March 23 2015 The War Against Mexico Polk s Expansionism Before the official annexation of Texas December 29 1845 March 6 1845 o Mexico breaks diplomatic relations with the United States in protest of the possible annexation of Texas o They thought Texas was theirs June 1845 o Zachary Taylor to Corpus Christi o President Polk ordered Taylor to position himself with 4000 U S soldiers on or near the Rio Grande o Taylor chooses a site that we now know as Corpus Christi o Polk then sends an ambassador to Mexico to try and negotiate John Slidell To negotiate the Rio Grande as the boundary between Mexico and Texas Authorized to offer 30 million to purchase California GOLD Change in Mexican presidents o Mariano Paredes Arrillaga Orders Slidell out of Mexico Demands an attack on the United States Mr Polk s War o The major campaigns Zachary Taylor South Texas New Mexico Stephen Kearny Winfield Scott New Mexico California Central Mexico Taylor s Northern Mexican Campaigns o Corpus Christi SKIP SKIP SKIP Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo February 2 1848 All Mexican claims to territory above Rio Grande given up California ceded to the United States New Mexico ceded to the United States United States citizenship is given to resident Mexicans in the newly purchased areas as well as A return payment is made to Mexico for 15 million the guarantee of the non violation of existing property rights Training of junior military officers who will become generals in the Civil War Approximately 1700 U S soldiers were killed 4000 were wounded and 11000 died from disease mostly dysentery and chronic diarrhea in the Mexican American War After the Mexican American War there was an upsurge in pride and respect of the American people Legacies of Mexican War The first amphibious military operation Newspaper correspondents o First time front line real time journalists o John L O Sullivan Life and Slavery in the State of Texas Life in Antebellum Texas o Transportation Railway There were absolutely no railroads Development in Texas will be minimal Major infrastructure for transportation in Texas will be dirt roads Railroad building will progress slowly Buffalo Bayou Brazos and Colorado Rail Company of 1850 1854 Texas state legislature provided some land for railroad development but it is painfully slow By the end of the Civil War there is only 400 miles of track laid for railways Major way to travel in Texas is by stagecoach Began with contracts for government mail Stagecoach operations were closely tied to the delivery of government mail Mail contracts provided the financial base of the stagecoach to then offer passengers Stagecoach travel was fraught with danger Theft of mules and supplies Murders of drivers or guards New stage lines were created One of the most famous was the Butterfield Overland Mail Line 1858 o Population Greatly increased in Texas in less than thirty years o Land Lands are being farmed From 40 000 in 1836 to 603 615 in 1860 64 white 29 African American 7 Mexican American in the 1860 census Went from 500 000 acres in 1850 to 2 5 million acres in 1860 Growing cotton o Education A matter of private enterprise Both secular and church affiliated Teachers simply established a school to offer primary and secondary instruction to parents who could pay a school fee o Parents could greatly influence education because the teachers had to answer to the parents No state education Literacy was high in Antebellum Texas o Religion o Role of women Women were shamed by traditions Ideal female was a homemaker and a mother She would live according to the limitations of the cult of domesticity Also called the cult of true womanhood Had to be pious religious pure sexually and domestic obedient and submissive to her husband Her role was within the domestic sphere limited to the home Women had moral authority within the home men had authority in the public world everywhere else Called separate spheres Married women will retain her communal property rights
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