Transcript The Mexican American War

The Mexican American
War
1846-1848
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Manifest Destiny
The
idea that it is the mission
or “destiny” of the United
States to expand west.
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Mexico Pre-War
 By
the early 1800’s the Northern
part of Mexico (today the U.S)
was not very populated.
 The Mexican government had
won their independence from
Spain in 1821.
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U.S Expansion West
The
U.S. viewed California as a
Utopia and desired the land
between the Louisiana
Purchase and California.
President James Polk was a
supporter of expansion and
would take land at any cost.
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How the War Began
Mexico
does not view the
Mexican-American War as a
war, they see it as an invasion.
Many American citizens lived in
Mexico, specifically Texas.
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Texas
 By
1844 the U.S. citizens living in
Mexico no longer wanted to live
under the Mexican rule.
–They did not want to be part of the
U.S either.
 These
people called Tejanos
wanted Texas to be its own
country.
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Texas
While
Texas did belong to
Mexico, the United States saw
this as an opportunity to gain
territory.
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April
America
Mexico.
th
25 ,
1846
went to war with
–The war was not a fair fight.
For
2 years Mexico and the
U.S engaged in a variety of
battles.
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Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Signed
on Feb. 2, 1848
The United States acquired
more than 500,000 square
miles of valuable territory.
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An End to the War
 By
Sept. of 1848 the U.S had
made it to Mexico’s capital:
Mexico City.
–Once inside the leader of the
Mexican Army, Santa Anna, no
longer thought the war was worth
the cost and surrendered.
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Aftermath of the Invasion
U.S.
government now believed
in the superiority over the
Mexican government.
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Aftermath
 Although
the war ended in 1848 it
had lasting effects.
 During World War One the Germans
tried to convince the Mexican
government to go to war with the
U.S. promising they would reclaim
their lands.
 This caused the U.S to enter WWI.
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