Unit 4 Part 4 1820 1861 The War

Unit 4 Part 4 1820 -1861 The War with Mexico and Sectionalism

Background to Mexican. American War n Natives in California had staged four separate rebellions against the disorganized government of Mexico n Britain and France were lusting after harbors n Polk tried invoking the Monroe Doctrine against Brits and French…they were not impressed

Background to the Mexican. American War Polk tried to buy California from Mexico not interested in selling n Polk got creative… n He will end up handling the details of the war himself (he had good military sense) after he started the war… n

The Boundary n The boundary between Texas (now part of the U. S. ) and Mexico had not been established formally (by a treaty) n The United States believed that the boundary was the Rio Grande n But Mexico believed it to be the Nunces River (north and parallel to the Rio Grande)

The War n Polk KNEW that Mexico believed that the Nunces River was the boundary but he sent American troops to line up along the Rio Grande BETWEEN the two rivers n Mexico believed that the U. S. had invaded its territory (Polk knew that they would) n April 1846 Mexico crossed the Rio Grande and attacked!

Polk ran screaming like a girl to Congress n Polk claimed that the Mexicans crossed the river and attacked U. S. and that it was an unprovoked act of war n May 1846 Congress declared war on Mexico n Will end with the Treaty of Guadalupe. Hidalgo in 1848

The Mexican-American War n It was a quick war BUT proportionally had the highest (proportional) death rate of any U. S. war in history: 104, 556 fought n 13, 768 died n

The Important Generals Were both Whigs n Polk couldn’t find a better Democrat to take charge so he sent spies to their camps n Zackary Taylor (Old Rough and Ready) n Winfield Scott (Old Fuss and Feathers) n n All important military figures of the Civil War were here.

Opposition to the War Many saw it as an immoral land grab n (Maybe because it was) n Lincoln spoke out against it (who was HE? ) n The Whigs were against it but were outnumbered n The Transcendentalists were against it n

The Army Congress did not enlarge or improve the army until after this war n Most U. S. troops were volunteers (undisciplined) n n Officers from West Point (established in 1778) n Mexico had a big war budget but Generals were corrupt and soldiers undersupplied

The War n 1847 troops commanded by Winfield Scott captured Mexico City n Many in the U. S. urged the annexation of ALL of Mexico n We only took 1/2

1848 The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo U. S. gained California, New Mexico Territory n Boundary between Texas and Mexico: the Rio Grande n U. S. promised to assume claims that American citizens had against Mexico ($3, 250, 000) n U. S gave $15, 000 to Mexico (Polk angry at American Diplomat: Trist) n

New land means more fights over slavery in the territories n The slavery issue was put aside with the Gag rule in Congress and the Missouri Compromise n In 1846…the year the war started…Americans just assumed that we would win and that we would get more land…we did. n The Wilmot Proviso (1846) broke the Gag rule and created 4 years of heated debates in congress

The Wilmot Proviso n David Wilmot (Penn) suggested that all land that the U. S. would get from Mexico should be free of slavery n Naturally, the South objected n Passed in the House Caused a four-year debate in the Senate n

The South n Tried to organize against Oregon’s statehood (was going to be a free state) n Calhoun: insisted that slavery should be protected in federal territories n Polk suggested extending the 36 -30 line n Folks started to bring pistols to the Senate!

Election of 1848 n n Whigs: Zachary Taylor (slave owner) 163 Hero of the Mexican War Democrats: Lewis Cass (Michigan) Popular Sovereignty: People who live in a territory should decide if it would be slave or free

Election 1848 n Both parties avoided the Slavery issue n The Free-Soil Party (3 rd Party): Van Buren: Was made up of the Liberty Party and anti-slavery wings of the Whig and Democratic Parties. Van Buren took 10% of the popular vote n

1848 California Gold Rush n January 1848 James Marshall found traces of gold at Sutter’s Mill n Word Spread Population exploded from 14, 000 in 1848 to 220, 000 in 1852 n n n The 49 ers left their jobs to find their fortune Caused labor shortages elsewhere filled by

The Native Americans n n n Indian Hunters Native American population declined from 150, 000 to 30, 000 between 1850 and 1870 Mining Camps: Rooms (one night!) $1, 000 One dozen eggs…$10. 00

Zackary Taylor n Without consulting Congress, Taylor urged California and New Mexico to draw up contstitution n They did …both banned slavery n South even more furious

Trouble n 1849 California applied for statehood (as a free state) n Huge debate in congress…weapons were carried Protestant churches split over slavery Every Northern state legislature but one passed resolutions in support of the Wilmot Proviso n n

Heavens to Betsy! What Shall We Do? n n Henry Clay to the Rescue (My Hero! Swoon) aka the Great Compromiser Came up with the Compromise of 1850: dealt with the land from Mexico and boundary dispute between Texas and NM Territory DO NOT mix this up with the Compromise of 1820 (aka the Missouri Compromise):

The Compromise of 1850 n n n California should be admitted as a free state All other land from Mexico should be organized without restrictions on slavery A new and improved Fugitive Slave Law The Slave TRADE (not slavery) should end in Washington D. C. Texas should yield land involved in a boundary dispute with New Mexico territory and the Federal Government would pay off the Texas state debt

The Compromise of 1850 n Many Southerners supported it because of the New Fugitive Slave Law n Webster was attacked by New England abolitionists for supporting the Compromise of 1850 BECAUSE of the Fugitive Slave Law. They thought he was a traitor n Remember : the Whigs were willing to compromise on slavery…that is why the Liberty and (later) the Free Soil Parties stole votes from Whigs (who would not take a stand against

In the Meantime n Taylor did not favor the compromise while his VP (Fillmore) did. n Taylor died suddenly (and mysteriously) and the different parts of the Compromise of 1850 became law

Also n The Great Triumvirate: Clay, Calhoun, and Webster were old as dirt and failing in health n Three New Rising Stars helped to push the compromise through: William Seward (New York) Stephen Douglass (Illinois) Jefferson Davis (Mississippi) n n n

The New Fugitive Slave Act n Remember …The South supported the compromise because of the new FSA n It said the same thing as the old one (all citizens must aid in the capture and return of runaway slaves) but the new one had stiffer fines and penalties for non-compliance n The South decided to give the North another chance on this issue….

But then… n The North proved that they could not be trusted n Many Northern states passed Personal Liberty Laws: Citizens could not be compelled to follow the FSA n The South was bitter The above was proof that the North could n

Think About It n The South was forced to follow Federal Law (the tariff) even though it caused them hardship but the North seemed to be able to pick and choose n There WAS a double standard n The FSA was the only reason the South agreed to the compromise

A Question… n How did territorial expansion impact American unity to 1860? n Think…How was the “Slavery in the Territories” problem dealt with after the Louisiana Purchase? n Think…How was the “Slavery in the Territories” issue dealt with after the U. S. gained land from Mexico?

If we needed to compromise… n Doesn’t that mean adding land caused conflict and DISunity?