The War with Mexico

Americans Support Manifest Destiny Many Americans would begin settling the lands in the west because: White settlers viewed those lands as unoccupied; Americans worried about competition from other nations within North America John O’Sullivan would coin the term ‘manifest destiny’, meaning obvious events sure to happen. In 1846, the United States and Great Britain would agree to divide Oregon at the 49th parallel.

54-40 or fight!

Troubles with Mexico Holding true to his view on expansion, President Polk would annex Texas as a slave state in 1845.Mexico viewed Texas as its own. In an attempt to avoid war, Polk would send John Slidell to Mexico with an offer of $25 million for Texas, California, and New Mexico. Mexico would refuse. On April 25, 1846, Mexico would ambush the American soldiers along the Rio Grande. Polk’s speech ”American blood has been spilled on American soil” motivates Congress to act. Congress would declare war. Slave states would become an issue.

Capturing New Mexico and California In California, Americans led by John C. Fremont rebelled against Mexican rule in the Bear Flag Revolt. After arresting the Mexican commander of Northern California, the rebels declared California independent of Mexico and named it the Republic of California. Soon, U.S. troops would arrive, and Americans controlled all of California.

The Mexican Cession On February 2, 1848, after Mexico's defeat, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. In this treaty: Mexico recognized that Texas was part of the United States; The border between the two nations would be the Rio Grande; and, Mexico ceded the area known as the Mexican Cession. (Cali, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming)

The California Gold Rush The discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 sparked the Gold Rush. As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco and the surrounding area; by the end of 1849, the non-native(people new to the area) population of the California territory was some 100,000 (compared with the pre- 1848 figure of less than 1,000). A total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was extracted from the area during the Gold Rush, which peaked in 1852. The United States will claim California- after all, we have AMERICANS that have settled there in search of wealth, opportunity, and land. The Mexican Cession gave the land to the US.

“From Sea to Shining Sea” In 1853, Mexico would sell the last strip of land added to the Continental United States. At a cost of $10 million, the Gadsden Purchase would give the United States the southern portions of New Mexico and Arizona. The government would want/use this land for a southern transcontinental railroad.`