Chapter 9 Section 4-The War With Mexico

The U.S and Mexico already had sour relations as a result of the Texas Revolution in 1836. Fuel was added to the fire when America annexed Texas in 1845. Issues could have been solved if not for the instability of the Mexican government and the forceful ideas of expansionism from U.S president James K. Polk

Polk Urges War James K. Polk, president of the U.S. from 1845-1849 was interested in expanding west His aspirations and the unstable Mexican gov’t resulted in solving issues uncouthly Polk believed that war with Mexico would bring Texas and New Mexico While this was happening, Texas and Mexico disputed over where the border was held Mexico insisted that it stopped at the Nueces River, 100 miles northwest from the Rio Grande Texas said it stopped at the Rio Grande https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FjQvAPgmPA

Slidell's Rejection The Mexican political situation was confusing and unpredictable Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico to purchase Caledonia, New Mexico, and gain the Rio Grande as Texas Border Mexico officials refused to see him Polk then sent General Zachary Taylor to march to the Rio Grande and blockade the river

Attitudes toward the War America had split feelings about the war The debate about land turned into one about slavery The North mainly opposed war Abolitionist and antislavery Whigs saw the war as a plot to expand slavery and ensure southern dominance The South ,in favor of expansion, thought the same to increase power in Congress and expand slavery

The War Begins Taylor positioned his forces at the Rio Grande in 1845-1846 John C. Fremont led an expedition through Mexican land which was a violation of their rights Mexico sent troops to the Rio Grande causing skirmish near Matamoros Mexican soldiers killing 9 U.S. soldiers Polk sent a message of war to Congress Abraham Lincoln questioned the truthfulness of his Declaration War vote was 174 to 14 from the House of Representatives, the senate vote was 40 to 2 Polk withholding key facts sent the United States into its first war on foreign territory

Kearny Marches West 1846 Polk ordered Colonel Stephen Kearny to march to Santa FE, Mexico from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Kearney earned the name “The Long Marcher” for crossing 800 miles of barren ground In Santa FE they met upper class Mexicans who joined the U.S. , New Mexico fell without shots being fired After gaining New Mexico Kearney continued to march to southern California

Republic of California 19th century Spanish settlers set up 20 missions along California’s coast Mexico took over as well as Texas during its independence In the 1830s 12,000 Mexican settlers lived there Native workers mid 1840s 500 U.S settlers lived in Canada Polk offered to buy California in 1845 arousing indignation of the Mexican government American settlers led by Fremont seized the town of Senoma in Jun 1846 declaring them as the R.O.C Kearny joined forces with Fermont and the U.S naval expedition led by Commodore John D. Sloat The Mexican troops gave way leaving the U.S in charge of California

The War in Mexico Mexican soldiers fought bravely while the U.S. was winning with officers like Captain Robert E. Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant The invasion lasted 1 year General Zachary Taylor, and Winfield Scott nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready Taylor attacked and captured Monterrey, Mexico on September 1846, but allowed the Mexican garrison to escape Polk and Santa Anna hatched a scheme together but in February 1847, but Santa Anna betrayed Polk and attacked Taylor’s forces at Bueno Vista

The War in Mexico continued… This strategy failed and Scotts captured Veracruz in March. Taylors rested troops pushed Anna into Mexico’s interior Scott supervised an army of 10,000 , 200 ships, and 67 boats that all arrived at Veracruz in less than 5 hours Scott then set of and captured Mexico city on September 14, 1847 Scotts army losing not a single battle

America Gains the Spoils of War The war cost Mexico about 25,000 lives and nearly half its land The war cost the U.S. about 13,000 lives

The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo On February 2 1848, U.S. and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in which Mexico agreed to the Rio Grande border for Texas and gave New Mexico and California to The U.S. The U.S. agreed to pay $15 million The treaty gave Mexicans living in these territories freedom of religion, protection of property, bilingual elections, and open borders In 1853, President Franklin Pierce authorized the Gadsden Purchase which gave Mexico $10 million in exchange for territory south of the Gila river

The California Gold Rush In January 1848, James Marshall, a carpenter working on John Slitters property in the California Sierra Nevada's, discovered gold As word traveled east, migration to California skyrockets from 400 in 1848 to 44,000 in 1850. Prospectors who flocked to California during the Gold Rush in 1849 were called Forty-Niners. These people were often from Asia, South America, and Europe

Impact of Gold Fever San Francisco because of its location as a supply hub became known as a “pandemonium of a city” The city’s population went from 1,000 to 35,000 in 1850

Gold Rush Brings Diversity By 1849 California's population exceeded 100,000 Chinese was the largest group Many rich, free blacks Included large number of Mexicans There was slavery at 1st until Constitution convention in 1849 outlawed slavery California application for statehood caused chaos and Protests in Congress, but it became a state in 1850

Videos Polk- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FjQvAPgmPA Summary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkdF8pOFUfI