Mexican American War

1. Mexican American War

2. Causes • Strained relations with Mexico after U.S. involvement with Texas and California • Border disputed between Mexico and southern Texas • Was it the Nueces River or the Rio Grande? • 1845 Polk told Z. Taylor to take the army into the disputed territory • Pres. Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico to settle disputed territory • Mexico Refused to negotiate

4. War Starts • 1846 Gen Z. Taylor leads troops to the Rio Grande River and made camp directly across the river from the Mexican Army. • Taylor and the American Army are asked to withdraw from Mexican Territory • Taylor refused and the two sides fought. • 2 days later U.S. Congress declares war on Mexico

5. War Statistics • U.S. had better weapons and equipment, but were outnumbered • Call for American volunteers and many (200,000) came out looking for adventure • Many supported the war • Whigs – thought it was unjustified and avoidable • Abolitionists thought it would extend slavery

6. War • Americans are winning battles successfully and gaining control of territory that belonged to Mexico • U.S. won the Battle of Nueces River • Gen. Stephen Kearny captured Santa Fe for the U.S.

7. Bear Flag Revolt – War within a War • 1846 A small number of Americans were living in California (500 to 12,000) • Americans seized control of the town of Sonoma and stole from the Mexican military • Americans declared California to be an independent nation • General Fremont led the nearby portion of the American army to the defense of Sonoma • 1847 with the support of the American Navy many of California’s coastal cites came under American control

8. Ending the War • General Taylor received his re-enforcements and marched further into Mexico • Buena Vista • February 1847 • Heavy casualties • Mexican Army Retreated • Taylor = war hero

9. Veracruz • March 29, 1847 • General Winfield Scott • Fort fell after 88 hours of artillery attack by U.S. • August 1847 American troops were on the edge of Mexico City • Fierce fighting in Mexico City • Mexico City fell to Americans on September 14, 1847 and Santa Anna fled.

10. American Settlement in the Mexican Cession • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – officially ended the war and forced Mexico to turn over much of its northern territory to the U.S. • California, Nevada, and Utah, Most of Arizona and New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas • U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for the territory, and paid $3 million in claims owed to Americans by the Mexican government.

11. Gadsden Purchase – U.S. government paid Mexico $10 million in exchange the U.S. received the southern parts of what are now Arizona and New Mexico • In order to build a railroad connecting California to Texas

12. After the War many Americans moved to settle the southwest • Many Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans faced discrimination from the new comers • Disputes over property • Many disputes over water rights because of the dry climate and the need for farming • Good of community over individual