The war with mexico Flashcards
Who was James Polk?
The 11th President of the United States, serving from 1845-1849
What is Manifest Destiny?
The belief that the United States was destined to stretch across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Who came up with the term Manifest Destiny?
A newspaper editor named John O’Sullivan.
What does manifest mean?
Clear or obvious
What does destiny mean?
Events sure to happen
Who occupied the Oregon Territory bewteen 1818 and 1846?
It was occupied jointly by the United States and Britain.
What happened to the Oregon Territory in 1846?
It was divided along the 49th parallel. This still serves as much of the border between the United States and Canada?
What happened after Texas was admitted as a slave state?
- Mexico stilled claim Texas as its own.
- Mexico viewed this annexation as an act of war.
- Texas and Mexico could not agree on official border between them.
What did Texas think was the border berween Texas and Mexico?
The Rio Grande, a river south of San Antonio
What did Mexico think was the border between Texas and Mexico?
Nueces River
What did Polk do to try to sttle the disputed boundary between Mexico and Texas?
He sent John Slidell to offer $25 million for Texas, California and New Mexico.
This offer was refused.
Polk then sent Zachary Taylor to station troops along the Rio Grande.
How did mexico respond to US troops being moved to the northern bank of the Rio Grande?
Mexico viewed this as an act of war and moved an army to the southern bank of the Rio Grande
Mexico ambushed an American patrol on April 25, 1846.
When did Congress declare war with Mexico?
April 27, 1846, two days after Mexico ambushed US troops
How did Americans react to Polk’s declaration of war with Mexico?
- Northerners questioned the justice of men dying in such a war
- Abrahm Lincoln questioned the truthfulness of the president’s message and the need to declare war
- Southerns saw expansion into Texas as an opportunity to extend slavery and to increase their power in Congress.
Who was General Stephen Kearrny?
A US army officer who convinced Mexican troops that he meant to withdraw and was then able to take New Mexico without firing a shot.
What is the Bear Flag Revolt?
- In California, Americans led by John C. Fremont rebelled against Mexican rule.
- They arrested the Mexican commander of California and raised a crude flag with a grizzly bear.
- The rebels declared independence from Mexico and named it Republic of California
- In fall US troops reached CA and America quickly gained control of all of CA
How did The U S win the war with Mexico?
By invading from two directions. Fighting occurred in the north in Buena Vista and Near Mexico City (US troops entered from Gulf of Mexico)
What is the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
- It ended the Mexican war on February 2, 1848
2. Mexico recognized Texas was part of the United States and the Rio Grande was the border between The nations.
What is the Mexican Cession?
Mexico ceded, or gave up, the area including present day California, Nevada, and Utah. Parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming were also ceded.
What did Mexico get in return for the land ceded in the Mexican Cession?
- US agreed to pay Mexico $15 million
- US would pay $3.25 million of claims US citizens had against Mexico
- US promised to protect 80,000 Mexicans living in Texas and the Mexican Cession.
What was the Gadsden Purchase?
- In 1853, Mexico sold a strip of land that is now southern New Mexico and southern Arizona to the US for $10 million
Why did the US want the land purchased in the Gadsden Purchase?
For Southern Transcontinental Railroad
