WAR WITH MEXICO1846-1848

THE BATTLE OF THE ALAMO (FEBRUARY 23 – MARCH 6, 1836)AKA – THE FIGHT OVER TEXAS INDEPENDENCEWE WILL COME BACK TO THIS!!GREAT STORY

THE ALAMO

13 most famous days of the battle of texas Davey crockett, jim bowie, 200 texans were killed Took place in San Antonio The Alamo began as an old mission Santa Ana- leader of Mexico, wanted to take over the

Alamo and murder its defenders The women were allowed to leave with their children Men fought to the death- burned the men so there

would be no place to worship the men The number of Mexicans that died is unknown

because they never wanted to give out actual numbers

Bowie knief- jim bowie invented it

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

Polk- 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.

Expansionist

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.

Prolly one of the top 5 generals in the history of the united states

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. (not successful)

THE WAR

The Annexation of Texas was considered an act of war. Post-Alamo 1845- added Texas to the United States

California wanted to join the United States.

25 years after Mexico won their independence they were loosing all of their territory

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. Going to end up about half that number

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.

President is commander in chief but he needs a declaration of war from congress

D.O.W. …(DECLARATION OF WAR)

Congress approved the request. Northerners do not want Texas or

California to be added for fear of slavery

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”.

This flag notes that California was a sovereign country before they became part of the nation

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 Were confronted 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.)

At the end of the war when US took over Mexico Received $15,000,000. (Called reperations- to try to make somehting right, create amends)

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.

After 1848 the United States territory is pretty much set. Hawaii and Alaska are not needed because they are not main land states

TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO- TEXAS WAS ANNAXED BEFORE THE WAR- WE HAD IT BEFORE THE WAR

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.Transcendentalists- not looking for war