THE WAR WITH MEXICO

TENSIONS RISE

• The American annexation of Texas in 1845 made tensions rise between Mexico and the U.S.
• President James k. Polk thought war with Mexico would bring Texas, California, and New Mexico to the union
• President Polk supported the idea that the Texas border should extend to the rio grande but Mexico insisted Texas border stop at Nueces River

ATTEMPT TO PURCHASE

• 1844 Santa Anna was expelled as President of Mexico
• 1845 Polk sent John Sidell to purchase New Mexico, California, and to make the Texas border extend to rio grande
• When Sidell arrived Mexican officials refused to let him through
• In retaliation Polk sent general Zachary Taylor to blockade the rio grande
• Mexicans viewed this as a violation of their rights

WAR

• Many people liked the idea of expanding land but were hesitant towards war
• The major debate about taking the land was about slavery and power

PUBLIC THOUGHTS ON WAR

• Many people liked the idea of war, many people quickly signed up to volunteer
• Many northerners opposed war and many anti slavery Whigs saw it as a way to expand slavery
• Southerners liked the idea because they thought it would expand slavery and increase the souths power in congress
• Wilmot Provosio proposed an amendment in 1846 that would prohibit slavery on land that was gained from Mexico

THOUGHTS CONTINUED

• James Russell saw the war as a national war crime
• John C. Calhoun stated that Mexico was the "forbidden fruit" that should not be eaten
• Many abolitionists also agreed with John and Russell

WAR BEGINS

• General Taylor positioned his soldiers at the rio grande from 1845-1846
• John C. Fremont led an exploration through Mexico's alta California Province
• These were violations of Mexico's territorial rights
• In response Mexico sent troops to Rio grande
• In a skirmish at Matamoros, Mexico 9 U.S. Soldiers were killed

WAR CONTINUED

• Polk then sent a letter to congress stating that “American blood upon American soil,” and that Mexico declared war
• President Lincoln questioned if Polk was being truthful
• Wether if it was truthful or not the house and senate passed a vote to go to war

THE MARCH

• 1846 Polk ordered colonel Stephen Kearny to March to fort Leavenworth, Kansas and then to Santa Fe New Mexico
• Kearny was given the nick name "the long marcher" because he marched 800 miles
• When he arrived in New Mexico many upper class Mexicans wanted to join the U.S.
• New Mexico fell to the United States without a battle
• Kearny then marched to Southern California

REPUBLIC OF CALIFORNIA

• By the 1830's about 12,000 Mexican settlers settled in California
• By the 1840's about 500 U.S. Settlers lived in California
• In 1845 Polk offered to buy California witch intrigued the Mexican government
• Fremont and a group of American settlers seized town of Sonoma in June 1846
• The rebels placed a flag with a grizzly bear on it and declared independence from Mexico

WAR IN MEXICO

• American troops in Mexico were winning battle after battle
• Mexico had superior numbers but were under poor leader ship
• The American invasion of Mexico lasted for a year
• The main leaders for the U.S. Were Zachary Tyler and Winfield Scott
• In 1846 Taylor attacked and captured Monterrey, Mexico

THE DEAL

• Santa Anna was in Cuba living in exile
• If Polk were to help Santa escape, Santa Anna promised to end the war and settle the border disputes
• Polk agreed to help to escape back to Mexico but when he did Anna resumed presidency
• In February 1847 Anna sent forces to attack Taylor's army at Buena Vista

THE DEAL CONTINUED

• Taylor's troops were able to push Anna's forces into the interior of Mexico
• General Scott's troops captured Veracruz in March
• Scott's troops also captured Mexico City on February 14, 1847
• Scott didn't lose a single battle

VICTORY FOR THE U.S.

• On February 2, 1848 the U.S. And Mexico signed the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• In this treaty Mexico agreed to make the rio grande the border for Texas
• Mexico also ceded New Mexico and California to the U.S.
• The U.S. Payed Mexico $15 million for the cession
• U.S. promised freedom of religion, protection of property, bilingual elections, and open borders in the states of California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming

FIVE YEARS LATER

• In 1853 president Franklin Pierce payed Mexico an additional $10 million for territory south of the Gila river
• The Gadsden Purchase established current borders of the lower 48 states

ELECTION OF 1848

• General Zachary Taylor won the election of 1848

GOLD RUSH

• In January 1848 John Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's mill in Sacramento valley California
• The news then travelled eastward and to San Francisco
• When people in San Fran heard about it manny people travelled to Sacramento Valley
• On my 29 an editorial said “resounds with the sordid cry of gold, GOLD, GOLD! while the field is left half-plowed, the house half-built, and everything neglected but the manufacture of shovels and pickaxes.”

GOLD CONTINUED

• On January 6, 1848 mayor Walt Colton sent a scout to see what was happening
• As the news got around more and more people migrated to California
• Population went from 400 people in 1848 to 44,000 in 1850
• The forty miners were prospectors who rushed to the gold rush in California in 1849
• These people were from Asia, Europe, and South America

IMPACT OF GOLD RUSH

• Because of the gold rush'a location it became a "pandemonium of a city"
• San Francisco's population went from 1,000 people in 1848 to 35,000 in 1850
• San Francisco's harbors were filled with ships and trade

DIVERSITY

• Because of the gold rush it caused a lot of diversity
• By 1849 California's population was over 100,000 people
• Many Chinese, African Americans, and Mexicans migrated to California
• In 1850 California became a state