Westward Expansion and the Mexican War Thursday, September 12, 2013

Trails to the West  Mexico loosely controlled northern provinces  John Frémont & Kit Carson explored Rockies in 1840s  Oregon Country jointly ruled by Britain & U.S.  Buchanan-Pakenham Treaty (1846) divided Oregon in half at 49 th parallel Copyright 2000, Bedford/St. Martin’s Press

Manifest Destiny  Coined by N.Y. journalist John O’Sullivan in 1845  Symbolized belief that superior white, Christian civilization was destined to rule continent  Jackson’s Indian removal policy meant to clear the way for this  Ft. Laramie Conference (1851) began process of confining Plains Indians to reservations American Progress, by John Gast (1872)

The Lone Star Republic  Adams-Onís Treaty (1819) settled boundary with Mexico & added Florida  Mexico permitted American settlement,  Organized by empresarios like Stephen Austin  20,000 Americans in Texas by 1830  Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became dictator of Mexico in 1834  Sam Houston led Texas Revolution in 1836  The Alamo (Feb. 23 – March 6, 1836) & Goliad Massacre (March 20) spurred rebels  Santa Anna captured at San Jacinto (April 21) & forced to grant Texas independence Copyright 2000, Bedford/St. Martin’s Press The Alamo

San Jacinto MonumentAntonio Lopez de Santa Anna

Annexing Texas  Jackson tried to buy all of northern Mexico in 1835, but refused to submit annexation treaty in 1836  John Quincy Adams staged 3-week filibuster in 1838 to prevent annexation  1844 annexation treaty defeated when Secretary of State John Calhoun explicitly linked it to defense & expansion of slavery  Became key issue in 1844 campaign  James Polk demanded Oregon & Texas  Henry Clay backpedaled at last minute, costing him N.Y. & election  Lame-duck Congress passed joint resolution annexing Texas in 1845 Sam Houston

Polk Provokes a War  John Slidell sent to Mexico, Dec  Offered $25 million for California, New Mexico & territory north of Rio Grande  Rejected by resentful Mexican gov’t  Polk ordered Gen. Zachary Taylor’s troops to north bank of Rio Grande  Nueces River was boundary  Claimed “American blood shed on American soil”  Whigs opposed war, but voted to fund it to show patriotism

The Mexican War ( )  Taylor’s army won battles of Monterrey (Sept. 1846) & Buena Vista (Feb. 1847)  Winfield Scott led amphibious invasion that captured Mexico City in Sept  John Frémont & Stephen Kearny conquered California & New Mexico Copyright 2000, Bedford/St. Martin’s Press

Battle of Monterrey (Sept. 1846)

Gen. Scott Enters Mexico City

The Results  The cost of war:  12,876 U.S. soldiers dead  $98 million  Junior officers became Civil War generals  Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo (1848):  U.S. acquired California, New Mexico & rest of Texas (over 500,000 square miles)  75,000 inhabitants would become U.S. citizens if they chose to stay  U.S. paid Mexico $15 million & assumed $3.25 million in U.S. citizens’ claims against Mexico Gen. Zachary Taylor Gen. Winfield Scott

War Politicized Slavery Issue  Wilmot Proviso  David Wilmot was a Pennsylvania Democrat  Banned slavery in all territories acquired from Mexico  Calhoun Resolutions  John C. Calhoun argued territories were common possession of all states & citizens  Forbidding slave owners to bring slaves into territories violated 5 th Amendment  Popular Sovereignty  Lewis Cass was a Michigan Whig turned Democrat  Argued each territory should decide slavery issue for itself David Wilmot Lewis Cass

Gadsen Purchase  In 1853, the United States obtained from Mexico 29,640 square miles in southern Arizona and New Mexico. The new lands comprised present-day New Mexico, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and half of Colorado.

Cause and Effect  Classwork: Create a foldable that includes Students will create foldable outlining the causes, leaders, treaties and their consequences of the Mexican War. (Chapter 5 of your textbook).

Chapter Assessment  Answer questions 1-8 to turn in at end of class. This is an individual assignment.

The Gold Rush  1848 – gold discovered in California – 80,000 fortune seekers head to California – population surges from 14,000 in 1847 to 225,000 in 1853.

Effects of Gold Rush  Indians and Mexicans face discrimination  California seeks statehood  Many Mexican Californians and American Indians lost their land.  African Americans, both slave and free excluded from the Constitution.

Exit Slip  Do you believe the United States’ philosophy is still Manifest Destiny? Why or why not?