  Strained relations with Mexico after U.S. involvement with Texas and California  Border disputed between Mexico and southern Texas  Was it the Nueces River or the Rio Grande?  1845 Polk told Z. Taylor to take the army into the disputed territory  Pres. Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico to settle disputed territory  Mexico Refused to negotiate Causes

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  1846 Gen Z. Taylor leads troops to the Rio Grande River and made camp directly across the river from the Mexican Army.  Taylor and the American Army are asked to withdraw from Mexican Territory  Taylor refused and the two sides fought.  2 days later U.S. Congress declares war on Mexico War Starts

  U.S. had better weapons and equipment, but were outnumbered  Call for American volunteers and many (200,000) came out looking for adventure  Many supported the war  Whigs – thought it was unjustified and avoidable  Abolitionists thought it would extend slavery War Statistics

  Americans are winning battles successfully and gaining control of territory that belonged to Mexico  U.S. won the Battle of Nueces River  Gen. Stephen Kearny captured Santa Fe for the U.S. War

  1846 A small number of Americans were living in California (500 to 12,000)  Americans seized control of the town of Sonoma and stole from the Mexican military  Americans declared California to be an independent nation  General Fremont led the nearby portion of the American army to the defense of Sonoma  1847 with the support of the American Navy many of California’s coastal cites came under American control Bear Flag Revolt – War within a War

  General Taylor received his re-enforcements and marched further into Mexico  Buena Vista  February 1847  Heavy casualties  Mexican Army Retreated  Taylor = war hero Ending the War

  Veracruz  March 29, 1847  General Winfield Scott  Fort fell after 88 hours of artillery attack by U.S.  August 1847 American troops were on the edge of Mexico City  Fierce fighting in Mexico City  Mexico City fell to Americans on September 14, 1847 and Santa Anna fled.

  Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo – officially ended the war and forced Mexico to turn over much of its northern territory to the U.S.  California, Nevada, and Utah, Most of Arizona and New Mexico, parts of Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas  U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for the territory, and paid $3 million in claims owed to Americans by the Mexican government. American Settlement in the Mexican Cession

  Gadsden Purchase – U.S. government paid Mexico $10 million in exchange the U.S. received the southern parts of what are now Arizona and New Mexico  In order to build a railroad connecting California to Texas

  After the War many Americans moved to settle the southwest  Many Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans faced discrimination from the new comers  Disputes over property  Many disputes over water rights because of the dry climate and the need for farming  Good of community over individual

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