The Mexican-American War, 1846–1848
Overview
The Mexican-American War, 1846–1848
Learning Objective
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe the influence the Mexican-American War had on Texas
Introduction
Tensions between the United States and Mexico rapidly deteriorated in the 1840s as American expansionists eagerly eyed Mexican land to the
west, including the lush northern Mexican province of California. Indeed, in 1842, a U.S. naval fleet, incorrectly believing war had broken out,
seized Monterey, California, a part of Mexico. Monterey was returned the next day, but the episode only added to the uneasiness with which
Mexico viewed its northern neighbor. The forces of expansion, however, could not be contained, and American voters elected James Polk in
1844 because he promised to deliver more lands. President Polk fulfilled his promise by gaining Oregon and, most spectacularly, provoking a
war with Mexico that ultimately fulfilled the wildest fantasies of expansionists. By 1848, the United States encompassed much of North
America, a republic that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
James K. Polk And The Triumph Of Expansion
, A fervent belief in expansion gripped the United States in the 1840s. In 1845, a New York newspaper editor, John O’Sullivan, introduced the
concept of “manifest destiny” to describe the popular idea of the special role of the United States in overspreading the continent—the divine
right and duty of white Americans to seize and settle the American West, thus spreading Protestant, democratic values. In this climate of
opinion, voters in 1844 elected James K. Polk, a slaveholder from Tennessee, because he vowed to annex Texas as a new slave state and
take Oregon.
Annexing Oregon was an important objective for U.S. foreign policy because it appeared to be an area rich in commercial possibilities.
Northerners favored U.S. control of Oregon because ports in the Pacific Northwest would be gateways for trade with Asia. Southerners hoped
that, in exchange for their support of expansion into the northwest, northerners would not oppose plans for expansion into the southwest.
Figure 1.6 This map shows Oregon Country and the border dispute between the U.S. and Britain, 1818-1846. Image Credit: Kmusser, CC-BY-
SA-2.5
Overview
The Mexican-American War, 1846–1848
Learning Objective
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
Describe the influence the Mexican-American War had on Texas
Introduction
Tensions between the United States and Mexico rapidly deteriorated in the 1840s as American expansionists eagerly eyed Mexican land to the
west, including the lush northern Mexican province of California. Indeed, in 1842, a U.S. naval fleet, incorrectly believing war had broken out,
seized Monterey, California, a part of Mexico. Monterey was returned the next day, but the episode only added to the uneasiness with which
Mexico viewed its northern neighbor. The forces of expansion, however, could not be contained, and American voters elected James Polk in
1844 because he promised to deliver more lands. President Polk fulfilled his promise by gaining Oregon and, most spectacularly, provoking a
war with Mexico that ultimately fulfilled the wildest fantasies of expansionists. By 1848, the United States encompassed much of North
America, a republic that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
James K. Polk And The Triumph Of Expansion
, A fervent belief in expansion gripped the United States in the 1840s. In 1845, a New York newspaper editor, John O’Sullivan, introduced the
concept of “manifest destiny” to describe the popular idea of the special role of the United States in overspreading the continent—the divine
right and duty of white Americans to seize and settle the American West, thus spreading Protestant, democratic values. In this climate of
opinion, voters in 1844 elected James K. Polk, a slaveholder from Tennessee, because he vowed to annex Texas as a new slave state and
take Oregon.
Annexing Oregon was an important objective for U.S. foreign policy because it appeared to be an area rich in commercial possibilities.
Northerners favored U.S. control of Oregon because ports in the Pacific Northwest would be gateways for trade with Asia. Southerners hoped
that, in exchange for their support of expansion into the northwest, northerners would not oppose plans for expansion into the southwest.
Figure 1.6 This map shows Oregon Country and the border dispute between the U.S. and Britain, 1818-1846. Image Credit: Kmusser, CC-BY-
SA-2.5
