Texas, Oregon and the War with
Mexico
Texas
Settlement
Revolt and Independence
– General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
– The Alamo
Annexation
– Jackson and Van Buren
– Tyler
Maine
Border dispute between rival lumber men Resulted
in the Aroostook War (between the lumbermen)
Lord Alexander Ashburton and Daniel Webster
negotiated the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)
to settle the issue
– They split the disputed land, roughly in half
– Canada got land for a road connecting Halifax to
Quebec
– The US got the iron-rich Mesabi range in Minnesota
since this treaty also addressed a boundary dispute in
the Great Lakes region
Oregon
Claimed by 4 countries
– Great Britain
• Claimed by virtue of fur trade and 1000 settlers
– United States
• Claimed by virtue of John Jacob Astor’s fur trade, exploration by
Lewis and Clark (and others), and by over 5000 settlers
– Spain
• Relinquished claim to the US in 1819
– Russia
• Not settled – actual influence only in Alaska
Dispute with Britain
– Not truly a boundary dispute but a dispute over who actually
claimed the Oregon territory
Oregon Fever
Protestant missionaries
settled the Willamette
Valley in the 1840s
(right).
Their success in farming
led thousands of
Americans to travel over
2000 miles across the
Oregon Trail to settle this
area south of the
Columbia River
The Oregon Trail
Election of 1844
Democrats
– Main Contenders
• Martin Van Buren - Former president, led northern wing of party, opposed
immediate annexation of Texas
• John C. Calhoun - Southern Senator, proslavery, and pro annexation
– The Dark Horse: James K. Polk (**song**)
• From Tennessee and a protégé of Andrew Jackson
• Committed to expansion and manifest destiny
– Annexation of Texas
– Reoccupation of ALL of Oregon – “54°40’ or Fight” was his campaign rallying cry
– The acquisition of California from Mexico (purchase or otherwise)
Whigs
– Henry Clay – tried to straddle the issue of Texas, first against then later in
favor of annexation
Liberty Party
– James Birney drew the support of a large group of NY voters abandoned
the Whigs (and their flip-flopping candidate). The loss of these voters
allowed Polk to win NY and the election
Annex Texas
Democratic victory was interpreted as a mandate
to add Texas to the Union
Outgoing President John Tyler annexed with a
simple joint resolution of Congress (only needed a
50% majority not a 2/3 majority of the Senate like
a treaty would)
War with Mexico might be inevitable
– But Polk was left the problem of dealing with Mexican
reaction
Divide Oregon
Compromise reached with Britain over
Oregon
– divided at the 49th parallel
Compromise was necessary (despite the
campaign promise of “54°40’ or Fight”)
because of impending war with Mexico
US was unable to fight two major wars on
different borders simultaneously
War with Mexico
Polk’s attempt to appease Mexico
– Sent John Slidell as a special envoy to
• Persuade Mexico to sell California and the New
Mexico territories
• Settle a border dispute concerning the Mexico-Texas
border
– Mexico refused to sell and insisted the border
was the Nueces River
– The US insisted it was the Rio Grande River
Texas
Causes of the War
Causes of the War
– General Zachary Taylor was sent to the disputed area to
patrol
– The Mexican army crossed the Rio Grande on April 24,
1846 and captured an American army patrol (killing 11)
– “American blood spilled on American soil”
– Polk used the incident to send a pre-prepared war
message to Congress
– Northern Whigs opposed (not believing the American
soil claim) including A. Lincoln.
Campaigns
**Most of the war would be fought in Mexican
territory**
Stephen Kearney
– With a small army (never over 1500), he took Santa Fe,
the New Mexico Territory, and southern California
John C. Fremont
– Backed by only a few dozen soldiers, a few naval
officers and civilians recently settled in CA, in June of
1846, he overthrew Mexican rule in northern CA and
proclaimed California to be an independent republic
(like Texas)
– This independent republic of California would be
nicknamed the “Bear Flag Republic” because of its flag
Campaigns
Zachary Taylor
– His was a large army of some 6000 men and succeeded in driving
the Mexican Army from Texas and across the Rio Grande
– In September, 1846, Taylor's army fought General Ampudia's
forces for control of the northern Mexican city of Monterey in a
bloody three-day battle. Following the capture of the city by the
Americans, a temporary truce ensued which enabled both armies to
recover from the exhausting Battle of Monterey.
– During this time, former President Santa Anna returned to Mexico
from exile and raised and trained a new army of over 20,000 men
to oppose the invaders. Despite the losses of huge tracts of land,
and defeat in several major battles, the Mexican government
refused to make peace.
Campaigns
Winfield Scott
– On March 9, 1847, General Scott landed with an army
of 12,000 men on the beaches near Veracruz, Mexico's
most important eastern port city.
– From this point, from March to August, Scott and Santa
Anna fought several bloody, hard-fought battles from
the coast toward Mexico City. The more important
battles of this campaign include the Battles of: Cerro
Gordo (April 18), Contreras (August 20), Molino del
Rey (September 8) and Chapultepec (September 13).
– Finally, on September 14, the American army entered
Mexico City. Following the city's occupation, Santa
Anna resigned the presidency but retained command of
his army. He attempted to continue military operations,
but his troops, refused to fight.
Ending the War
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (aka Mexican
Cession)
– Texas border recognized at the Rio Grande
– California and New Mexico Territory
purchased for $15 million plus the U.S. will
assume damage claims by American citizens
against the Mexican government in the amount
of about $3 million (~$18 million total)
Ending the War
Some Whigs opposed the treaty because
they saw the war as an immoral effort to
expand slavery.
Some southern Democrats also disliked the
treaty because they wanted the US to take
all of Mexico (they were expansionists)
But the treaty was eventually ratified as it
was written
Ending the War
Wilmot Proviso
– This was an amendment to a piece of legislation
introduced into Congress in 1846 – right after the start
of the war
– Introduced by PA congressman David Wilmot
– It would forbid slavery in any of the new territories that
would be acquired from Mexico
– Passed the House (twice) but was defeated in the Senate
– Illustrates the growing tensions between North and
South