Conflict with MexicoPAGES 454-459

Objectives

Explain how Texas became independent from Mexico

Discuss the issues involved in annexing Texas and Oregon

Summarize the main events in the Mexican-American War

Explain how the United States achieved Manifest Destiny

Focus Question

What were the causes and effects of the Texas War for Independence and the Mexican-American War?

Stephen Austin 1820: The Spanish governor of Texas

gave Moses Austin a land grant to establish a small colony After Moses died, his son, Stephen

Austin, led a group of 300+ Americans into Texas

Not long after, Mexico won independence from Spain

The Mexican government honored Austin’s claim to the land In return, Austin and his colonist

agreed to become Mexican citizens

They agreed to worship in the Roman Catholic Church

Growing Conflict

Thousands of Americans came to Texas

Came into conflict with the Mexican government New settlers were Protestant,

not Catholic

Many settlers were slaveholders from the American South who wanted to grow cotton in Texas

Mexico, however, had abolished slavery

2012 STATS

Growing Conflict cont’d For awhile, Mexico tolerated

the violations of its law

1830: Mexico banned further American settlement in Texas Still, Americans kept arriving

in Texas

Tensions increased Mexico tried to enforce its

laws banning slavery and requiring settlers to worship the Catholic Church

Mexico began to put heavy taxes on American imports

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

Americans wanted more representation in the Mexican legislature Tejanos (Texans of Mexican

decent) also wanted the central government to have less power

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna Santa Anna wanted a strong

central government, with himself as the head

Soon started a dictatorship

Revolt Against the Mexican Government 1836: Austin urged Texan

revolt against the Mexican government

Texans declared independence from Mexico and created the Republic of Texas

Texans at War

Santa Anna responded with force

His troops laid siege to the Alamo, a mission in San Antonio

What is a siege?

An attack in which one force surrounds a city or force

The Alamo

Defenders of the Alamo held out for 12 days under heavy cannon fire

Finally, Mexican forces overran the Alamo

All defenders were either killed in battle or executed afterward

Inspired by the bravery of the Alamo defenders, many joined the Texan army

“Remember the Alamo!”

Commander of Texan forces: Sam Houston Led a small army in a surprise

attack against Santa Anna’s army in San Jacinto

Texans shouted, “Remember the Alamo!” and within minutes, the Texans captured Santa Anna

Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty recognizing Texan independence

Checkpoint

What were the conflicts between Mexicans and new settlers in Texas?

Mexico forbade slavery

Mexico was a Catholic country

Mexico taxed American imports heavily

Republic of Texas

Sam Houston became president of the Republic of Texas

Public opinion in the United States was divided: Southerners supported the

annexation of Texas as a slave state

Northerners opposed this

Presidents Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren refused to support annexation both feared adding a slave state

might spark a huge political fight that could split the Union

Election of 1844

President John Tyler favored annexation of Texas, but he was not nominated for a 2nd term Whigs chose Henry Clay instead

Clay hoped to avoid annexation

The Democrats chose James K. Polk Polk wanted the annexation of both

Texas and Oregon

Polk was the candidate for expansion, and he won the election

Annexation

1845: Congress voted for admission of Texas as a state

Polk negotiated a treaty with Britain to divide Oregon

Eventually, this territory became the states of Washington, Oregon, and part of Idaho

Checkpoint

How was the annexation of Texas linked to Oregon?

The balance of slave and free states was maintained

Tensions with Mexico

The annexation increased tensions with Mexico

Mexico had never formally recognized Texan independence

The Mexican-American War

Polk first offered cash to the Mexican government for Texas, California, and New Mexico Mexico was outraged and

refused the offer

Polk changed tactics: Hoped to provoke a Mexican

attack on the U.S., so he sent General Zachary Taylor to the disputed land south of the Nueces River

The Mexican-American War

Mexicans saw Taylor’s occupation as an act of war Mexican troops ambushed an

American patrol on the disputed land

Polk as Congress for a declaration of war claimed Mexico had forced

this war by shedding “American blood upon American soil”

Opposition to War War with Mexico was

generally very popular among Americans Support was strongest among

the southerners and westerners

Northerners argued that Polk had provoked the war Referred to it as “Mr. Polk’s

war” and claimed that he was trying to extend slavery

A member of the House of Representatives, Abraham Lincoln, pointed out the land under dispute wasn’t “American soil”

Your Opinion

Do you agree or disagree with Lincoln’s opinion that Taylor invaded Mexico, rather than Mexico invaded the United States? Explain your view.

Rebellion in California

Polk ordered troops under Stephen Kearny to invade and capture Santa Fe, New Mexico

Kearny then led his troops to California

Even before Kearny’s troops reached California, settlers near San Francisco had begun their own revolt

Rebellion in California

Settlers raised a grizzly bear flag and declared California an independent republic

John C. Fremont took command of the Bear Flag Rebellion

With the help of Kearny’s troops, all of southern California was under American control by 1847

Invasion of Mexico

General Taylor captured Mexican city of Monterrey

General Kearny’s troops captured Santa Fe and San Diego

General Winfield Scott captured Veracruz, and important Mexican port

Scott then marched to Mexico City (capital), but Santa Anna still did not surrender

Winfield Scott

Chapultepec

Chapultepec = a stone palace above Mexico City

Mexicans fought bravely to defend the palace Most Mexicans were killed; in

Mexico, these young men are still honored for their patriotism

Santa Anna left Mexico city The Mexican capital was in

American hands and the U.S. had won the war

Achieving Manifest Destiny Polk sent Nicholas Trist to help

General Scott to negotiate a treaty with Mexico Trist negotiated the Treaty of

Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

Under the treaty: Mexico recognized the annexation of

Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, as well as parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico

In return, the U.S. paid Mexico $18 million

Manifest Destiny had been achieved

Nicholas Trist

Checkpoint

How did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo help the United States to achieve Manifest Destiny?

The United States now stretched to both coasts

Focus Question Re-visited

What were the causes and effects of the Texas War for independence and the Mexican-American War?

American settlement; the United States expanding