U S Mexico War Manifest Destiny Manifest clear

U. S. - Mexico War

Manifest Destiny Manifest – clear or obvious Destiny – events sure to happen Manifest Destiny suggested that expansion was not only good but also bound to happen After Polk’s election manifest destiny became government policy

Important Characters United States - James K. Polk - President who declares war - Stephen Austin - American settler in Texas - Sam Houston - led troops against Mexico - Zachary Taylor - General who leads American forces in Texas and Mexico - John Fremont - frontiersman who leads troops in Bear Flag Republic - Winfield Scott - General who captures Mexico City - Stephen Kearny - led troops against Mexico in West Mexico - Santa Anna - Dictator and military leader - Jose Herrera - Mexican president - Mariano Arrillaga - Mexican General who assumed power after Herrera

Election of 1844 www. 270 towin. com • The slavery issue impacted both national parties • Southern Democratic nominated proslavery supported James K. Polk • Whigs nominated Henry Clay moderate antislavery supporters • Liberty • Birney Party nominated James G. Birney takes enough votes away from Clay to enable Polk to win

Vocabulary Tejanos – People of Mexican heritage who consider Texas their home. Empressairos – people who agreed to recruit settlers

Texan Independence Stephen F. Austin establishes American settlement in Texas American settlers continue to move into Texas, outnumber natives conflicts over Catholic religion, trial by jury law, and issue of slavery Americans want more representation in Mexican gov’t, Santa Anna establishes dictatorship

Texan Independence Texans declare independence in March 1836, create Republic of Texas Santa Anna leads troops to retake Texas Battle of Alamo - Santa Anna lays siege to Texans in present day San Antonio Sam Houston leads Texans against Santa Anna at San Jacinto, capture Mexican leader and force him to sign treaty

Texas becomes a State United States was split over whether to admit Texas into Union Northerners in Congress opposed annexation Southerners supported annexation Election of 1844 saw James K. Polk elected President on a platform of expansion Polk negotiated treaty with Britain to split Oregon Territory Texas admitted into the United States as 28 th state in 1845 Annexation of Texas causes uproar within Mexico, public calls for war

Wilmot Proviso 1846 After the Missouri Compromise in 1820, political disagreements over slavery seemed to go away. New disagreements arose with the outbreak of the War with Mexico in 1846.

Northerners believed that Southerners wanted to take territory from Mexico in order to extend slavery. To prevent that, Representative David Wilmot of Pennsylvania proposed the Wilmot Proviso.

• Slaveholders claimed the bill was unconstitutional because they viewed slaves as property and the bill kept slaveholders from taking their slaves anywhere in the United States or its territories. • It outlawed slavery in any territory the United States might acquire from the War with Mexico.

• The Wilmot Proviso divided Congress along regional lines. • It passed in the House of Representatives but was not passed in the Senate. • It is important because 1. It led to the creation of the Free-Soil Party, a party dedicated to stopping the expansion of slavery. 2. The party made slavery a key issue in national politics. Politician could ignore slavery no longer.

War with Mexico United States had annexed all of the land north of the Rio Grande River Polk sends General Taylor and troops to secure land south of Nueces River Mexico sees this as an act of war and sends own troops to disputed area

War with Mexico Mexicans ambush American patrol outside of Fort Brown, kill or wound 16 men Polk declares war on Mexico, Congress unites behind patriotic cause General Taylor enters Mexico by crossing Rio Grande River in east Texas Stephen Kearny leads cavalry force into Mexico in the west through New Mexico General Santa Anna takes control of Mexican troops after being released by Texans

Bear Flag Rebellion John Fremont encouraging Californians to overthrow Mexican rule in California June 1846 – Fremont leads party of 60 men and declares California a independent republic “Bear Flag Republic” Republic lasted less than a month then U. S. took over territory

War with Mexico Taylor leads troops across Rio Grande First major battle was at Monterey - Mexican loss and surrender of city Santa Anna leads troops and engages Taylor at Battle of Buena Vista - Mexican forces eventually retreat because of revolt in Mexico City

War with Mexico Polk sends second army lead by General Winfield Scott by sea to Veracruz Included in Army are: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Thomas Jackson Lay siege to walled city of Veracruz and capture city Scott moved toward Mexican capital of Mexico City where Santa Anna had taken hold Scott laid siege to city and eventually captures it

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ends war with Mexico recognized that Texas was part of the United States, and the Rio Grande was the border between the nations. Mexican Cession – Mexico ceded or gave up, an area that included the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. United States paid in return $15 million to Mexico and 3. 25 million of claims by U. S. citizens. U. S. would also protect the 80, 000 Mexicans living in Texas and the Mexican Cession.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo • Signed in February 1848 in suburb of Mexico city by U. S. and Mexico representatives • Established Rio Grande River as southern border of U. S. and agreed to have joint team survey the rest of the border • U. S. Also bought Mexican Cession (525, 00 sq. miles) for $15 million US • Mexican Cession included all or parts of present-day New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming • Assumed that Texas was already part of U. S. • Also secured property rights of Mexicans living in newly acquired lands

Westward Expansion and the American-Mexican War

Gadsden Purchase – Was the last bit of land across what is now southern New Mexico and Arizona. The U. S. wanted it for a railroad and paid $10 million to Mexico

Gadsden Purchase • • Approved by US Congress in April 1854 US bought 38, 00 sq. miles in southern Arizona and New Mexico for $10 million US Negotiated between American Ambassador James Gadsden and Mexican leader Santa Anna US commercial interests prompted the US to initiate the Gadsden Purchase Southern railroad interests wanted to connect the South with the West via a railroad Topographers found that the only suitable route for a railroad would go through Mexican territory Last continental acquisition for the United States

Gold Rush Review notes on “Word”

Election of 1848 Polk decides not to run for reelection Democrats nominate Lewis Cass of Michigan Strong expansionist Sympathetic to the South Did not care about slavery one way or another

Election of 1848 Whigs nominated General Zachary Taylor ◦ Slave owner and professional soldier ◦ No experience in politics ◦ Whigs party counted on him being a war hero ◦ Whigs had no party platform Free-Soil Party nominated Martin Van Buren Made up of Democrats combined with Whigs and abolitionists Supported the Wilmot Proviso Party slogan “Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men” Taylor won in a close election It was said that had Taylor not died he would have veto the Compromise of 1850 Vice President Millard Fillmore a professional a compromising politician took over as President

Zachary Taylor heat stroke, bringing on fever, and cholera. (Taylor dressed himself in a black high-collar suit for the July 4, 1850 dedication of the Washington Monument, got overheated, then shocked his system by consuming large quantities of iced milk and cold cherries his internal organs began to shut down -- basically, he waterlogged himself to death William Henry Harrison "got too cold and died, " and Zachary Taylor "got too hot and died. ")

Compromise of 1850 California could not gain statehood because Congress was divided over the issue of slavery. Henry Clay devised a plan to compromise ◦ To please the North, California would be admitted as a free state, and the slave trade would be abolished in Washington, D. C. ◦ To please the South, Congress would not pass laws regarding slavery for the rest of the territories won from Mexico, and Congress would pass a stronger law to help slaveholders recapture runaway slaves called the Fugitive Slave Act Caused conflict by failing to resolve slavery issue

Fugitive Slave Act An 1850 law to help slaveholders recapture runaway slaves ◦ People accused of being fugitives could be held without an arrest warrant ◦ They had no right to a jury trial ◦ A federal commissioner ruled on each case ◦ The commissioner received 5 dollars for releasing the defendant and 10 dollars for turning the defendant over to a slaveholder Southerner felt justified because they considered slaves to be property Northerners resented the law because it placed fines on people who would not cooperate and jail terms on people who helped the fugitives escape Also, Southern slave catchers sometimes captured free African Americans

Election of 1852 Democrats nominate Franklin Pierce of New Hampshire ◦ Pleasant man who lacked force or decisiveness ◦ General during the War with Mexico Whigs nominate General Winfield Scott from Virginia ◦ Military hero who captured Mexico City Franklin Pierce won by a landslide ◦ Only President to win the popular majority between 1840 and 1864 With Pierce winning the Whig party begins to fall apart

1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published