• In 1845 relations between the United States and Mexico reached a new low

• James K. Polk (1845-1849) President of United States

• James K. Polk, a strong expansionist from Tennessee,

• US Congress voted to annex Texas in March 1845, and many people felt it was a short time before war broke-out

• TEXAS ANNEXATION: (323-324)– Convinced that the United

States was destined to expand westward, many Americans believed that Texas should be added to the Union as soon as possible

– Others opposed annexation because Texas allowed slavery

– The issue quickly stirred debate in Congress

• TEXAS ANNEXATION: (323-324)– The debate over annexation

(232)• Supporters of annexation of Texas

feared Texas might become an ally of Great Britain if it were not admitted to the United States; Great Britain wanted Texas to serve as a source of cotton and market for British goods

• Opponents of annexation, however, feared that the admission of Texas would increase the slave states’ power in Texas – MORE SLAVE THAN FREE STATES

• TEXAS ANNEXATION: (323-324)– The debate over annexation (323)

• The Election of 1844:– James K. Polk (Democrat Party),

former governor of Tennessee, versus Henry Clay of Kentucky (Whig Party)

– Polk was considered a dark-horse candidate – had little chance of winning – but he ran an effective campaign

– Polk called for the annexation of Texas and the acquisition of more territory during his campaign

– In contrast, Clay attempted to sidestep the annexation controversy – did not take a side

– Polk won by a narrow margin– Despite the close victory, Polk

interpreted his victory as a public cry for annexation

• TEXAS ANNEXATION: (323-324)– Conflict with Mexico (324)

• Polk’s victory for President in 1844 increased tensions with Mexico

• Mexico said that if the United States tried to annex Texas it would be “equivalent to a declaration of war against Mexico

• Congress ignored this warning from Mexico and voted to admit Texas to the Union on March 3, 1845.

• Mexico responded by breaking diplomatic ties with the United States

• TEXAS ANNEXATION: (323-324)– Conflict with Mexico (324)

• Polk increased tensions with Mexico by demanding that Mexico recognize the Rio Grande as its northern border

• To back up his demand, Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to move into the disputed region

• TEXAS ANNEXATION: (323-324)– Conflict with Mexico (324)

• After receiving word that Mexico was willing to negotiate, Polk sent John Slidell, a Louisiana lawyer and politician, to Mexico in late 1845

• Slidell’s mission was to persuade Mexican officials to accept the Rio Grande boundary and to sell New Mexico and California to the United States

• When Mexican citizens learned of this, they reacted angrily

• The Mexican government refused to deal with John Slidell

• On May 9, 1846, Polk received the news he wanted: Mexican troops had crossed the Rio Grande and attacked a U.S. patrol

• United States now declares war on Mexico

• THE MEXICAN WAR: (324-326)– AGAINST THE WAR:

• Whigs and Northerners were critical of the Mexican War

• Congressman Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, introduced a series of “spot resolutions” in December 1847.

• Abraham Lincoln challenged the President to identify the spot on U.S. soil where American blood had been shed.

• If the site was indeed U.S. territory, Lincoln said, he would support the war; if not, he would oppose the war as unjustified.

• Some abolitionists charged that the “real goal” of Mr. Polk’s war, was to acquire more slave territory.

• Fredrick Douglass was against the War• Henry David Thoreau was against the war and

spent a night in jail because he would not pay taxes that might support the war. He wrote this in an essay called, “Civil Disobedience.”

• THE MEXICAN WAR: (324-326)– FOR THE WAR:

• Most Americans, particularly southerners and westerners who wanted Mexican land, supported the war

• Congress authorized the army to enlist 50,000 volunteers – most were young men eager for adventure

• THE MEXICAN WAR: (324-326)

– The Two Sides Clash (325)• General Zachary Taylor led his troops

into central Mexico, while other U.S. forces seized New Mexico and California

• Stephen Kearny – occupied Santa Fe and seized control of New Mexico

• Captain John C. Fremont, a U.S. army officer and explorer headed an expedition into California in 1845, and led the revolt

• On June 14 the settlers declared that California was an independent republic and raised a flag with the image of a grizzle bear painted on it

• The flag gave the uprising in California its name – THE BEAR FLAG REVOLT

• THE MEXICAN WAR: (324-326)

– THE SIEGE OF MEXICO CITY (326)

• The bold siege of Mexico City marked the final campaign of war in Mexico.

• Led by General Winfield Scott, some 10,000 U.S. soldiers.

• The Mexicans fought hard but Scott’s forces reached Mexico City

• THE TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO (326)– In February 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe

Hidalgo ended the War between Mexico and the United States

– Mexico gave up all claims to Texas and surrendered a vast territory known as Mexican Cession – This territory included the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming

– In return the United States agreed to pay Mexico $15 million and take over the payment of damages claimed by U.S. citizens against Mexico

– The United States also agreed to grant full citizenship to Mexicans living in the Mexican Cession

– Gadsden Purchase, orchestrated by U.S. diplomat James Gadsden, the Untied States secured additional land south of the Gila River for $10 million, acquiring parts of the present-day states of Arizona and New Mexico

• MEXICAN AMERICANS (327)– As a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe

Hidalgo, the United States gained some 80,000 Spanish-speaking citizens along with its new territory

– Many Americans looked down on the culture of Mexican Americans, with its blend of Spanish and American Indian influences.

– The resulting atmosphere of prejudice contributed to Mexican American rebellions in the Southwest

– Juan Cortina – a member of a prominent Tejano family in South Texas, headed one such rebellion

– U.S. troops eventually took control of the region, but Cortina continued his raids into the 1870s.