3.  Following Battle of San Jacinto (April 1836), a captured Santa Anna trades Texas independence for his liberty  1838, President Sam Houston invites US to annex Texas › Texans likes the idea (why?) › Northerners are hesitant (why?)  After James K. Polk is elected President, he quickly moves to annex (why?)  How do you suppose Mexico reacts?

4.  Mexico experiencing some instability › Polk sees great opportunity to expand – not only Texas, but also New Mexico and California  Polk sends representative to buy California and New Mexico, settle Texas border, but Mexican officials refuse to meet with him › Polk then sends Gen. Zachary Taylor to blockade the Rio Grande

5. Southerners Northerners  Many support annexation/war  Addition of slave-holding Texas adds pro-slavery seats in government  Oppose upsetting balance of slave/non- slave states  Feel South is trying to dominate the Union Both Sides see pending war as a debate on slavery in America

6.  American soldiers launch exploration into Mexico, Mexico has had enough – skirmish with Z. Taylor near Rio Grande › Congress recognizes war with Mexico by huge margins  Stephen Kearney leads soldiers to New Mexico › New Mexico joins U.S. without conflict › Continues to Cali, joins forces with some American settlers and drive Mexican soldiers out of self-proclaimed Republic of California

7.  U.S. has many successes in Mexico itself › Much better leadership (Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, etc.)  Victory! Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo › Mexico gives up present-day CA, NV, NM, UT, AZ, CO, WY (basically entire SW of modern America) for $15 million  Small piece of Arizona purchased in 1853 (Gadsden Purchase)

8.  Gold discovered in California › People drop everything to pan for gold › Migration to California increases from 400 in 1848 to 44,000 in 1850  So-called “’49ers”  San Francisco becomes “pandemonium of a city”  Much Diversity also comes to California › Large influx of Chinese migrants › Many free blacks seek/find fortune