Here are the key details about the Mexican-American War (1846-1848):
Causes:
- Dispute over the annexation of Texas by the U.S. in 1845, which Mexico still considered part of its territory after the Texas Revolution.
- Mexico’s refusal to sell its territories of California and New Mexico to the U.S. as desired by President James K. Polk.
- The concept of “Manifest Destiny” – the belief that the U.S. had a divine right to expand across the continent.
- Border skirmishes between U.S. and Mexican troops along the disputed Texas-Mexico border.
Major Events/Battles:
- April 1846: Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and attacked an American patrol, prompting the U.S. declaration of war.
- May 1846: The U.S. captured Matamoros, marking the first battle victories by forces under Gen. Zachary Taylor.
- September 1846: U.S. forces under Taylor captured the Mexican city of Monterrey after harsh urban fighting.
- February 1847: Taylor won the Battle of Buena Vista against Mexican forces led by Antonio López de Santa Anna.
- March 1847: U.S. forces under Gen. Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz and began an invasion of central Mexico.
- September 1847: After victories at Contreras and Churubusco, Scott captured Mexico City, leading to peace negotiations.
Outcome:
- The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848 ended the war.
- Mexico ceded territories that became the U.S. states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming.
- The U.S. paid $15 million to Mexico and the border was set at the Rio Grande River.
- The acquisition of new territories reignited debates over the expansion of slavery, contributing to the causes of the Civil War.
The Mexican-American War was a decisive victory for the U.S., allowing it to acquire vast new territories in the Southwest and fulfill its belief in Manifest Destiny. However, it also intensified the issue of slavery’s expansion that would ultimately lead to the Civil War just over a decade later.