THE TEXAS REVOLUTION

TEJAS------TEXAS TEJANOS----MEXICAN TEXANS EMPRESARIOS OLD THREE HUNDRED SANTA ANNA THE ALAMO THE BATTLE OF SAN JACINTO SAM HOUSTON WILLIAM B. TRAVIS

LONE STAR REPUBLIC ANNEXATION

ELECTION OF JAMES POLK 1844 POLK PROMISED TO ANNEX TEXAS AND TO OBTAIN THE OREGON TERRITORY TO ITS NORTHERNMOST POINT. POLK COMPROMISED WITH THE BRITISH OVER OREGON. HE EXTENED THE EXISTING EASTERN LINE BETWEEN CANADA AND THE U.S. WESTWARD ACROSS THE OREGON TERRITORY.

IN 1845, CONGRESS THEN VOTED TO ANNEX TEXAS. EVEN THOSE DIVIDED ON THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY COULD SEE THE POSSIBLITY OF ADMITTING NEW NORTHERN STATES TO PRESERVE THE EXISTING BALANCE OF SLAVE AND FREE STATES. THEY FEARED LETTING TEXAS REMAIN INDEPENDENT WOULD BLOCK AMERICAN WESTWARD EXPANSION.

MANY AMERICANS FEARED THE ANNEXATION OF TEXAS, WITH BOUNDARIES DISPUTE OVER SLAVERY, WAS LIKELY TO LEAD TO WAR WITH MEXICO.

THE WAR WITH MEXICO SHORTLY AFTER TEXAS WAS ANNEXED, A DISPUTE BROKE OUT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND MEXICO OVER THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF TEXAS. WAS THE BORDER TO BE THE RIO GRANDE OR THE NUECES RIVER? PRESIDENT POLK ORDERED TROOPS INTO THE CONTESTED AREA.

POLK DECLARED WAR ON MEXICO. AMERICANS LIVING IN CALIFORNIA ALSO REBELLED AND DECLARED THEIR INDEPENDENCE. U.S. TROOPS LANDED IN MEXICO AND MARCHED TO MEXICO CITY. MEXICO WAS DEFEATED AND FORCED TO GIVE UP CALIFORNIA, NEVADA, UTAH, ARIZONA, AND PARTS OF COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO.

TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO 1848 THE U.S. AGREED TO PAY MEXICO $15 MILLION FOR THESE AREAS: CALIFORNIA NEVADA UTAH ARIZONIA COLORADO NEW MEXICO WYOMING SIGNING OF THIS TREATY ENDED THE MEXICAN –U.S. WAR. THIS WAS KNOWN AS THE MEXICAN CESSION.

“FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA” 1853, THE U.S. COMPLETED ITS EXPANSION WITH A STRIP OF LAND ACROSS WHAT IS NOW SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA. THE GOVERNMENT WANTED THE LAND AS A LOCATION FOR A TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD.

MEXICO SOLD THE LAND ---- CALLED THE GADSDEN PURCHASE ----TO THE U.S. FOR $10 MILLION. PRESIDENT FRANKLIN PEIRCE WAS ANXIOUS TO INSURE U.S. POSSESSION OF THE AREA. AS THE RAILROAD AGE PROGRESSED, BUSINESS-ORIENTED SOUTHERNERS SAW THAT A RAILROAD LINKING THE SOUTH WITH THE PACIFICI COAST WOULD GREATLY EXPAND TRADE OPPORTUNITIES.

1854, THIS ALLOWED FOR A RAILWAY RIGHT-O-WAY THROUGH SOUTHERN ARIZONA TO AVOID MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN.

EFFECTS OF THE U.S. – MEXICAN WAR---- THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY AROSE AGAIN WHEN CALIFORNIA REQUESTED ADMISSION AS A STATE. THE COMPROMISE OF 1850 ADDRESSED MANY ISSUES BY BALANCING THE CONCERNS OF ABOLITIONISTS AND SLAVE-HOLDERS. ABOLITIONISTS GAINED CALIFORNIA AS A FREE STATE WHILE SOUTHERN SLAVE-HOLDERS WERE PACIFIED WITH PASSAGE OF THE FUGITIVE SLAVE ACT.

SLAVE TRADE WAS OUTLAWED IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THOUGH SLAVERY WAS STILL ALLOWED WITHIN THE DISTRICT.

TEXAS ESTABLISHED ITS BORDERS IN EXCHANGE FOR THE U.S. GOVERNMENT PAYING ITS DEBTS TO MEXICO. TERRITORIES IN THE SOUTHWEST WERE ESTABLISHED WITHOUT ADDRESSING THEIR STATUS AS A FREE OR SLAVERY TERRITORIES.

THE AREA WAS SEEN AS THE MOST PRACTICALBE ROUTE FOR A SOUTHERN RAILROAD TO THE PACIFIC. JAMES GADSDEN, U.S. MINISTER TO MEXICO, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR NEGOTIATING THE DEAL. THE U.S. NOW STRETCHED “FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA.”