Expansion of the United States

Expansion of the United States-

Conflicts in the expansion of the country

Content:

Standard 8.88.6 Describe the Texas war for Independence and the Mexican-American War, including territorial settlements, the aftermath of the wars, effect the war had on the lives of Americans, including Mexican Americans today.

Essential Questions:

How do various groups perceive key events in the history of Mexican and US relations?

How did the expansion of the US result in conflicts with Mexico?

What meaning does the acquisition of Texas and the results of the Mexican American War have to today?

Perspectives:

Whenever you study history you need to consider perspective or points of view.

What groups of people were effected or had an interest in the Mexican-American conflicts in the mid 1800’s?

What points of view or perspectives can you identify concerning key events:

Migration of Anglo settlers to Texas
Texas War for Independence
Annexation of Texas to the United States
The Mexican American War

Start With a Timeline

Need overhead

Instruction sheet

Books/documents/Maps Pictures/Computers/Scanners

Rulers

Scissors

Paper

Start With a Timeline

Resources: Overhead, instruction sheet, books/documents, rulers, scissors, large paper

1600 ------1821------1836------1846------1848-1861
Spanish Control of Mexico- / Mexican Period / TexasIndependence / Mexican American War / Civil War

Students locate the following topics on an annotated timeline Ranging from 1600 till 1860.

1. Dates and note

2.One explanatory sentence

Spanish Control of Mexico-

Sante Fe Settlement

Moses Austin and (meeting Spanish colonial government.

Mexican Revolution (See summary)

Stephen Austin (see bio, see speech documents)

Santa Anna Dates of Administrations or leadership (see bio)

Mexican Trade Embargo against US goods

Texas Revolt

Alamo (see documents)

Goliad Massacre

Battle of San Jacinto

Treaty Recognizing Texas Independece

Texas Declaration of Independence (see document and summary)

Annexation of Texas by US (Texas becomes the 28th State in the Union, a Slave State)

Election of James K. Polk

Zachary Taylor sent to the Rio Grande

Mexican American War (beginning and major battles)

US Declaration of War

BearFlagRepublic

Battles Monterey

Buena Vista

San Pasqual (See documents)

Vera Cruz

Mexico City

Cerro Gordo

Chapultepec

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Gold Rush

Texas Secedes to the Confederacy
What points of view or perspectives can you identify concerning key events:

Migration of Anglo settlers to Texas

Spanish Control of Mexico-

Spanish Control of Mexico-

Sante Fe Settlement

Moses Austin and (meeting Spanish colonial government.

Spain claimed significant territory in North America in an effort to hold this territory settlements were established, New Mexico- Santa Fe1609 (by 1820 there were Latino 7000 residents), California Missions, and Tejas.

By 1820 not many people lived in the areas of Northern Mexico (Spain still controlled Mexico), the Spanish government wanted to build the population in order to hold the land from the Comanchero Indians.

1820- Moses Austin, an American from Missouri, wanted to create an Anglo colony and settle northern Mexico in the area known as Tejas (Texas).

Moses petitioned the Spanish colonial government and was given permission to settle 300 Anglo families on 200,000 acres of land near San Antonio. Moses dies before Anglos settle in Texas.

Mexican Period

Mexican Revolution (See summary)

Stephen Austin (1793-1836), son to Moses, takes over the settlement, meanwhile there was a revolution and the Mexico becomes independent from Spain. A new agreement was created and the Mexican Government allowed Austin to bring 300 families and create a colony in Texas.

Settlers had to:

Learn Spanish

Follow Mexican Law

Convert to Roman Catholic Religion

In the beginning things went well. The settlers had much autonomy similar to the colonies of New England. The Mexican government allowed Austin and the Texans to develop partly due to the distance from the Mexican government located in Mexico City.

Problems Develop:

The colony gradually developed more Anglo than Mexican

Anglo settlers outnumbered Mexican nationals in Texas.

By 1830 there were between 20 and 30,000 Anglo settlers and 2000 slaves in Texas.

Anglo settlers- were protestant, wanted to be part of the United States and some wanted slavery in order to profit from the cotton industry.

The Mexican government outlawed slavery in 1824 and Austin was able to get approval for Texans to own slaves.

1831 Mexico Abolished Slavery

1833 Santa Anna takes over- very popular with Mexicans and wants to reform and centralize or strengthen Mexico City’s control throughout Mexico.

He wanted to reduce the Anglo immigration and Anglo Trade because of the influence on Mexico.

1835 New Constitution

1835 Texans Revolt want to keep their autonomy and ask the Mexican Government to allow them to set up a state government in the MexicanRepublic. Santa Anna refused to allow this and jailed Stephen Austin for some time.

Texans decided to secede from the MexicanRepublic and begin to form a militia.

Texas War for Independence