Good afternoon! Have out a piece of paper to take notes/ write on

Essay test moved to next Friday 11/14 Small change to reading calendar (a few more changes to come!) Agenda Image analysis: Manifest Destiny Defining manifest destiny Mini lecture: context for Mexican American war Was the Mexican American war a Just War? Objectives Students will be able to define manifest destiny Students will be able to evaluate the justifiability of the Mexican American war

What do you see in this painting? The floating white woman is heading west. What do you think she represents? How is this symbolized in the painting?

John Gast, “American Progress,” 1872

Manifest Destiny “American Progress” was widely distributed as a small poster. It was commissioned by George Crofutt, publisher of a fashionable western travel guide series. How does this change how we think about the source? Manifest= clear or obvious Destiny= future or fate Manifest Destiny was the popular idea that America was destined to expand across the entirety of the North American continent. Purple mountains majesty…. “God bless America”: many Americans began to believe that they had a god given right and obligation to expand

Map of the United States, 1872

Contemporary Map of the 1816 United States

John Melish, Map of the United States with the contiguous British and Spanish Possessions,1816 Why did Melish chose to draw the map this way?

10 Melish’s comments on his 1816 map of the United States How does John Melish justify drawing the map as if the country stretches from sea to sea? “To present the country this way was desirable... The map shows at a glance the whole extent of the United States territory from sea to sea. In tracing the probable expansion of the human race from east to west, the mind finds an agreeable resting place on its western limits. The view is complete and leaves nothing to be wished for. It also adds to the beauty and symmetry of the map.” Source: John Melish. Map of the United States with the contiguous British and Spanish Possessions. Philadelphia, 1816.

Texas The area that would become the state of Texas was originally part of Mexico In 1836, after a war for independence, the Republic of Texas gains independence from Mexico Why might the territory that would become Texas be a source of national and international controversy?

Disputed Land The war for Texas Independence ended with the signing of the Treaties of Velasco in Signed by Mexican General Antonio Lopez Santa Anna while he was prisoner in Texas, the treaties claim the Rio Grande del Norte River as the boundary between the Texas and Mexico. Mexico however, never ratified the treaties and continued to recognize the former border, the Nueces River. The map shows the disputed territory in grey

James K Polk Elected as president in 1846 The “Manifest Destiny” president By the end of his presidency, Polk adds 1.5 million square miles of territory to the US, an increase of nearly 70%

The Mexican American War War breaks out between Mexico and America in The question we need to figure out today is why this war starts. Three documents to answer the question: was the Mexican- American war a just war? Just War (Bellum Iustum): “War must be fought with the right intention, and occur for a good and just purpose rather than for self-gain. Peace must be a central motive even in the midst of violence.”—St. Thomas Aquinas – Not fought for selfish reasons – Fought for some higher purpose – Fought to maintain peace in the future – Last resort after other alternatives have failed

Discuss How does Manifest Destiny relate to the question of the Mexican American war being a Just War? Slavery and sectionalism

Essay Prompt: What are your 4 steps of essay writing? 1.Understand the prompt (mark the historical thinking skill, the subject, AND the date range) 2.Brainstorm evidence and examples  what do you know about this topic? 3.Look over your evidence and form a preliminary thesis statement that fully answers the prompt, takes a position, and may include organizational categories (previewing body paragraphs) 4.Finalize thesis by rechecking the prompt Practice Prompt: “The Mexican American war was a just conflict.” Support, modify, or refute this statement.