Video Transcript:
The American West conjures images of adventure, lawlessness, and opportunity. But what possessed us to go west in the first place? It all traces back to an important but not very well known conflict in the mid 19th century called the Mexican-American war.
In the 1840s, America was a pretty young country, and it was hungry to expand. President James K. Polk was especially eager to acquire more territory. He believed in Manifest Destiny. That's the idea that the United States had a duty to expand westward across the North American continent.
There was a lot of incentive for American settlers to go west. They could spread religion, strike it rich in business, or just get a fresh start. Needless to say, America's neighbor Mexico wasn't thrilled about the westward expansion craze. Both countries were already on thin ice. Mexico was bitter about losing Texas to the US after it won its independence in 1836.
President Polk wanted California, and New Mexico too, and he offered Mexico 30 million dollars to purchase them, but they refused to sell. But hang on, conquering the West was America's manifest destiny, right? So Polk wouldn't take no for an answer. He picked a fight, sending troops to occupy a disputed area of the Texas and Mexico border, and when American troops and the Mexican cavalry clashed, Polk seized the opportunity to declare war on Mexico on May 13th, 1846. Ultimately, Mexico was unprepared for war. Its internal politics were just a mess, and its cavalry couldn't measure up against the expertise of the US military.
After two years of fighting, Mexico was defeated, and in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo it ceded 1/3 of its territory to the US, areas that include modern-day Utah, California, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas. The Mexican-American War had a major impact because it resulted in one of the largest territorial expansions of the United States. It also launched the careers of a few generals you may have heard of, future US president Zachary Taylor and Civil War titans Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.
Cite this source: (History, 2017).
Question 1
In what year did the Mexican-American War begin?(1 point)
Responses
1776
1776
1836
1836
1846
1846
1861
1861
Question 2
Who was the United States President during the Mexican-American War?(1 point)
Responses
James K. Polk
James K. Polk
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Question 3
What was the name of the treaty that ended the Mexican-American War?(1 point)
Responses
Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny
Alamo
Alamo
Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Question 4
What was the end result of the Mexican-American War?(1 point)
Responses
There was no clear winner on either side.
There was no clear winner on either side.
Mexico won, and the U.S. paid Mexico 30 million dollars.
Mexico won, and the U.S. paid Mexico 30 million dollars.
The U.S. won, and the U.S. gained 1/3 of Mexico's land.