The Mexican-American War

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The Mexican-American War

• 1846-148

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Texas
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Mexico
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Mexican Independence

• ? Texas/Mexico ruled by Spain 300 years
• ? Mexico gains independence from Spain 1821
• ? Mexican govt gives away land in Mexico to
• officials and ranchers

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Texas Land Grants

• to solve the problem Mexican govt encourages
  Americans to settle in Texas (thinking Amer.
  Govt would intervene if American property was
  stolen)

• horse thieves and Native Americans menaced
  Mexican settlers in Texas

• 1821 1823 1824 Mex. Govt sold large plots of
  land to Amer. Settlers for cheap in exchange for
  pledge to obey Mexican laws

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Stephen Austin
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Stephen Austin (cont)
Americans established a colony in central Texas
Americans soon outnumbered Mexicans in Texas
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Texas RevolutionCultural Differences in Texas

• most Americans did not speak Spanish

• Most Americans in Texas wanted slavery
• 1829 Mexico outlawed slavery
• Mexicans wanted Americans in Texas to free their
  enslaved Africans they refused

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Texas Revolution (cont)
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Stephen Austin and Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana

• Austin

• Santa Ana

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1833 Stephen Austin meets with Mex. Pres Antonio
Lopez de Santa Ana

• Santa Ana had Austin jailed for inciting
  revolution
• Santa Ana took power away from local govt in
  Texas
• 1835 Austin returns to Texas convinced war was
  only way for Americans to have self rule in Texas

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Santa Ana (cont)

• Santa Ana determined to have Americans obey Texas
  laws
• ? marched a 4,000 troops to San Antonio, TX
• ? in response Austin called on Americans to arm
  themselves

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Remember The Alamo!

• ? San Antonio, TX Americans move troops
• into a mission The Alamo
• ? February 23-March 6, 1836 Santa Ana attacked
  rebels at the Alamo
• ? all 187 Americans killed

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Texas Wins Independence

• Santa Ana executed 445 American rebels later in
  March 1836

• March 2, 1836 Americans in
• Texas declared their
• independence from Mexico

• Alamo and those executions whipped Americans into
  a frenzy

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Sam Houston
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Sam Houston (cont)

• Americans leader in Texas
• led a group of 900 men in surprise attack of
  Santa Anas troops near San Jacinto River six
  weeks after the Alamo
• killed 630 Mexican troops captured Santa Ana

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Treaty of Velasco

• Texans only released Santa Ana after he signed
  treaty which granted independence to Texas

• Mexican govt refused to recognize forced treaty

• July 1836 Sam Houston elected president of Texas

• Great Britain and France did recognize gave aid
  to Texans against Mexican govt

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Texas Joins the Union

• ? Most Texans wanted US to annex (take over)
  Texas
• ? Southerners wanted to add another slave state
  Texas allowed slavery
• ? Northerners did not want to add
  another slave state
• there was an even number of
  slave states to free states
  

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President James Polk
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(No Transcript)
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War With Mexico
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Rio Grande
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Americans divided

• Southerners wanted to add Texas as quickly as
  possible (another slave state)

• ? Northerners did not support war with Mexico for
  Texas
• did not want to upset the slave-free state
  balance

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The Mexican-American War Begins

• ? 1846 Gen. Taylor already in Mexico
• ? Gen. John C. Fremont led American
• troops into California violation of Mexicos
  rights

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Mexico Had Enough!!

• Mexican troops cross the Rio Grande (Texas) kill
  11 US troops
• 1846 U.S. Congress declares war on Mexico
• many Northerners objected the war

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The Bear Flag Republic 1846
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Bear Flag Republic (cont)

• ?June 1846 John C. Fremont led a group of
  American settlers in siege of Sonoma, CA
• ? they proclaimed independence
• from Mexico they declared CA
• the Bear Flag Republic
• ?US Navy arrived to provide support to
  the Americans in CA
• ? Mexican troops gave up on
  CA returned to Mexico

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General Winfield Scott
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General Winfield Scott (cont)

• ? (US) captured Mexico City September 14, 1846
• ?Mexican army was weak from fighting on
• three fronts TX, NM, CA

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Conquest of Mexico City 1846
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Results of the War

• Mexico lost 50,000 troops

• Mexico lost half its land in the war

• America lost 13,000 troops

• ? America increased its land by 1/3 from the war

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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• ? Mexico/America signed February 2,
• 1848
• ?Mexico agree to Rio Grande River as
• southern border of Texas
• ? Mexico gave America TX, NW, CA, NV,
• UT, AZ, parts of Colorado, and Wyoming
• ?US gave Mexico 15 million

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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (cont)
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Gadsden Purchase 1853

• 1853 US gave Mexico 10 million more

• Mexico gave US southern portion of AZ

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Gadsden Purchase (cont)