Chapter 12 Westward Expansion

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Chapter 12 Westward Expansion

• Section 3 War with Mexico

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New Mexico Territory

• New Mexico area between Texas and California
  Territories.
• Included- New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and
  parts of Wyoming and Colorado
• New Mexico Part of Mexico
• Mostly governed themselves.

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Santa Fe Trail

• Founded by William Becknell
• Left the Missouri River
• Crossed the Arkansas river, followed the Rocky
  Mountains before heading south into New Mexico.

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Californias Spanish Culture

• Spanish Explorers and Missionaries 1st Europeans
  to settle in California.
• 1820 21 missions- 20, 000 Native American
• 1833 Mexican government abolished missions
• Mexicans Settlers built ranchos.
• Ranchero- ranch owners

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California

• 1840s President James K. Polk twice tried to buy
  California and New Mexico from the Mexican
  government.
• California was provided access to the Pacific.

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War with Mexico

• President Polk plots to provoke war with Mexico.
• Rio Grande (US) vs. Nueces River (Mexico)
• Polk Orders General Zachary Taylor build a fort
  between rivers.
• April 24th Mexico attacks.
• May 11, 1846 U.S. declares War

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Attitudes Toward War

• Democrats- Support War (Polk)
• Whigs- Did not ( Abraham Lincoln)
• Northerners- Did not (Henry David Thoreau)
• Southerners- Supported War (Zachary Taylor)
• African Americans- Did Not (Fredrick Douglas)

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Polks Plan

• Three Part-
• Drive Mexican Troops past the Rio Grande River
• Completed By Zachary Taylor 1847
• U.S. seize New Mexico and California
• Completed by Stephen Kearny 1846
• Americans would capture Mexico City
• Completed by Winfield Scott 1847

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California

• June 1846
• Bear Flag Republic-
• Flag with Bear and a star on white background
• January 1847
• California controlled by U.S.

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Mexico City

• March 1847 Winfield Scott
• Captured Veracruz- 3 weeks
• Marched 300 miles to Mexico City
• Mexican Army
• Armed Citizens
• August 1847 Mexico government surrender

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Peace Treaty

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
• February 1848
• Mexico gave up Rio Grande, Mexican Cession
  ceded (gave) California and New Mexico
• U.S. paid 15 million
• 1853
• 10 Million Gadsden Purchase
• Present day Arizona and New Mexico

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