War With Mexico

Name one of the big ideas that you will be learning in this lesson.

One of the BIG questions you should be able to answer is...

• How did Canada become a country?
• How did America gain possession of Oregon and Mexico?
• Why is the sky blue?
• What is a proton?

Slide 3: Henry Clay sneered, “Who is James K. Polk?” Clay had just learned the name of the man nominated by Democrats to run against him for president in 1844. “A mistake!” answered Washington insiders. What does it mean if you "sneer" at someone? (make sure to look up the verb)

How could the Democrats choose Polk? A joke! Polk was America’s first “_______ ________,” a candidate who received unexpected support. The Democrats had nominated this little-known man only when they could not agree on anyone else.

Polk was committed to national expansion. He vowed to annex Texas and take over __________.

Slide 3: When the votes were counted, James Knox Polk became the _______ president of the United States. As you will read in this section, after his election Polk looked for ways to expand the nation.

• 1st
• 7th
• 9th
• 11th

Slide 4: READ THIS---->>>>: The abundance of land in the West (there was sooo much land) seemed to hold great promise for Americans. Although populated with Native Americans and Mexicans, those lands were viewed by white settlers as "unoccupied." WOW! What do you think the American (white settlers) must have thought about the Natives? In other words, what "single story" did Americans have?

Slide 4: Mexico occupied the southwest lands, and Britain __________ the northwest Oregon Territory with the United States.

• borrowed
• shared
• left
• ruined

Slide 4: Many Americans believed that the United States was destined to stretch across the continent from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. What does it mean to be destined to do something?

Slide 4: A reporter named John O’Sullivan gave a name to the belief described in the previous question. What was the belief called?

• We're Taking Over
• It's Our Destiny
• Manifest Destiny
• God's Will