for the taking
Manifest Destiny
 Manifest Destiny
 Belief that it was the obvious fate of the
United States to settle land all the way to the
Pacific Ocean to spread democracy
 Coined by John O’Sullivan
 Heavily tied to the issue of slavery
 Would expansion allow for slavery?
Manifest Destiny
 President John Tyler
 Pro-slavery Whig
 Wanted to increase Southern power in Congress by
admitting Texas to the Union as a slave state
 His Whig party disagreed with his plans
 Election of 1844
 Tyler was not re-nominated by the Whig Party
 Henry Clay chosen instead
 Democratic Republican selected James K. Polk
 James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay and became
President
Acquiring New Territory
 President James K. Polk set out to annex
Oregon and Texas as he had promised in his
presidential campaign
 Annexation of Oregon would provide the United
States with a Pacific Ocean port important for their
growing trade with China
 Dispute with Great Britain over where to draw
the United States-Canada border
 American expansionists called for the border to be
drawn at 54º40’ latitude or war
Acquiring New Territory
 Neither Great Britain nor the United
States wanted a war
 A treaty was signed between Great Britain
and the United States
 Granted all of Oregon territory south of the 49th
parallel to the United States
 Present day border
Acquiring New Territory
 Texas
 March 1845, Congress approved annexation and
only needed the support of the Republic of Texas
 Texas politicians favored annexation in hopes that
the United States would help solve their military and
financial problems
 Texas annexed in December of 1845
 Mexican government angered by annexation
 Considered Texas a stolen province
California Under Mexico
California Under Mexico
 1846
 Mexico still controlled present day New Mexico,
Nevada, Arizona, and California
 Area previously controlled by Spain and
dominated by the mission system
 Mission system faded in present day New Mexico,
Nevada, and Arizona
 Missions gave way to villages
 Missions remained the focus of daily life in
California
California Under Mexico
 Spanish Missions
 Huge farming and ranching operations
 Used labor of Native Americans
 Some Native Americans came to missions
willingly, others were forced
 Usually not allowed to leave the mission after
they arrived
 Forced assimilation
 Clothing, food, and religion
 Sold goods to local pueblos
California Under Mexico
 After winning independence from Spain
in 1821, Mexico began to change policies
in California and Texas
 Ended the mission system
 Mission lands were broken up and given to
wealthy California citizens
 Created large ranches managed by vaqueros
 Cowboys
 Life changed very little for Native Americans
 Still hard laborers
The Californios
 Californios
 Early California settlers
 Vast distance between California and the center of
Mexico’s new government-felt little connection to
Mexico
 Reputation for horse riding and hospitality
 Small number of United States settlers arrived
 Dubbed the Anglos by the Californios
 Calls for California independence increased
tensions between the United States and
Mexico
Mexican-American War:
Conflict Breaks Out
 Tense diplomatic relations between Mexico and
the United States
 Caused by US involvement in Texas and California
 Border Dispute
 Mexico claimed its border to be along the Nueces
River
 United States claimed it to be south along the Rio
Grande
 June of 1845, President James K. Polk ordered
General Zachary Taylor to lead an army into the
disputed region
Mexican-American War: Conflict
Breaks Out
Mexican-American War: Conflict Breaks
Out
 United States diplomat John Slidell was sent to
Mexico City to try to settle the border dispute
 Offered to purchase New Mexico and California for
$30 mil
 Mexican officials refused to speak with him
 March, 1846
 General Zachary Taylor led his army to the Rio
Grande
 Told by Mexican military to withdraw his troops from the
area
 Mexican and US army clashed
 Several US soldiers were killed
 United States declared war on Mexico
War Breaks Out
 At the beginning of the war, the United States
was better supplied but outnumbered and
poorly prepared
 US Government put out a call for volunteers to fightasked for 50,000
 200,000 responded
 Young men seeking adventure
 Many Americans supported the war
 War opposed by Whig party and Northern
abolitionists
 Feared the spread of slavery into southern lands
War Begins
 United States General Zachary Taylor Won
battles south of the Nueces River
 Proceeded across the Rio Grande and occupied
Matamoros, Mexico to wait for more troops
 General Stephen Kearny ordered by President
James K. Polk to attack New Mexico
 Captured the city of Santa Fe
 Claimed New Mexico for the United States
 Marched west into California
The Bear Flag Revolt
 Small community of American settlers
seized the California town of Sonoma
 Bear Flag Revolt
 American settlers declared California to be
an independent nation
 Hoisted a flag of a grizzly bear facing a red
star
The Bear Flag Revolt
 John C. Fremont
 American Army Captain
 At the time of the revolt, he was on a mapping
expedition in Sierra Nevada
 Joined the revolting forces in Sonoma
 End of the Revolt
 United States navy came ashore in California and
raised the American flag
 General Stephen Kearny’s forces arrived from the
east
 California was claimed for the United States
 Californios surrendered in early 1847
War Ends
War’s End
 General Zachary Taylor pushed his forces
deep into Mexico
 Santa Anna Returned
 Thrown from office after the loss of Texas
 Returned to power in 1847
 Pursued General Zachary Taylor’s army
 Battle at Buena Vista
 Heavy casualties on both sides
 Mexican army forced to retreat
 Taylor became a war hero
War’s End
 President James K. Polk was troubled by
General Zachary Taylor’s popularity
 When Taylor’s progress in the war stalled, President
Polk gave the command to General Winfield Scott
 Beloved leader
 Known as “Old Fuss and Feathers” because of his strict
military discipline
 General Winfield Scott and his forces said to
the port of Veracruz (strongest fortress in
Mexico)
War’s End
 88 hour assault on Veracruz resulted in a
victory for the United States
 General Scott penetrated the Mexican
interior towards Mexico City
 September 1847, Mexico City fell to
United States forces
 Santa Anna fled the country
American Settlement in the Mexican Cession
 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
 Ended the war
 Forced Mexico to turn over much of its northern
territory to the United States
 Known as the Mexican Cession
 United States acquired present day
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California
Most of New Mexico
Nevada
Most of Arizona
Utah
Parts of Colorado and Wyoming
Land north of the Rio Grande
 Size of the United States increased by 25%
Agreements and
Payments
 The United States agreed to pay Mexico
$15 million for the land
 The United States also assumed $3
million in claims against Mexico
 The United States granted Mexican
citizens living in the United States rights
Agreements and
Payments
 United States hoped for a railroad
entirely on American soil
 James Gadsden
 US Minister to Mexico
 Gadsden Purchase
 Purchase of parts of Arizona and New Mexico
 United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million
Surge of American
Settlers
 Americans flooded to the Southwest
 Struggle of land and resources between
settlers and longtime residents
 Racism against Mexicans, Native
Americans, and Mexican Americans by
white settlers
Surge of American
Settlers
 Treaty of Guadalupe promised to protect
the rights of Mexican Americans, but the
differences between Mexican and
American land led to confusion
 Mexican Americans were often forced to go
to court with land titles to prove land
ownership
 Legal battles often bankrupted landowners
Surge of American
Settlers
 American settlers also battled with Native
Americans for land
 Settlers often tried to take control of valuable
resources
 Settlers did not respect Native Americans
holy lands
 Navajo and Apache tribes tried to protect
their land and livestock for settlers
Cultural Encounters
 Different cultures shaped one another in the
Southwest
 Laws printed in both Spanish and English
 Cities such as San Antonio and Santa Barbara
reflect Spanish heritage
 Cities such as Taos and Tesuque reflect Native
American influence
 Communities often celebrated both American
and Mexican holidays
Cultural Encounters
 Mexican and Native American knowledge and
traditions also shaped many local economies
 Mexican Americans taught US settlers about mining
 Ranching communities were often first started by
Mexican settlers
 Introduced new types of horse saddles
 Adobe
 Developed by the Anasazi Native Americans
 Still used as building material today
 Trade
 Exchange of different goods
Water Rights
 In the Eastern United States, water-use
laws commonly required land owners
whose property bordered streams or
rivers to maintain free flow of water
 Restricted from dam building as to not
infringe on water rights of downstream
neighbors
Water Rights
 Southwestern United States Climate
 Dry
 Did not permit for large-scale agriculture without irrigation
 Dams and canals required
 Conflicted with the accepted Eastern tradition of equal access to water
 Brigham Young
 Established a strict code regulating water rights for the
Mormon community
 In any dispute, the good of the community would outweigh the
interests of individuals
 His approach stood as an example for Western water laws