Arjun's Humanities project

Now here is my awesome project on the mexican american war
First the one page paper on the topic:

The Mexican-American War was the first major conflict driven by the idea of "Manifest Destiny"; the belief that America had a God-given right, or destiny, to expand the country's borders from 'sea to shining sea'. This belief would eventually cause a great deal of suffering for many Mexicans, Native Americans and United States citizens. Following the earlier Texas War of Independence from Mexico, but that s a different story and a different blog, tensions between the two largest independent nations on the North American continent grew, as Texas eventually became a U.S. state. Disputes over the borderlines sparked military confrontation, helped by the fact that President Polk eagerly sought a war in order to seize large tracts of land from Mexico. Now that was the main cause, but to go in more depths about it, we need to start at the beginning.  At first, yes manifest destiny was a widely thought out prospect, but there were a few problems with it. One was that if America did expand, would slavery be accepted in the new lands? Some pro-slavery people wanted to increase the power of the southern slave states by annexing Texas. At this point Texas was still a disputed land.  The Americans wanted Texas as one of them and finally after many arguments with Mexico Texas finally became an American state. There was still some unclaimed land that the Mexicans wanted it was right atop of Mexico. So an army general called General Zackary Taylor led and army of American solders into the disputed region and came with an offer of 30 million dollars to buy the disputed land which is now California and new Mexico, but the Mexican officials refused to speak to him. So in March 1846, General Taylor led his troops into Rio Grande and he camped across the border. The Mexicans told the Americans to withdraw, they refused so the two sides clashed, the Mexicans killed a few Americans in America and the war began. At the beginning, the Americans had the better weapons but they were seriously out numbered. The government had a call for 50,000 volunteers, and 200,000 replied. Back in America, many had supported the war, but a lot had opposed the war and had said that it was unjustified and avoidable. The natives also opposed the war, they had feared of slavery if the U.S expanded, but the battle raged on.  On august 1846, America took Santa Fe, he claimed the entire province of New Mexico for the U.S and marched west for California, where another conflict with Mexico would take place.  In  1846, only about 500 Americans live in California, in contrast to the 12, 000 Californians, but in the spirit of manifest destiny, they continued to try and populate the state. This became know as the Bear Flag revolt, where the Americans tried to make California an independent nation. In Mexico General Taylor finally got reinforcements and the Mexican army retreated, so America moved in on their final goal, Mexico City.  The war ended after they took Mexico City. In Feb. 1848 the U.S and mexico signed the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which officially ended the war and forced mexico to turn over much of their land to the U.S. and under the terms of the Gadsden Purchase, the United states paid mexico $10 million, and in return they recived the souththern part s of what is now new mexico and Arizonia. And the border was finally established. This was what the westward expansion was all about.

Timeline:

Date	Event
December 29, 1845	Texas is annexed as a state.
January 1, 1846	President Polk orders General Zachary Taylor to march to the Rio Grande River to protect Texas from any invasion by Mexican troops.
April 25-26, 1846	Thornton Affair - Resulting in a Mexican victory, this battle occurred in the disputed borderlands of South Texas, instigating Congress to declare war on Mexico.
May 3-9, 1846	Siege of Fort Texas - American forces withstand Mexican Army attacks.
May 8, 1846	The Battle of Palo Alto occurred with the Mexican Army under Mariano Arista in the disputed land between the Rio Grande and  Nueces River engage an American army attempting to lift the aforementioned Siege of Fort Texas. Resulted in an American victory.
May 9, 1846	In the Battle of Resaca de la Palma near Brownsville, Texas  Mariano Arista is defeated by General Zachary Taylor.
May 13, 1846	Congress declares war on Mexico.
May 18, 1846	Occupation of Matamoros - U.S. troops occupy Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico with no resistance. More than 300 sick and wounded Mexicans are captured in the hospitals.
July 4, 1846	Captain John C. Fremont proclaims the independence ofCalifornia.
July 7, 1846	The Battle of Monterey, California results in a U.S. victory when Navy Commodore John D. Sloat occupies the city.
July 8, 1846	Nava Commodore John D. Sloat seizes Yerba Buena (modern San Fransisco.)
July 14, 1846	The U.S. occupies Camargo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
Early August, 1846	In the Battle of Cañoncito, General Stephen Watts Kearny defeats Manuel Armijo on the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
August 18, 1846	Battle of Santa Fe - General Kearny occupies Santa Fe, New Mexico.
September 21-23, 1846	In a second Battle of Monterey, California, General Zachary Taylor forces Pedro de Ampudia to surrender Monterrey.
September 22-30, 1846	Siege of Los Angeles - Led by General José María Flores, Californios and Mexicans retake Los Angeles, Californiaresulting in a Mexican victory.
September 26-27, 1846	In the Battle of Chino, Californios defeat and capture 24 Americans, led by Benjamin D. Wilson, who were hiding in an adobe house in Rancho Santa Ana del Chino, near present day Chino, California.
October 7, 1846	In the Battle of Dominguez Rancho, California, Californios, led by José Antonio Carrillo, defeat 203 US Marines led by U.S. Navy Captain William Mervine.
October 24-26, 1846	First Battle of Tabasco - Commodore Perry makes a demonstration against Tabasco, Mexico resulting in an inconclusive victory.
November 14, 1846	Occupation of Tampico, Tamaulipas Mexico - Occupation is made by the U.S. Navy.
November 16, 1846	Battle of Natividad - Taking place in the Salinas Valley in northern California, this skirmish resulted in an American victory.
November 16, 1846	The U.S. Army occupies Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico.
December 6, 1846	Battle of San Pasqual - Californeros and Presidial Lancers defeat General Kearny.
December 16, 1846	The Mormon Battalion captures Tucson, Sonora and occupies her for a day or two.
December 25, 1846	Battle of El Brazito - Also called the "Battle of Temascalitos" in Spanish, Mexican forces attack El Brazito, New Mexico, but the  U.S. forces prevail under Colonel Alexander William Doniphan.
January 2, 1847	The Battle of Santa Clara Fought in California, resulting in a U.S. victory.
January 8, 1847	The Battle of Rio San Gabriel is fought as part of a series of battles for control of Los Angeles, California. The skirmish results in an American victory.
January 9, 1847	Battle of La Mesa - The last conflict before U.S. forces enter Los Angeles, California results in a U.S. victory.
January 24, 1847	In the Battle of Cañada, General Sterling Price defeats insurgents in New Mexico.
January 24, 1847	First Battle of Mora - A failed attack by American Forces on Mora, New Mexico is led by Israel Hendley.
February 1, 1847	Second Battle of Mora - Another American expedition armed with howitzers succeeded in razing the village of Mora, New Mexico.
February 3-4, 1847	Siege of Pueblo de Taos - Rancheros and Mexican Militia surrender to U.S. forces thus ending the Taos Revolt.
February 22-23, 1847	Battle of Buena Vista - General Zachary Taylor fights Antonio López de Santa Anna south of Saltillo, Mexico in one of the largest battles of the war. Though heavily outnumbered, General Taylor's 4,700 soldiers withstand the attack of Santa Anna's 20,000 Mexicans.
February 28, 1847	Battle of the Sacramento - Colonel Alexander Doniphan defeats a larger Mexican army before near the Sacramento River the capture of Chihuahua, Mexico.
January 29, 1847	Battle of Embudo Pass - The last insurgent stand before the Siege of Pueblo de Taos in New Mexico results in an American victory.
March 9-29, 1847	Siege of Veracruz - Beginning with Marine landings at Veracruz, Mexico, U.S. forces besiege and gradually encircle Mexican Marines and Coast Guard in vicious twenty-day siege.
April 18, 1847	The Battle of Cerro Gordo or Sierra Gordo took place near Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. General Winfield Scott's U.S. troops flanked and drove Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position.
April 18, 1847	First Battle of Tuxpan - Commodore Matthew C. Perry seizes the port city of Tuxpan, Mexico on the Gulf coast.
May 26, 1847	Battle of Red River Canyon - New Mexican insurgents fight a skirmish with United States troops which results in an American victory.
June, 1847	Second Battle of Tuxpan - Commodore Perry's Mosquito Fleet engages Mexicans at Tuxpan for a second time resulting in a U.S. victory.
June 30, 1847	Third Battle of Tuxpan - Perry's Mosquito Fleet engages Mexicans for a third time, once again, resulting in an American victory.
April 22, 1847	Capture of Perote - 54 Guns and mortars, and 500 muskets are captured at the Castle of Perote on the summit of the Eastern Cordilleras, 50 miles from Jalapa, Mexico. This was considered the strongest fortress in Mexico, excepting Veracruz.
June 16, 1847	Second Battle of Tabasco - Commodore Perry captures Villahermosa, the last port city on the Mexican Gulf coast.
July 6, 1847	Battle of Las Vegas - New Mexican insurgents and United States soldiers fight at Las Vegas, New Mexico resulting in an American victory.
July 9, 1847	Battle of Cienega Creek - New Mexicans and United States forces clash near Taos, New Mexico resulting in a U.S. victory.
August 19, 1847	Battle of Contreras - Also known as Battle of Padierna, Santa Anna failed to support the Mexican line at a critical moment resulting in a U.S. victory.
August 20, 1847	Battle of Churubusco - Regular Mexican troops and Saint Patrick's Battalion under Manuel Rincón hold a fortified monastery against General Winfield Scott. Just over half of the San Patricios are killed or captured, the rest retreat with the rest of the Mexican forces in the area.
September 8, 1847	Battle of Molino del Rey - One of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican-American War, the Americans lost nearly 800 men in an attempt to take a suspected cannon foundry. Still, the battle resulted in an American victory.
September 13, 1847	Battle of Chapultepec - General Winfield Scott's troops assault Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City resulting in a U.S. victory.
September 13-14, 1847	Battle for Mexico City - Fierce fighting takes place for Mexico City resulting in an American victory.
September 14, 1847	Siege of Puebla - Mexican forces begin the siege of Puebla, Mexico, which will last for the next 28 days.
September 15, 1847	Mexico City falls and U.S. forces occupy the city.
October 2, 1847	Battle of Mulegé  - Mexican forces led by Captain Manuel Pineda are defeated by a small detachment of American forces at Mulegé, Baja California Sur.
October 9, 1847	Battle of Huamantla - U.S. relief column is able to reach Puebla, Mexico.
October 12, 1847	The Siege of Puebla lifted by the relief force who were able to fight its way into the city.
October 19, 1847	Skirmish at Atlixco - Also known as the "Atlixco Affair," this skirmish results in an inconclusive victory.
October 31, 1847	Bombardment of Punta Sombrero - The United States Navy schooner USS Libertad silences Mexican shore batteries in the Sea of Cortez.
November 16-17, 1847	The Battle of La Paz, Mexico results in a Mexican defeat.
November 20-21, 1847	Battle of San José del Cabo - Mexicans defeated by American forces at San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.
November 27-December 8, 1847	Siege of La Paz - A second Mexican attack on La Paz, Mexico ends in an American victory.
January 22-February 14, 1848	Siege of San José del Cabo - A failed Mexican siege of San Jose del Cabo.
January-August, 1848	Mexican partisans continued to resist the U.S. Army of Occupation. Formal fighting, however, had ceased by the end of January.
February 2, 1848	The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo signed, officially ending theMexican-American War. The treaty provided for the Mexican cession of 525,000 square miles to the United States in exchange for 15 million dollars.
March 9-March 16, 1848.	Battle of Santa Cruz de Rosales - General Sterling Price advances into Chihuahua after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was already signed. On March 9, Price demanded the unconditional surrender of the town. When General Trias refused to comply, he laid siege and waited for the arrival of reinforcements. Little happened until March 16, when Price decided to carry the town by assault.

Resolution: I think that the Mexican American war is, to me, a difficult thing to comprehend and take a side. First it was important to know that if the Americans had enough power, that they could have a chance of taking someone else’s land. I believe that just because you are born there does not make it your land. On the other hand, I think that sometimes that if you live there that it is your land to own. This is why I say that the Mexican American war is a difficult subject to comprehend. In conclusion, I think that take whichever side you want, but the war was a very controversial topic that takes a lot of patriotism on both sides to fully understand.

Credit to the video goes to Glendale92 from youtube