Western Expansion and the Mexican American War

How did the conflicts over the Oregon territory start?

Britain,Spain,Russia, and the US all laid claim to parts or all of it. The US’s claim was based on captain robert Gray’s expedition in which he named a river the Columbia which gave us the claim of the river and its tributaries.

What did John Quincy Adam’s do regarding Spain’s land claims?

He wanted America to stretch from the alantic to the pacific and used threats and diplomacy to get Spain to give up their land claims in the northwest through the transcontinental treaty.

What did the transcontinental treaty do?

Ended spains land claims in the northwest, defined the western borders of the Louisiana purchase, and determined that the southern borderline would be the 42nd Parallel and would extend across the Rockies to the pacific.

What did the Anglo-American convention do?

Since the northern boundary was left undefined after the transcontinental treaty, this convention between the us and Britain placed the border of British North America (Canada) along the 49th parallel from the Great Lakes to the Rockies, and opened all of the Oregon territory to citizens of either country. Under this treaty the question of dividing the region could be revisited every 10 years. Later Russia abandoned its claim south of the 54 degrees, 40 minutes parallel. (54-40)

What were the 4 trails as Americans pushed west.

The 4 trails were

the Santa Fe trail in the southwest

The overland trail to California

The Mormon trail to the great salt lake(later Utah, Mormons pushed west for religious freedom)

And the Oregon trail to the northwest.

Who was James K. Polk and his significance?

Polk narrowly won on his platform of national expansion. Polk tended towards confrontational diplomacy. And since Britain offered to split the Origen territory, along the line of the Columbia river while the US preferred the 49 th parallel boundary tensions grew. A British ambassador rejected polis offer to divide Oregon along the. 49th without informing his government. Polk wanted the whole territory north of the 54-49 line and Polk was authorized to end the agreement of 1818 and Americans began to push for war.

Why did neither the British or the American want to go to war with each other

The British saw little to no value in another war with its past colonies just to protect the Hudson Bay company. So they agreed to split the territory along the 49th parallel in exchange for free navigation along the Colombia for the Hudson Bay company. Despite Americans push for war they tensions in Mexico prevented them from pushing further

What caused the new settlers in Mexico?

Mexico following their independence from Spain wanted to attract new settlers in northern areas in order to create a buffer between it and the expanding western populations of the United States. But concerns over Anglo influence and American designed Texas produced friction between Mexican and American populations. Mexico wanted to quell tensions, outlawed slavery and required all new immigrants to convert to Catholicism, Americans ignored these requirements and in response Mexico closed their territory to new immigrants.

Who was general antonia Lopez de Santa Anna and his impact?

The internal conflict between federalists and centralists allowed for the political rise of Santa Anna. He governed as a dictator and repudiated the federalist constitution and pursued an authoritarian central control+crushed several revolts made by his coup. Texans apposed Santa Anna’s centralizing policies and issued a statement that emphazied their commitment to the previous constitution and declared Texas to be a separate state within Mexico. Mexicans rejected this and caused Texans to call for complete independence which sparked the Mexican revolution.

Describe Alamo and Goliad

Santa Anna crushed smaller rebel forced and massacred Texans, they pushed Texans deeper into east Texas and caused many to flee which was know as the “runaway scrape”

Describe the battle of San Jacinto

Santa Anna’s failure to make adequate defense prep led to the surprise attack of the Texan army at the battle of San Jacinto led by Sam Houston. The battle lasted only 18 minutes and resulted in a decisive Texas victory. They continued killing Mexican troops as retaliation. Santa Anna was captured in the aftermath and forced to sign the treaty of velasco.

What was the treaty of velasco?

Santa Ana was forced to sign it and it stated that he agreed to withdraw his army from Texas and acknowledged Texas independence. Although the New Mexican government never acknowledged the republic of Texas, the United States and several other nations gave the country diplomatic recognition.

What were the worries around adding Texas as a new state?

American politicians feared adding Texas to the union would provoke a war with Mexico and reignite sectional tensions by throwing off balance between free and slave states.

How and who pushed for Texas’s statehood?

President John Tyler opened annexation to national debate as a key to saving his political career. Harnessing public outcry, James k. Polk rose from virtual obscurity to win the presidential election and campaigned on westward expansion. In Tyler’s final days as president he offered Texas statehood in which they accepted on July 4th.

What was the cause of real tension between the us and Mexico?

While Mexico was outraged by Texas’s statehood, the more important point of conflict was the narrow strip of land in which both countries had claim in. Mexico drew the southwestern border of Texas to the nieces, Texans claimed the border lay further west to the rio grande. Neither claim was realistic. The nieces strip was controlled by natives.

What furthered tensions between Mexico and the us?

Jame k Polk send John Slidell to Mexico City to negotiate the purchase of provinces of Alta California and Santa Fe Nuevo Mexico secretly under the pretense of compensating Mexico for Texas. Upon Mexico finding out about this they refused to receive the diplomat. In order to put pressure on the Mexican government to accept him and to defend the Texas border Polk order Zachary Taylor with a small military to the north bank of the rio grande.

What was the Thornton affair and how did it further the us and Mexican tensions into a full blown conflict?

The Thornton affair was a patrol under captain seth throton that encountered a forced of 2,000 Mexican solders; 11 Americans were killed and the rest captured. One wounded man realeased reported the news of the skirmish. Polk received word of the conflict and used it to give more solid footings to his declaration of war on Mexico in his address to congress.

What were the opposition to the Mexican war?

Some opposed the war on grounds that the war should not be used to expand the US territory and some though Polk wanted to expand slavery and strengthen the influence of slave owners in the federal goverment.

Describe Americans early success in the war

Their success was sift on the battle field. General Stephen w Kearny captured New Mexico and with no opposition captured Santa Fe. California took longer as the big bear flag revolt against Mexican garrison in Sonoma, without knowing of the declaration of war created armed resistance to Californios.

How did the ex president Santa Anna use the Mexican American war to his benefit?

The Mexican government was in turmoil due to the Americans swift victories, and Santa Ana a who was in self imposed exile in Cuba promised the us that he would negotiate a peaceful end to the war and sell New Mexico and California if they gave him safe passage through the us blockade. One in Mexico City he seized the presidency and didn’t uphold the agreement.

How did polis reaction to Santa Anna and Taylor’s victory cause Anna’s defeat?

Polk upset by Anna’s betrayal and Taylor’s political potential following his successor negotiation began to shift Taylor’s men to other commanders like Scott’s invasion of Mexico City, when Santa Anna learned of the us plans and moved to defeat Taylor and then attack Scott, Taylor with volunteers defeated Santa’s forces and Santa Anna began the long march back to Mexico City.

What did the treaty of gaudulupe Hidalgo do?

Following Scott’s forces capture of Veracruz and campaign to Mexico City in which they captured and occupied. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in which Mexico renounced all rights to Texas and set the permanent border at the rio grande and ceded the land that is now California, Utah, and Nevada as well as parts of Arizona, new mixco , Wyoming, and Colorado for 15 million.

James Gadsden

American minister in Mexico, arranged for the purchase of what is now southern Arizona and New Mexico for an additional $15 million.

What was the impact of the American Mexican war?

The American victory helped set up the US as a world power and elevated Zachary Taylor to the presidency and served as a training ground for many civil wars future commanders. Mexico lost roughly half its territory. The conflict over wether or not to extend slavery to the new territory it’s pushed the nation closer to disunion and civil war.

What were the threats of expansion in California?

While native attacks were over dramatized, the more often threats were slow progress, disease, human and oxen starvation, poor trails, terrible geographic preparations, lack of guidebooks, threatening wildlife, weather, and general confusion. Despite this there were around 20,000 Americans living west of the Rockies.

What drew people farther west?

The untamed lands of the west, the romantic vision of life west of the Mississippi, individualism.

What were the driving forces of manifest destiny?

Slave based agricultures, and religious people, the military. (War with Mexico and American Indians,) and political focus ( the expansion for slavery, the compromise of 1850) the major shift to full manifest destiny came in the form of the discovery of gold in California.

What caused oopulations to rise in California?

The discovery of gold caused land hungry and money driven individuals to settle there and the rapid growth of towns and cities notably San Francisco grew populations. The individual success potential put a positive economic spin on manifest destiny. But the lawlessness, failure of fortune seekers, and conflicts with native populations and the explosion of slavery were the downsides of manifest destiny. The lure of gold also attracted foreign settlers.

Why was westward migration encouraged

Individual economic motivations and national defense necessity. The discover of gold did much to solve both of these issues as the worries of intergrating California were dwellled as populations poured in.

What did California call for following rising populations

A transcontinental railroad to provide service for passengers and goods from the Midwest to the east coast. The potential economic benefits for communities along proposed railroads made the debate over the railroads route overlap with the growing dissent around the slavery issue.

Who were the people that came due to the gold rush?

The people already in california, people from Oregon,Mexico,chile,Peru, and the pacific islands. (Fortyniners)…Australia, new zealot, china, and other parts of Asia, and some of Europe.