Preview

The New Western Territories After Mexican War (1846-1848)

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
383 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The New Western Territories After Mexican War (1846-1848)
The New Western Territories after the Mexican War (1846-1848)

American President James K. Polk intended to invade and hold the territories he wanted, so he sent General Stephen Kearny west from Fort Leavenworth with 1,700 men to invade and hold New Mexico and California. Kearny captured Santa Fe and then divided his forces, sending a large contingent south under Alexander Doniphan. Doniphan would eventually take the city of Chihuahua.

Meanwhile, the war had already begun in California. Captain John C. Fremont had been in the region with 60 men: they organized American settlers in California to revolt against the Mexican authorities there. He had the support of some US navy vessels in the area. The struggle between these men and the Mexicans

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In chapter three of “Occupied America, A History of Chicanos,” Acuna explains the cause of the war between Mexico and North America. Eugene C. Barker states that the immediate cause of the war was “the overthrow of the nominal republic by Santa Anna and the substitution of centralized oligarchy” which allegedly would have centralized Mexican control (Acuna 39). Texas history is a mixture of selected fact and generalized myth. The expansion and capitalist development moved together. The two Mexican wars gave U.S. commerce, industry, mining, agriculture, and stock rising. The truth is that the Pacific Coast belonged to the commercial empire that the United States was already building in that ocean. In the Polk-Stockton Intrigue, Americans found it rather more difficult than other people to deal rationally with their wars. Many Anglo-American historians attempted to dismiss it simply as a “bad war”, which took place during the era of Manifest Destiny. Most studies on the war dwell on the causes and results of the war, and dealing with war strategy. The attitude of Mexicans toward Anglo-Americans was obviously influenced by the war and vice-versa. In the end, by late 1847 the war was almost at an end. Scott’s defeat of Santa Anna in a hard fought battle at Churubusco…

    • 1328 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    I am summarizing the third sub-division of chapter eight, pages one hundred and sixty-three through one hundred and sixty-nine. The section is explaining the time during the Mexican American War. The Anglo-Americans have begun to raid the Spanish settlements, stealing horses and declaring California separate from Mexico. After this troops moved into New Mexico, and Santa Fe taking them both with out any fighting. Months after these events Mexicans began to rebel against American rule. Americans then revolted in an act to stop this rebellion, rebels began to flee some still attacking American men and killing many of them while other rebels were arrested. In reaction to this, America pursued what they believed to be a final battle, hundreds of…

    • 381 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    James K. Polk was the president of the United States of America during the Mexican-American War. Congress agreed upon James K. Polk declaring war on Mexico. The war was fought over the possession of Texas. In 1836 Texas won their independence from Mexico. The United States of America wanted to annex Texas then, but did not because they wanted to avoid a war with Mexico. President Polk supported the annexation of Texas, regardless of the war that it could potentially start. Therefore, with James K. Polk’s support Texas was admitted into the union on December 29, 1845. After this event, tension rose between the United States and Mexico over border disputes. In July of 1845, James K. Polk ordered troops into the land between the Rio Grande Rivers…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Battle of San Pasqual

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Mexico had departed from Spain in 1821. California wanted to manage their own affairs however, they lacked self government. Pio Pico was the civil governor and Jose Castro was the military comandante. The two men held great hostility toward each other. They divided California 's land and raised armies for themselves. These divisions of armies led to future problems, due to the lack of unity between the two.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the mid-nineteenth century, the United States found expansion necessary. Many factors necessitated the increase the countries size. The population of this young country grew from five million to almost twenty-three million, and by 1850 almost four million people had migrated westward. Two economic depressions, one in 1818 and another in 1839, further provoked migration, leaving the nation searching for hope, prosperity, and a new life in the frontier land. The people of the United States were enticed by inexpensive, vast, plots of land, opportunities to become self-sufficient. The vast lands of the west seemed to hold a chance for individuals to advance themselves and partake in new commercial interests promised in these new western territories.…

    • 1110 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the late 1846 they aided Kearny’s exhausted troops as they appeared from out of the desert and forced the final surrender of Mexican troops in California. On March 9, 1847 General Scott landed 10,000 men outside of Veracruz. After a brief blockade he captured the city on March 29. Moving inland his forces defeated a larger Mexican army at Cerro Gordo. As Scott’s army came closer to Mexico City they fought victorious battles at Contreras, Churubusco, and Molino de Rey.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ashika Taylor Mr. McGuire AP US History 1 January 2018 Hostilities between the United States and Mexico, which had flared during the Texas Revolution in 1836, reignited over the American annexation of Texas in 1845. It’s all countries might have some of these issues peaceably it’s not for the continuing instability of the Mexican government and the territorial aspirations of the US president, James K Polk. Polk believes that war with Mexico would bring not only Texas but also New Mexico and California into the Union.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Polk was aggravated by the Mexicans for turning down the offer of twenty five million dollars, and therefore order a troop of four thousand men under Zachery Taylor to provoke the Mexican troops, the Mexican troops fired, and the Mexican-American war began. President Polk hoped that once America beat Mexico, he would be able to acquire California. At the end of the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was formed, which expanded the United States territory by a third. The Mexicans were bitter because of the outcome of the war, because land was taken from them and doubled…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mexican War Expansion

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    No nation ever existed without some sense of national destiny or purpose. The people of the United States believed it was their mission to expand across North America. Expansion was inevitable because it would progress liberty and economic opportunity, expansion could have been stopped if Polk made different decisions, and the United States would be without certain states if the Mexican War hadn't occurred.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mexican-American War that occurred in 1846 through 1848 was the mark of the first U.S. armed that was fought on foreign soil. It was politically divided and unprepared Mexico against President James K. Polk. Texas obtained independence in 1836 from Mexico; the government in Mexico was actively encouraging the border raids and warning that any attempt at taking over would eventually lead to war. In the year 1846 of April 25, the Mexican army attacked U.S. soldiers while under the control of General Zachary Taylor, which led to deaths of U.S. soldiers. In 1848, On February 2, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed by Nicholas Trist and representatives of Mexico Luis G. Cuevas along with two others helped end the war. With the signing, it…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The question for this essay is “explain the impact of the Mexican War on American expansionism.” The Mexican War didn’t want to fight at first, but after awhile there were some Mexican troops that crossed and attacked the American soldiers. The impact of this is that the congress put out votes for the Senate and the House. With the War getting votes the Mexican War lasted, at least, one and a half years. With the Mexican War, there were different people that would be placed. There is some information were they think that Polk had settled for less than he should have because he was with Mexico, but nothing was really said about it so the war continued. With Polk being on Mexicos side victory was taken longer than he expected. However, Taylor…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Mexican War was the first U.S. armed conflict fought on foreign soil. It began in 1846 when the President of the United States, James K. Polk, declared war with Mexico and ended with a peace treaty that ceded one third of Mexico’s territory to the United States for fifteen million dollars in 1848. Thirteen years later, the Civil War overshadowed the Mexican war causing it to become a forgotten event in American history. The long term debate on who initiated the war continues to be unsolved, which makes it the most controversial wars in American History. This essay examines each aspect of the war, including events that lead to war and events after war, and opinions on the unjust acts that occurred during the Mexican War.…

    • 1948 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Westward expansion A.K.A. “Manifest destiny” led to America’s rapid acquisition of the old Mexican Southwest and the Oregon Territory that marked the fulfillment of President James K. Polk's expansionistic campaign promises. Polk ran on only one platform -- westward expansion. He wanted to officially claim the southern part of Oregon Territory; annex the American Southwest from Mexico; and annex Texas. Thus, Polk’s desire for land would eventually cause a great deal of suffering for many Mexicans, Native Americans and United States citizens. Following the earlier Texas War of Independence from Mexico, tensions between the two largest independent nations on the North American continent grew as Texas eventually became a U.S. state. Disputes over the border lines sparked military confrontation, helped by the fact that President Polk eagerly sought a war in order to seize large tracts of land from Mexico. The war took place mainly on Mexican soil. Partially because of disorganization and instability in the Mexican government, the war resulted in and American victory. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war, made the southern boundary of Texas the Rio Grande, gave California and New Mexico to the…

    • 1135 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Statehood of New Mexico

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It took New Mexico more than half a century to shed its territorial status and become a state. New Mexico's citizens first attempted to gain statehood in 1850, when local officials drafted a state constitution which was overwhelmingly approved by voters. A legislature and executive officials were elected. That same summer, however, this statehood plan was nullified when Congress passed the Compromise Bill of 1850 which granted New Mexico territorial status. Other attempts to develop and implement a state constitution followed, including proposed constitutions which were defeated at the polls in 1872 and 1889. There was even an effort at joint statehood with Arizona in 1906, but this too was defeated by the voters, mainly those from Arizona. They feared that Santa Fe would control the state’s politics.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays