Thesis: The Mexican-American War was a result of U.S. efforts of spreading their destiny mandate and outright greed of the political leaders that led to the death, eviction, and immense suffering of the people of California, resurgence of slavery and slavery debates, the rise of the hybrid culture of civilization, economic exclusion and unbalanced growth, reduced lands due to population increase and environmental degradation of California.
Outline of the Presentation
Introduction (The Title Page)
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A brief history of the Mexican-American War
The start and end dates of the Mexican - American War (The border disputes that preceded Texas's annexing by the United States in 1845 led to the Mexican-American War of 1846). Annexation refers to the permanent acquisition and incorporation of a territorial entity into another adjacent of a noncontiguous geo-political entity.
The causes and leading causes of the Mexican - American War
The Mexican Claim and the U.S. Claim
The annexation of Texas and its role in causing the Mexican - American War
The Thornton Affair
Siege of Fort Brown
Battle of Monterrey
Battle of Buena Vista (Angostura)
Battle of Contreras (Padierna)
Battle of Churubusco
The role of domestic politics in the U.S. in starting the War.
Failure by Mexico to ratify the 1836 Treaties of Velasco would have recognized Texas's independence from Mexico.
Failed negotiations between the U.S. and Mexico City over the boundary disputes.
U.S. President James K. Polk's role as a critical driver of the War with his plan to lead the U.S. to manifest its destiny by spreading across the continent to the pacific border.
The difference in claims between Mexico and U.S. in which Mexico claimed that Nueces River was its Northeastern border while the U.S. disagreed, claiming that the rightful border was the Rio Grande River.
The American annexation of Texas, which the Mexican government considered a declaration of War and reacted by removing the Mexican minister from Washington, was the immediate cause of the War.
Key Mexican - American War figures and personalities that were actively involved in the War and or contributed to the start of the Mexican - American War
How the War started
The initial events that culminated into the war.
President James K. Polk
Mexican President Herrera
General Zachary Taylor
U.S. Minister John Slidel
General Mariano Paredes
How and who ended the Mexican-American War?
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848): “Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits and Settlement between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic” according to (Guardino, 2017) and its importance in ending the Mexican-American War.”
The aftermath of the Mexican-American War:
Who gained, who lost?
Why did the U.S. pay Mexico 15 million dollars
How much land did Mexico lose to the U.S.?
The Mexican-American war effects between 1846 and 1848 as the first United States (U.S.) armed conflict primarily fought on foreign soil.
Impact on the People of California
The number of causalities (soldiers, civilians, volunteers, children, and the total numbers of deaths as a result of the War in combat and as an aftermath of the War)
Overpopulation increased from just a few thousands to over 300,000 from the rest of the U.S. and world due to the gold-rush.
Death from War
Death from yellow fever, diarrhea, typhoid, and dysentery
Death from other diseases such as mumps, measles, gonorrhea, smallpox, syphilis, and cholera. During the War, deaths were not directly caused by the War, but by the environment; the War created, for instance, the people who died of smallpox.
The predominance of young males in California (both Americans and Mexicans)
Forceful and ruthless eviction of California's Native Americans off their lands by the miners.
The rise of ethnic and racial discrimination.
The attacks, killings, and pushing off the lands of the American Indians and abuse of the American Indians by miners as reported by the Goldfield observers.
Dislike against non-Americans, particularly those from South America, and discrimination against the families from Hong Kong and South China due to their reputation of frugality and hard work, unlike the natives who were spendthrifts.
Impact on the Politics of California
Disagreements and lobbying for and against Slavery of the people in California
Attacks by the white majority against the Mexican and the Chines minorities
Passage of laws to restrict the claims of new land to white Americans.
Feuds between the Northern Whigs and Southern Democrats over land obtained.
The strife between abolitionists and congress over power and Slavery.
Political duels and debates over spoils from the Mexican-American War.
Wilmot's Proviso in ending Slavery both in California and other territories won through the Mexican-American War, with the primary goal of freeing California of the White Pennsylvanians so that they could work free from the slave labor competition.
The politics of Slavery as proponents and opponents of Slavery of with tensions mounting and interchange of accusations that threatened California's and national unity with the slogan "Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men," having the goal of opposing slavery extension into the territories.
The writing of the 1849 state constitution, choosing a legislature and a governor, and inception of California as a State as a part of the Compromise of 1850.
Development of property laws "staking claims."
Impact on the Society and Culture of California
The intrusion of people from other parts of the U.S. to California for mining Gold and getting the newly found land.
Hybrid culture through intermarriages and sharing of social norms between the natives and the new entrants in the California state.
Birth of a new social center-the saloon
The upsurge in drinking, gambling, widespread fighting, change in the justice system
The rise in the number of brothels and new was of earning for 20% of California's females through prostitution.
Change in clothing style with the invention of the trousers (the blue jeans) by Levi Strauss.
The influx of the Chinese people with the hope of making income from Gold mining between 1849-1854.
Disharmony among the diverse people.
Impact on the economy of California
The California Gold Rush.
Discovery of Gold in California with the gold-seekers coming in fast and finding Gold worth $550 million in California (1849-1850).
Change of the primary economic activity from farming to the mining of Gold.
The Californians that made it form gold mining and those that didn't.
The California Gold Rush peak and stabilization of life in the 1850s.
Change of the ports of California to the United States flag.
The building of new roads, schools, churches, and towns throughout California due to the influx of the gold-seekers.
The rise of organized communities of 'civilized" life-stories, stage lines, saloons, fraternal lodges, and libraries.
Establishment of newspapers coupled with the arrival of singers, musicians, and acting companies for entertaining the gold-seekers.
Introduction and development of new transport methods such as steamships into the regular service such as building railroads from California to the eastern United States
Expansion of agriculture and ranching to meet the needs of the settler-invaders.
Impact on the environment/Geography of California
The change of territorial authority over California from Mexico to the United States
Change of land ownership of the land of California from Mexico to U.S.
California became part of the United States' manifest destiny success in extending the nation coast to coast.
The rise of ghost towns in places where miners had moved away from dotting the California state
Increase of California territory by more than a third due to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
References
Guardino, P. (2017). The dead march: A history of the Mexican-American war. Harvard University Press.
