WE TAKE NOTHING BY CONQUEST, THANK GOD 8 WE TAKE NOTHING BY CONQUEST, THANK GOD BY: STEPHANIE AZCUNAGA

CHAPTER SUMMARY Zinn discusses how the Mexican American War was caused by President Polk who pushed an expansionist agenda to excuse his conquest of Mexico. Many people believed that Americans provoked the Mexicans to fight so they had a reason to fight over land. The Whig Party was against the war but wanted to expand. Many civilians did not support the war, they believed it was a war of aggression. Newspaper and articles misrepresented the war causing it to be avoided.

PRESIDENT POLK James Polk, an expansionist and democrat “..confided to the Secretary of the Navy that one of his main objectives was the acquisition of California.” “On May 9, before news of any battles, Polk was suggesting to his cabinet a declaration of war, based on certain money claims against Mexico, and on Mexico's recent rejection of an American negotiator named John Slidell.”

MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR Wasn’t as popular to the Americans. People didn’t want to fight to gain land they preferred to compromise or pay. Mexico fought to get Texas since Polk wanted to take that state. Polk made it seem as if Mexico invaded America.

MEXICO IN 1830

LAND MEXICO LOST TO THE UNITED STATES

LIKE IN CH. 7 AS LONG AS GRASS GROWS OR WATER RUNS

INDIANS AND MEXICANS The Indians and Mexicans had a lot in common. Americans tried to take over their land. “From 1814 to 1824, in a series of treaties with the southern Indians, whites took over three-fourths of Alabama and Florida, one-third of Tennessee, one-fifth of Georgia and Mississippi, and parts of Kentucky and North Carolina.” (Zinn 128). As well as all these other lands. Andrew Jackson played a huge role into this. Americans believed that their superior power would lead to the extinction of indians as well as Mexicans.

SIMILARITY? The United States fooled the Indians and the Mexicans into thinking that they were going to be living in a civilized community. Jackson signed a treaty in 1814 that stated that Indians were going to receive their share in land, “..It granted Indians individual ownership of land, thus splitting Indian from Indian, Breaking up communal landholding, bribing some with land, and leaving other out.’” (Zinn 128) This proves that they had no respect for them, and they simply just treated them like idiots. As well as Mexico, they signed a different treaty that let the Americans win. “The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed February 1848, gave half of Mexico to the Americans” (Zinn 116).

SIMILARITY (CONTINUE) Although the Americans were bringing down the Mexicans and Indians, they also had another thing in common. They did not give up. They began to rebel and fought America. “Mexican guerrillas retaliated with cruel vengeance. As the American armies advanced, more battles were fought, more thousands died on both sides, more thousands were wounded, more thousands sick with diseases.” While Mexico had their guerrillas to fight their battles the Americans had a army named the “Red Skins” Zinn mentions, “Some were willing to adopt the civilization of the white man in order to live in peace. Others, insisting on their land and their culture, were called "Red Sticks." The Red Sticks in 1813 massacred 250 people at Fort Mims, whereupon Jackson's troops burned down a Creek village, killing men, women, children.” (Zinn 127)

DIFFERENCE? Even if they both had their lands taken away. Americans actually treated the Indians in a better way than they treated the Mexicans. Indians had to sign treaties just to get portions of their land back while Mexicans actually fought in wars , to claim their land.  One main difference was that as times went by , the Indians turned against one another because of Jackson. “Jackson's 1814 treaty with the Creeks started something new and important.

DIFFERENCES (CONTINUE..) It granted Indians individual ownership of land, thus splitting Indian from Indian, breaking up communal landholding, bribing some with land, leaving others out- introducing the competition and conniving that marked the spirit of Western capitalism.” (Zinn 128). While the Mexicans on the other hand all fought for their country as team.

QUOTES “As war exists, notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, exists by the act of Mexico herself, we are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriotism to vindicate with decision the honor, the rights, and the interests of our country.” “Polk spoke of the dispatch of American troops to the Rio Grande as a necessary measure of defense. As John Schroeder says (Mr. Polk's War): "Indeed, the reverse was true; President Polk had incited war by sending American soldiers into what was disputed territory, historically controlled and inhabited by Mexicans."

REFERENCE Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2005. Print.