What did Polk use an excuse to declare war?
On May 11, 1846, Polk presented a special message to Congress announcing that “war exists” between the two countries because the Mexican government has “at last invaded our territory and shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on our own soil.”
Why was public opinion divided over war with Mexico?
He did not want a war, but he was willing to go to war if necessary in order to gain his objective of extending the US west to California and ending the dispute over the Texas border. Why was public opinion divided over going to war with Mexico? People opposed it in the north because of slavery. 3.
When did Mexico become California?
California was under Mexican rule from 1821, when Mexico gained its independence from Spain, until 1848. That year, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed (on February 2), giving California over to United States control.
Why is the Alamo an important landmark?
Alamo, (Spanish: “Cottonwood”) 18th-century Franciscan mission in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., that was the site of a historic resistance effort by a small group of determined fighters for Texan independence (1836) from Mexico. …
Who said the United States ought to declare war on Mexico and make them take it back?
President James K. Polk’s
What happened at the Alamo?
The Battle of the Alamo was fought between the Republic of Texas and Mexico from February 23, 1836 to March 6, 1836. It took place at a fort in San Antonio, Texas called the Alamo. The Mexicans won the battle, killing all of the Texan soldiers inside the fort.
Who had the hardest way of life in early California?
By 1849, the non-native population of California had grown to almost 100,000 people. Nearly two-thirds were Americans. Upon arrival in California, immigrants learned mining was the hardest kind of labor. They moved rock, dug dirt and waded into freezing streams.
Was America justified in declaring war on Mexico?
The United States was justified in going to war because Mexico had shed American blood on American soil, Texas (a land that many Mexicans still considered theirs) was an independent republic and had the right to govern itself, and Texas was trying to become part of the United States, which means that the United States …
Why is the Mexican American War important?
The Mexican-American War, waged between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, helped to fulfill America’s “manifest destiny” to expand its territory across the entire North American continent.
Why do you think Polk went to war with Mexico but negotiated with Great Britain?
Why did James K. Polk seem to favor war with Mexico? He did not want a war, but he was willing to go to war if necessary in order to gain his objective of extending the US west to California and ending the dispute over the Texas border.
What the Alamo represents?
In popular culture, the Alamo, a Spanish mission in San Antonio, is regarded as an untrammeled symbol of freedom. Referred to as the “cradle of Texas liberty,” in Texas, devotion to it is fervent.
Why do we remember the Alamo?
The Alamo should be remembered as the place where the Mexican Army, under command of General Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna, stormed a former Mexican mission defended by a band of Texans fighting for their independence. They have come to the Alamo to honor those whose death gave birth to a Republic.
Why were most northerners opposed to the annexation of Texas?
Southerners wanted to annex Texas to the United States because they sought to extend slavery. Northerners opposed annexation because they feared that annexation of more slave territory would tip the uneasy balance of the Senate in favor of slave states—and prompt war with Mexico.
What river do Mexicans say the war involves?
Rio Grande River