Manifest Destiny and the Mexican American War

Manifest Destiny and the Mexican American War

By Lynne Ahlgren

What does "Manifest Destiny" mean?

Manifest= Obvious; Destiny= Fate

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The US's obvious destiny was to expand from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea​

Do you predict any problem with this idea?

Poll

The US will respect the rights of people already living in North America

• Yes of course!

• No, I remember 7th grade history

• Only the Native Americans

• Only the Mexicans

Most of the land was sparsely populated with few cities and towns.

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Mexico at Independence

Background Information

​Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821.

The government invited American ​Stephen Austin to recruit Americans to settle in Texas

Austin recruited mainly slave owners from the Southeast & most were not Catholic

Enslavers were able to claim extra land based on the number of slaves.

At the same time, free Blacks could be full Mexican citizens​

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Multiple Choice

Which is the most likely reason the Mexican government wanted Americans to settle in Texas?

• To start factories

• Low population in the area

• Protect against American invasion

• Build coffee farms

Multiple Choice

Which country colonized Mexico?

• Spain

• France

• UK

• USA

Open Ended

Which states were once part of Mexico?

Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah

Changes in Texas

1823- Mexico bans buying & selling of human beings, & declares that the children of enslaved people must be freed at 14.

1827- Coahuila ​y Tejas legislature bans importing new slaves & declared slave children free @ birth

​1829- Mexico bans slavery but gives TX an exemption till 1830.

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Multiple Choice

Which amendment to the US Constitution banned slavery?

• 9th

• 19th

• 13th

• 14th

American Settlers Respond

Since Mexico didn't ban indentured servitude, settlers forced their slaves to sign life contracts

Mexico responded by banning life labor terms

Enslaved people frequently escaped deeper into Mexico or to Native tribes​

1835- ​Antonio López de Santa Anna takes power & repeals Constitution

​1835- Texas Rebellion/Revolution begins

Multiple Select

Aside from slavery, what other issues contributed to the American settlers rising up against Mexico?

• Religion

• Santa Ana taking power to himself

• Taxes

• Language

And now go back to Google Classroom to watch a video about Texas.

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Results of the Texas War

Texas Wins

• Mexico still considered it theirs. It existsted as its own country- Texas Republic- from 1836-1846. They wanted to join the US but the US did not allow them to until 1846. The issue was (1) admitting a new slave state and (2) the fact that annexing (attaching) Texas to the US would almost certainly lead to war.

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Criteria for Citizenship in Texas

• All those living in TX on the day it declared independence were citizens.

  • Unless they were Black or descendant of a Black person

  • Or if they were Indians​

• ​New white immigrants could become citizens after 6 months

• ​No free Blacks could live in TX and slaves could only be freed with government consent

Subject | Subject

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Border disupute

• Most of the territory was actually under the control of the Comanche

• ​US said the border was the Rio Grande (present border)

• Mexico said it was the Rio Nueces (a few hundred miles NORTH of the Rio Grande)​

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Multiple Choice

Which will be the triggering cause of the Mexican-American War?

• Different immigration rules

• Each side blames the other for Comanche raids

• The US bans slavery

• One side crosses what the other claims is the border