1. What’s Going On?

2. Election of 1844
People in Oregon insisted that the United States should have sole ownership of the area
Significant issue in the 1844 presidential election
James K. Polk  Democratic Party
Henry Clay  Whig Party

3. Election of 1844 James K. Polk
Wanted to Annex Texas & Oregon Territory
Vowed to buy California from the Mexicans
Expanded the country
Keeping the balance of Northern & Southern States
Henry Clay
Realized that he would loose  Changed his stance to support annexation
Angered his supporters who threw their vote to a 3rd party candidate

4. Election of 1844

5. The Mexican American War 1846-1848
Mr. Polk’s War

6. Fifty-Four Forty or Fight
Polk believes “Fifty- Four Forty or Fight”
U.S. should control all of Oregon below the line of 54’ 40’ north latitude
Americans didn’t want to fight, neither did the British
British were fighting the Irish

7. Fifty-Four Forty or Fight
Negotiated The Oregon Treaty 1846
U.S. Receives all of Oregon South of 49’
The British get navigation rights on the Columbia River

8. Adding Texas add to notes
December 29, 1845
Texas became the 28th state in the Union
Greatly ticked off Mexico
Withdrew their ambassador from Washington
War is inevitable

9. Tensions With Mexico
U.S & Mexico are arguing over where the border of Texas should be
U.S.  Rio Grande
Mexico  Nueces River
Polk than sent an envoy to Mexico to try to purchase the California, New Mexico & resolve border issue
John Slidell
Mexican president refused to meet with him

10. Tensions With Mexico Polk “Make them come to us”
Went to the Rio Grande, blockade the river
Led by Zachary Taylor
Looks like an invasion of its territory
Polk wants Mexicans to fire the first shots
Mexico would look like the aggressor
Win support for the war in the US

11. To go to war, or not to? Southerners Northerners Good idea
Extend slavery
Increase southern power in Congress
Northerners
Not a good idea
Plot to expand slavery
Ensure Southern domination of the Union

12. To go to war, or not to?
May 9th, 1846 news broke that the Mexicans had attacked Taylor’s troops
Polk declared War
9 U.S. Soldiers are killed
“American blood has been shed on American Soil”

13. Tensions With Mexico Questioning the truthfulness of Polk’s claims
Abraham Lincoln “ whether our citizens, whose blood was shed, as in his message declared, were or were not, at the time, armed officers and soldiers, sent into that settlement by the military order of the President?”
Wanted a “Spot Resolution” certify the spot where the skirmish occurred
“Mr. Polk’s War”

14. War in New Mexico
Polk ordered Colonel Stephen Kearny to march from Kansas to Santa Fe, New Mexico
“The Long Marcher”  800 miles
Met in Santa Fe by a group of New Mexican soldiers that wanted to be part of the U.S.
New Mexico fell to the U.S. without a shot being fired
Heads to Southern California

15. The Republic of California
1800’s Spanish settlers had set up many missions in along California coast
Mexican government took control of missions
1830’s about 12,000 Mexican settlers had migrated to California
Small number of Americans lived there
500

16. The Republic of California
Polk offered to buy California
Mexicans found it offensive
Group of American settlers seized the town of Sonoma in June 1846
Declared their Independence from Mexico
Republic of California
Kearny arrived from New Mexico to help out settlers, also Navy arrived
Mexicans clearly out numbered gave up

17. The War in Mexico American invasion of Mexico lasted about a year
Captain Robert E. Lee, Captain Ulysses S. Grant, General Zachary Taylor
General Winfield Scott
“Old Fuss and Feathers”
Successful victories in Mexico

18. The War in Mexico Polk scheming to try to end the war
Wants to help Santa Anna sneak back into Mexico (been in exile), Santa Anna would end the war and fix border dispute
Santa Anna returns to Mexico, takes command of the army, attacks Taylor’s troops

19. The War in Mexico
However, Taylor’s troops too strong pushed Santa Anna back
At the same time, Scott’s troops captured Veracruz
Moved on to capital, Mexico City and won

20. America Gains The Spoils of War
Mexico lost more than half of its land and at least 25,000 lives
American lost 13,000 lives but territory grew by 1/3
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
February 2, 1848
Rio Grande border for Texas
U.S. Pays $15 million for New Mexico & California

21. American Gains the Spoils of War
5 Years later, President Pierce authorized the purchase of additional land from Mexico
Gadsden Purchase
The 1853 purchase by the United States of land from Mexico, establishing the present U.S.-Mexico boundary

22. Election of 1848 Democrats run Lewis Cass
Hesitant about the extension of slavery into new territories
Free- Soil Party runs Martin Van Buren
Supported a congressional prohibition on the extension of slavery in territories
Whigs run Zachary Taylor
War Hero

24. The California Gold Rush
January 1848 James Marshall found gold in the Sierra Nevada's in California
People left in droves to pan for gold
Left their houses, jobs, responsibilities
people v ,000 people
Forty-Niners
One of the people who migrated to California in search of riches after gold was discovered there in 1848

25. The California Gold Rush
By 1849 California’s population exceeded 100,000
Chinese were the largest group to come from overseas
Free blacks also came  A lot struck it rich
Mexican population increased as well