Texas, Oregon and the War with Mexico

Texas, Oregon and the War with Mexico

Texas Settlement Revolt and Independence General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna The Alamo Annexation Jackson and Van Buren Tyler

Maine Border dispute between rival lumber men Resulted in the Aroostook War (between the lumbermen) Lord Alexander Ashburton and Daniel Webster negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842) to settle the issue They split the disputed land, roughly in half Canada got land for a road connecting Halifax to Quebec The US got the iron-rich Mesabi range in Minnesota since this treaty also addressed a boundary dispute in the Great Lakes region

Oregon Claimed by 4 countries Great Britain Claimed by virtue of fur trade and 1000 settlers United States Claimed by virtue of John Jacob Astor s fur trade, exploration by Lewis and Clark (and others), and by over 5000 settlers Spain Relinquished claim to the US in 1819 Russia Not settled actual influence only in Alaska Dispute with Britain Not truly a boundary dispute but a dispute over who actually claimed the Oregon territory

Oregon Fever Protestant missionaries settled the Willamette Valley in the 1840s (right). Their success in farming led thousands of Americans to travel over 2000 miles across the Oregon Trail to settle this area south of the Columbia River

The Oregon Trail

Election of 1844 Democrats Main Contenders Martin Van Buren - Former president, led northern wing of party, opposed immediate annexation of Texas John C. Calhoun - Southern Senator, proslavery, and pro annexation The Dark Horse: James K. Polk (**song**) From Tennessee and a protégé of Andrew Jackson Committed to expansion and manifest destiny Annexation of Texas Reoccupation of ALL of Oregon 54 40 or Fight was his campaign rallying cry The acquisition of California from Mexico (purchase or otherwise) Whigs Henry Clay tried to straddle the issue of Texas, first against then later in favor of annexation Liberty Party James Birney drew the support of a large group of NY voters abandoned the Whigs (and their flip-flopping candidate). The loss of these voters allowed Polk to win NY and the election

Annex Texas Democratic victory was interpreted as a mandate to add Texas to the Union Outgoing President John Tyler annexed with a simple joint resolution of Congress (only needed a 50% majority not a 2/3 majority of the Senate like a treaty would) War with Mexico might be inevitable But Polk was left the problem of dealing with Mexican reaction

Divide Oregon Compromise reached with Britain over Oregon divided at the 49th parallel Compromise was necessary (despite the campaign promise of 54 40 or Fight ) because of impending war with Mexico US was unable to fight two major wars on different borders simultaneously

War with Mexico Polk s attempt to appease Mexico Sent John Slidell as a special envoy to Persuade Mexico to sell California and the New Mexico territories Settle a border dispute concerning the Mexico-Texas border Mexico refused to sell and insisted the border was the Nueces River The US insisted it was the Rio Grande River

Texas

Causes of the War Causes of the War General Zachary Taylor was sent to the disputed area to patrol The Mexican army crossed the Rio Grande on April 24, 1846 and captured an American army patrol (killing 11) American blood spilled on American soil Polk used the incident to send a pre-prepared war message to Congress Northern Whigs opposed (not believing the American soil claim) including A. Lincoln.

Campaigns **Most of the war would be fought in Mexican territory** Stephen Kearney With a small army (never over 1500), he took Santa Fe, the New Mexico Territory, and southern California John C. Fremont Backed by only a few dozen soldiers, a few naval officers and civilians recently settled in CA, in June of 1846, he overthrew Mexican rule in northern CA and proclaimed California to be an independent republic (like Texas) This independent republic of California would be nicknamed the Bear Flag Republic because of its flag

Campaigns Zachary Taylor His was a large army of some 6000 men and succeeded in driving the Mexican Army from Texas and across the Rio Grande In September, 1846, Taylor's army fought General Ampudia's forces for control of the northern Mexican city of Monterey in a bloody three-day battle. Following the capture of the city by the Americans, a temporary truce ensued which enabled both armies to recover from the exhausting Battle of Monterey. During this time, former President Santa Anna returned to Mexico from exile and raised and trained a new army of over 20,000 men to oppose the invaders. Despite the losses of huge tracts of land, and defeat in several major battles, the Mexican government refused to make peace.

Campaigns Winfield Scott On March 9, 1847, General Scott landed with an army of 12,000 men on the beaches near Veracruz, Mexico's most important eastern port city. From this point, from March to August, Scott and Santa Anna fought several bloody, hard-fought battles from the coast toward Mexico City. The more important battles of this campaign include the Battles of: Cerro Gordo (April 18), Contreras (August 20), Molino del Rey (September 8) and Chapultepec (September 13). Finally, on September 14, the American army entered Mexico City. Following the city's occupation, Santa Anna resigned the presidency but retained command of his army. He attempted to continue military operations, but his troops, refused to fight.

Ending the War Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (aka Mexican Cession) Texas border recognized at the Rio Grande California and New Mexico Territory purchased for $15 million plus the U.S. will assume damage claims by American citizens against the Mexican government in the amount of about $3 million (~$18 million total)

Ending the War Some Whigs opposed the treaty because they saw the war as an immoral effort to expand slavery. Some southern Democrats also disliked the treaty because they wanted the US to take all of Mexico (they were expansionists) But the treaty was eventually ratified as it was written

Ending the War Wilmot Proviso This was an amendment to a piece of legislation introduced into Congress in 1846 right after the start of the war Introduced by PA congressman David Wilmot It would forbid slavery in any of the new territories that would be acquired from Mexico Passed the House (twice) but was defeated in the Senate Illustrates the growing tensions between North and South