MEXICAN WAR 



3764 



MEXICAN WAR 



under Kearney had occupied New Mexico and 

 a detachment under Colonel Doniphan had 

 taken possession of important territory around 

 Chihuahua. Meantime, Stockton and Fremont 

 had established American control over Califor- 

 nia, so all the territory between the western 

 boundary of the Louisiana Purchase and the 

 Rio Grande was under the control of the United 

 States. 



The Treaty of Peace. The superior general- 

 ship and training of the American forces had 

 enabled them to win every battle, although 

 they were confronted by superior numbers, and 

 the Mexicans fought bravely. The disastrous 

 effects upon Mexico were such that for a time 

 there was no recognized authority with which 

 a treaty of peace could be negotiated, and it 

 was not until February 2, 1848, that the Treaty 

 of Guadelupe Hidalgo was signed, and not until 

 May that it was ratified. 



During the course of the war about 43,500 

 American soldiers served in Mexico or on the 

 northern border; of these, slightly more than 

 half were volunteers, the remainder being regu- 

 lars. 



Results of the War. The results of the Mexi- 

 can War were more far-reaching than even its 

 strongest supporters anticipated. The imme- 

 diate cause of the war has already been stated, 

 but in order that the results may be understood, 



OREGON 



(J^IDAHO WYOMING iS.D 

 J^ */ Cbu/NTRY 



X TEXAS 

 MEXICO 1 



WHAT MEXICO GAVE TO THE UNITED 

 STATES 



a reference to the indirect causes is necessary. 

 By the terms of the Missouri Compromise 

 (which see) slavery was prohibited north of 

 the boundary 36 30". Texas was the last state 

 within which slavery was possible that could 

 be admitted to the Union, unless new territory 

 south of this limit could be secured, while 

 north of this boundary there was territory out 



of which a number of new states could be 

 organized. This meant that the free states 

 would soon have a majority in the United 

 States Senate, and the proslavery faction in 

 Congress hoped that new slave territory might 

 be secured through a war with Mexico. More- 

 over, President Folk's ambition was to gain 

 for the United States all the territory between 

 the western boundary of the Louisiana Pur- 

 chase and the Mexican border. In this he was 

 successful, since its defeat compelled Mexico 

 to sell this territory to the United States for a 

 nominal sum, $18,250,000. The introduction 

 into Congress of the Wilmot Proviso, however, 

 prevented this newly-acquired possession from 

 being declared slave territory. 



The direct results of the war were, first, the 

 addition of over 525,000 square miles of terri- 

 tory to the United States, from which have 

 been organized the states of California, Nevada, 

 Utah, a part of Colorado, most of Arizona, 

 Western New Mexico, and a small part of Wy- 

 oming. The second result was the reorganiza- 

 tion of the political parties along the lines of 

 antislavery and proslavery. Strange as it may 

 seem, the party that won the war was defeated 

 at the next Presidential election, and General 

 Taylor, the hero of Buena Vista, became Presi- 

 dent. 



The indirect results were, first, the prestige 

 which the acquisition of an extended coast line 

 on the Pacific gave the United States; second, 

 the development made possible by the discov- 

 ery of gold in California and the consequent 

 addition to the nation's resources; third, the 

 launching of the doctrine of squatter sover- 

 eignty (which see) that became one of the 

 steps leading to the War of Secession, and 

 fourth, the training which this war afforded 

 officers who were to take prominent parts in 

 that great struggle among them being George 

 B. McClellan, George G. Meade, U. S. Grant, 

 William T. Sherman, Robert E. Lee, Jefferson 

 Davis and "Stonewall" Jackson. W.F.Z. 



Consult McElroy's The Winning of the Far 

 West; Wilcox's History of the Mexican War. 



Related Subjects. The reader is referred to 

 the following articles in these volumes : 



Buena Vista, Battle of 



Chapultepec, Battle of 



Churubusco, Battle of 



Fremont, John C. 



Guadalupe Hidalgo, 

 Treaty of 



Mexico, subtitle Govern- 

 ment and History 



Monterey, Battle of 



Palo Alto, Battle of 

 Polk, James K. 

 Resaca de la Palma, 



Battle of 

 Scott, Winfield 

 Taylor, Zachary 

 Texas, subhead History 

 Wilmot Proviso 



