The Mexican-American The Mexican-American WarWar

1846-18481846-1848

TexasTexas

MexicoMexico

Mexican IndependenceMexican Independence● Texas/Mexico ruled by Spain 300+ years● Mexico gains independence from Spain

1821

● Mexican gov’t gives away land in Mexico to officials and ranchers

Texas Land GrantsTexas Land Grants• horse thieves and

Native Americans menaced Mexican settlers in Texas

• to solve the problem Mexican gov’t encourages Americans to settle in Texas (thinking Amer. Gov’t would intervene if American property was stolen)

• 1821; 1823; 1824 Mex. Gov’t sold large plots of land to Amer. Settlers for cheap in exchange for pledge to obey Mexican laws

Stephen AustinStephen Austin

Stephen AustinStephen Austin (con’t)(con’t)

Stephen Austin attracted 297 American families: became known as Texas Old Three Hundred

Americans established a colony in central Texas

Americans soon outnumbered Mexicans in Texas

Texas RevolutionTexas RevolutionCultural Differences in Texas:Cultural Differences in Texas:

• most Americans did not speak Spanish

• Most Americans in Texas wanted slavery

• 1829 Mexico outlawed slavery

• Mexicans wanted Americans in Texas to free their enslaved Africans: they refused

Texas Revolution (con’t)Texas Revolution (con’t)

1830 Mexico put heavy tax on importation of American goods

Over 1000 Americanfamilies

came per month

Americans ignored: 1830-1834 Americans

in Texas doubled

1830 Mexico sealed its borders:No more Americans

In Texas!

Stephen AustinStephen Austin and and Antonio Lopez de Santa Antonio Lopez de Santa AnaAna

• Austin • Santa Ana

1833 Stephen Austin meets with Mex. 1833 Stephen Austin meets with Mex. Pres Pres Antonio Lopez de Santa AnaAntonio Lopez de Santa Ana

• Santa Ana had Austin jailed for inciting revolution

• Santa Ana took power away from local gov’t in Texas

• 1835 Austin returns to Texas convinced war was only way for Americans to have self rule in Texas

Santa AnaSanta Ana (con’t) (con’t) • Santa Ana determined to have Americans

obey Texas laws

● marched a 4,000 troops to San Antonio, TX

● in response Austin called on Americans to arm

themselves

““Remember The Alamo!”Remember The Alamo!”● San Antonio, TX: Americans move troops

into a mission: The Alamo

● February 23-March 6, 1836 Santa Ana attacked rebels at the Alamo

● all 187 Americans killed

Texas Wins IndependenceTexas Wins Independence• Santa Ana executed 445

American rebels later in March 1836

• Alamo and those executions whipped Americans into a frenzy

March 2, 1836 Americans in

Texas declared their

independence from Mexico

Sam HoustonSam Houston

Sam HoustonSam Houston (con’t) (con’t)• Americans’ leader in Texas• led a group of 900 men in surprise attack of Santa

Ana’s troops near San Jacinto River six weeks after the Alamo

• killed 630 Mexican troops: captured Santa Ana

Treaty of VelascoTreaty of Velasco

• Texans only released Santa Ana after he signed treaty which granted independence to Texas

• Mexican gov’t refused to recognize forced treaty

• Great Britain and France did recognize: gave aid to Texans against Mexican gov’t

• July 1836 Sam Houston elected president of Texas

Texas Joins the UnionTexas Joins the Union● Most Texans wanted US to annex (take over) Texas

● Southerners wanted to add another slave state: Texas allowed slavery

● Northerners did not want to add another slave state

there was an even number of

slave states to free states

President President James PolkJames Polk

Election of 1844

James Polk (a slave owner) elected President of the US

Polk wanted US to annex Texas

to add another slave state

War With MexicoWar With Mexico

Mexico calls their ambassador back from Washington DC (pissed over Texas)

President Polk believed war with Mexico would allow US to take New Mexico, California, and Texas from Mexico

Texas and Mexico argued over borders

November 1845 US offered Mexico $25 million for CA, NM and to allow Texas to win its border dispute with Mexico

Mexico Refused

November 1845 President Polk sent Gen. Zachary Taylor to Texas to push Mexican troops south of the Rio Grande River (in TX)

Rio GrandeRio Grande

• Natural border between Mexico and Texas

Americans dividedAmericans divided

• Southerners wanted to add Texas as quickly as possible (another slave state)

● Northerners did not support war with Mexico for Texas

did not want to upset the slave-free state balance

The Mexican-American War BeginsThe Mexican-American War Begins● 1846 Gen. Taylor already in Mexico

● Gen. John C. Fremont led American

troops into California: violation of Mexico’s rights

Mexico Had Enough!!Mexico Had Enough!!

• Mexican troops cross the Rio Grande (Texas) kill 11 US troops

• 1846 U.S. Congress declares war on Mexico

many Northerners objected the war

The Bear Flag Republic 1846The Bear Flag Republic 1846

Bear Flag Republic (con’t)Bear Flag Republic (con’t)●June 1846 John C. Fremont led a group of American settlers in

siege of Sonoma, CA

● they proclaimed independence

from Mexico: they declared CA

the Bear Flag Republic

●US Navy arrived to provide support to the Americans in CA

● Mexican troops gave up on CA: returned to Mexico

General Winfield ScottGeneral Winfield Scott

General Winfield ScottGeneral Winfield Scott (con’t) (con’t)● (US) captured Mexico City September 14,

1846

●Mexican army was weak from fighting on

three fronts: TX, NM, CA

Conquest of Mexico City 1846Conquest of Mexico City 1846

Results of the WarResults of the War

• Mexico lost 50,000 troops

• Mexico lost half its land in the war

• America lost 13,000 troops

● America increased its land by 1/3 from the war

Treaty of Guadalupe HidalgoTreaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

● Mexico/America signed February 2,

1848

●Mexico agree to Rio Grande River as

southern border of Texas● Mexico gave America TX, NW, CA, NV,

UT, AZ, parts of Colorado, and Wyoming

●US gave Mexico $15 million

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (con’t)Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (con’t)

Gadsden Purchase 1853Gadsden Purchase 1853

• 1853 US gave Mexico $10 million more

• Mexico gave US southern portion of AZ

Gadsden Purchase (con’t)Gadsden Purchase (con’t)