WAR WITH MEXICO

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WAR WITH MEXICO
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DO NOW Map-pg. 495 (5min)

• Label
• Mexico
• U.S.
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Rio Grande
• Nueces
• Texas

• Label battles
• Mexico City
• Cerro Gordo
• Monterrey
• Bear Flag Revolt
• Shade in the area claimed by both U.S. and Mexico

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Californias Spanish Culture

• CA was settled and populated by diverse cultures
• Explorers and missionaries were first Europeans
  in CA (El Camino Real)
• After Mexican independence, missions were
  abolished
• Land went to some Natives and the rest was sold
  to Mexican settlers (Rancheros)
• At first, Mexico welcomed Americans, like John
  Sutter

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WAR WITH MEXICO

• Strained relations between the U.S. and Mexico
  resulted in war
• Mexico refused to sell CA and NM to Polk (2x)
• Polk plots to pull Mexico into war (wants them to
  strike first)
• 2 Major Issues Texas and the border (Rio Grande
  or Nueces)150 mile difference
• Polk sent Slidell to offer 30M in return for
  acceptance of Rio Grande as boundary

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HOW DID CONFLICT BEGIN?

• Mexican officials refused to meet with Slidell
  and started plans to reclaim TX
• Polk ordered Gen. Taylor across Nueces River into
  disputed border area
• Mexican soldiers attacked and Polk had his war

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How Was News of the War Received?

• The war with Mexico divided America
• Democrats (Polks party) supported it
• Whigs believed war was aggressive and unjust
• Northerners accused Democrats of waging war to
  spread slavery
• Anti-War (Lincoln, Thoreau, Douglass)

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POLKS WAR PLAN

• Polk planned for American forces to drive Mexico
  out of disputed territory in Texas
• Plan was to move into NM and CA
• Mexico City, the capital, was the target