Bellwork• Why didn’t the United States Congress

support the annexation of Texas?

American History

Section 11, Unit 2American Expansionism

Objectives

• What issues and events led to the war between the U.S. and Mexico?

• What territories did the United states gain as a result of the war?

• What was the impact of war on former Mexican citizens?

• Describe how Polk was able to expand the boundaries of the United States under his presidency.

Oregon Country

• Long before the issues concerning Texas annexation (which we will discuss again soon) merchants had been trading in the Far West– as far back as 1790.

• After Mexican independence in 1821, trade increased with the Mexican government as they promoted trade with the U.S.

Santa Fe Trail

• Trails, such as the Santa Fe Trail– a 700 mile trail from Missouri to Santa Fe– opened the East to new markets in the West.

• Such trade routes allowed U.S. merchants to control much of the trade within the Mexican borders.

Oregon Trail• As trade spread, between 1811 and 1813, trappers

and mountain men in the Rockies blazed a new route known as the Oregon Trail.

• The Oregon trail opened up new routes for farmers and religious missionaries.

Oregon Trail

• Despite the benefits of the new trail, there were issues:1. Native American groups in the area blamed

missionaries for spreading disease in the region that severely reduced Native population.

2. Native American attacks had occurred, although rare.

3. The journey– considering the time- was extremely rigorous and dangerous.

Expansion

• With all this new western land available, expansionists, primarily southerners and Democrats, hoped to add Texas, Oregon Country, and northern Mexico to the United states.

• As we will see, this war would have a long term impact on the Mexican citizens left in the U.S.

Texas Annexation

• Between 1836 and 1845, the question of Texas annexation did not die.

• Many– convinced it was America’s destiny to expand westward– believed the citizens of Texas should be part of the Union.

• The issue was hotly debated in Congress. Questions:1. Why did they believe it was America’s “destiny” to

control these lands?2. Why didn’t Congress want to allow Texas in at first?

Debate over annexation

• Supporters of Texas annexation argued that if Texas was not admitted to the Union, Britain might gain influence there.– Britain had previously shown an interest in the

marketplace of an independent Texas.• Opponents, however, argued that Texas being

part of the union would increase the South’s power in Congress and upset the balance of slave and free states.

Debate of Annexation

• The issue of western expansion continued to be an issue into the 1844 presidential campaigns.

• In these campaigns, Whig party candidate Henry Clay faced against Democrat James K. Polk.

Known as “Young Hickory”, James K. Polk was the protégé of Andrew Jackson and was actually endorsed by Jackson when he ran for House Speaker and when he ran for the 1844 Election.

Election of 1844• Polk, a Tennessee politician,

called for the annexation of Texas and Oregon.

• Clay’s platform, however, did not mention Texas at all. – Partly due to this, Polk

received 170 electoral votes to Clay’s 105, but the popular vote was much closer– only a five-thousand difference.

James K. Polk

• Polk was an expansionist, who, in 1844, was successful at “negotiating” with Britain at dividing Oregon country at the 49th parallel (the modern Canadian boundary). – In reality, Polk forced Britain’s hand by declaring

that all of Oregon to Alaska was the United States. – Britain ultimately caved in and gave up the Oregon

territory.

Question: Do you think taking Oregon Country would be enough for Polk? If not, what else would he want?

James K. Polk• Polk’s immediate call for

Texas annexation pushed the U.S. close on the brink of war with Mexico.

• Mexico had warned the U.S. previously that annexing Texas would be akin to declaring war against them. – Issues got so tense that, in

1845, when Congress was deciding to annex Texas, Mexico broke diplomatic relations with the U.S.

Tensions rise

• Polk fueled the Mexican government’s anger by demanding that it recognize the Rio Grande as Mexico’s northern border– 100 miles south of where they originally had their border.

• To back up his demand, Polk ordered troops under General Zachary Taylor to move to the disputed territory.– Polk was well aware that such as action would

provoke an armed clash with Mexican troops.

Tensions rise

• After receiving information that Mexico was willing to resume diplomatic relations, Polk sent politician John Slidell to Mexico in 1845 to establish the Rio Grande as the border.

• When Mexican cities learned of Slidell’s mission, they reaction furiously– the Mexican government caved in to public pressure and refused to negotiate with Slidell.

Tensions rise• Following the refusal to speak to Slidell, Polk

ordered General Taylor to move deeper into disputed area.

• Publicly, Polk made it seem as if he was protecting American territory.– In reality, however, he was hoping Mexico would

commit an act to justify a war.

Question: Why do you think Polk wanted a war?

Polk had hoped for a war to give him a chance to finally expand American territory into the West.

The Mexican War

• In 1846, Polk had finally heard the news he had waited for: the Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and attacked a U.S. patrol.

• Polk sent his war message to Congress:

• On May 13, 1846, Congress declared war.

“Mexico has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.”

The Mexican War• Some Americans,

primarily the Whigs and northerners, criticized the Mexican War and called it “Mr. Polk’s war”. – One politician,

Congressman Abraham Lincoln of Illinois demanded that the president show exactly where the blood was spilled. If it was on American soil, he’d support it. If not, he argued the war was unjustified.

The Mexican War

• Polk’s opponents also charged that the war was aimed at trying to get more slave territory.

• Abolitionists across the country– including Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass– heavily criticized the war and, in some cases, refused to pay taxes to support the war.

Question: Who might actually support the war?

The Mexican War

• While the opposition to the war was great, most Americans– especially southerners and those in the west– wanted Mexican lands to use for agriculture.

• Many began to enlist in the military to help support the war effort.

The Mexican War

• While Taylor pushed into northern Mexico to seize lands, others moved into New Mexico and California.

• In 1846, led by General Stephen Kearny, a military force took Santa Fe and won control of New Mexico.

• After that, Kearny marched into California where U.S. settlers revolted against Mexican rule.

The Mexican War

• In what became known as the Bear Flag Revolt, Californians raised a flag bearing a grizzly bear on it and declared California an independent republic from Mexico.

• The American military also aided these rebels in fighting back against Mexico.

The Mexican War

• As the war continued, American troops captured San Pasqual near San Diego, and after several battles, troops under Kearny and Commodore Robert Stockton defeated Mexican troops near Los Angeles.

• The victory near Los Angeles sealed the defeat for Mexico in California.

The Mexican War

• In the final campaign of the war, the U.S. engaged in a bold plan to take Mexico City.

• Led by General Winfield Scott, around 10,000 U.S. troops captured the fortified castle of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico.

• Soon after, General Scott maneuvered into position to attack the heart of the Mexican nation.

The Mexican War

• The Mexicans battled valiantly against the incoming U.S. troops.

• Despite the resistance, however, U.S. troops succeeded in reaching the National Palace, which President Santa Anna had abandoned.

• Ultimately, the U.S. troops assaulted and captured the capital September 14, 1847.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• By the end of September, U.S. forces held California and New Mexico; General Taylor’s forces occupied much of Northern Mexico while General Scott controlled Mexico City.

• In February, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war on terms dictated by the U.S.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo• By the terms of the treaty, Mexico gave up all

claims to Texas and the large swath of land which became known as the Mexican Cession: the modern states of California, Nevada, Utah and parts of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.

• In return, the U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $15 million and take over part of the payment of damages held against Mexico by Americans.

Question: While we won the war, why might it have been a goodidea to still pay the Mexican government for the land?

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• As well, the treaty also promised full citizenship to Mexican citizens who are affected by the Mexican Cession and that Americans would respect their religious beliefs and property rights.

Mexican Cession

Look carefully, what didn’t Americans get?

Gadsden Purchase

• In 1853, U.S. diplomat James Gadsden negotiated a deal with Mexico to purchase an additional strip of land south of the Gila River in present day Arizona and New Mexico for $10 million.

• With the Gadsden Purchase, the U.S. acquired all of Mexico’s territory north of the Rio Grande river.

Gadsden Purchase

At this time, please get the handout “Territories as they became States”. Please look over it carefully. In the next slide, we will see the change in the United States’ territory.

What is shaded in yellow was the Gadsden Purchase.

Territories

Mexican Americans

• The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo resulted in about 80,000 Spanish-speaking people becoming part of the U.S. instantly.

• However, many of these new citizens left, feeling like “foreigners in their own land”.

Mexican Americans

• For many Mexican-Americans– many of those who had already been in contact with U.S. citizens– the adjustments were fairly easy.

• Despite the guarantees in 1848, however, many Mexican Americans lost their land.– Many couldn’t afford the costly legal battles to

defend their lands or lacked “accepted” documentation for their lands.

– Many previous land owners took low-paying jobs in the mines or railroads.

Mexican Americans

• Many Americans looked down on the culture of the region, which blended Spanish, Mexican, and Indian culture together.

• The resulting atmosphere and discrimination against many Mexican Americans sparked rebellions in the southwest.

Mexican Americans• One such rebellion was lead

by Juan Nepomuceno Cortina, a Tejano rancher and politician.

• He led a rebellion in 1859 after shooting and wounding a Texas marshal who used excessive force on another Tejano. – Cortina fled south of the Rio

Grande but continued to spark small rebellions in the area well into the 1870’s.

Mexican Americans

• In response to such rebellions (and later issues ensuing), Americans in the region began to intimidate Mexican American communities through harassment, beatings, and even murders.

• The bitter issues that were raised during the Mexican War took a long time to subside.

New Lands

• With new lands available to the Americans, people slowly began to stream into the West, seeking fortune and fame that awaited them in the new states– primarily California.

Questions?

• If you have any questions, please ask now.

Next lesson

• In the next lesson, we will begin discussing the prelude to the Civil War.

Review1. Briefly explain what led up to the Mexican War. 2. How were Mexican Americans supposed to be treated

under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo? What happened in reality?

3. What modern states did the United States gain in the Mexican Cession?

4. Why did some Americans criticize the Mexican War? 5. Why did some Americans support Texas annexation? Why

did others oppose it? 6. How did Anglo-Americans react to Mexican Americans

rebelling against them? 7. Some politicians referred to the Mexican War as “Mr.

Polk’s War”. Do you think they are a fair point when they referred to it as such? Why or why not?