PEOPLE

Ralph Waldo Emerson

. Major American intellectual, leading transcendentalist

. Mentor of Thoreau

. Opposed Mexican-American War

Henry David Thoreau

. Major American intellectual, leading transcendentalist

. Essayist, author, naturalist

. Wrote Civil Disobedience, Leaves of Grass

. Refused to pay poll tax in protest of Mexican-American War; spent night in jail before being bailed out by Emerson

James Polk

. Democratic president of the United States, 1845-49

. Oversaw Mexican-American War and largest expansion of U.S. territory since Louisiana Purchase

Henry Clay

. American senator and statesman, leader of Whig Party

. Commonly referred to as the "Great Compromiser"

. Shaped Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850

. Opposed annexation of Texas at first, then compromised position for political reasons

Zachary Taylor

. American general in Mexican-American War and later Whig Party President of the United States

. Commanded troops near Rio Grande that spurred outbreak of Mexican-American War

. Won great fame at battle of Buena Vista

. As president, debated but did not resolve question of whether California should enter as free or slave state (he preferred free)

EVENTS

1819 Adams-Onis Treaty

. U.S. purchased Florida but gave up claims to Texas

. Giving up Texas made many southerners angry at Secretary of State John Q. Adams

1836 Battle of the Alamo

. Mexicans captured Alamo, a mission church in San Antonio being used by Texan fighters as a makeshift fort

. Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie killed

. Emotional turning point for Sam Houston's Texan forces, who won a string of battles and the overall war within a year of Alamo defeat

1836 Texas Independence

. Texans created independent Lone Star Republic

. Never recognized by U.S. or Mexico

. Major debate in U.S. about whether or not Texas should be annexed; much concern over upsetting slave/free balance in congress

1844 Presidential Election

. Democrat James Polk won presidency running on explicitly expansionist platform

. Polk presidency led to major territorial gains for U.S.

1845 Annexation of Texas to U.S.

. Congress barely ratified annexation of Texas in last days of John Tyler's presidency

. Mexicans broke diplomatic ties in response

1846 Onset of Mexican-American War

. General Zachary Taylor led Americans to Rio Grande, in disputed territory on Mexico-Texas border

. Skirmish between Mexican and American troops led to full-blown war

1846 California Independence

. Small group of Americans led by John C. Frémont declared Bear Flag Republic, free from Mexican rule

. U.S. forces consolidated control by landing at San Francisco and Sonoma

1846 Wilmot Proviso

. Congressional proposal to outlaw introduction of slavery to all newly annexed territory

. Controversial measure voted down repeatedly in congress, became political wedge issue for Whigs because it split northern and southern Democrats on slavery issue

1847 Fall of Mexico City

. U.S. forces led by Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz, marched inland to capture Mexican captial

. Forced Mexicans to accept peace treaty that ceded American Southwest to U.S.

1848 Gold Discovery in California

. News of gold strike spread quickly through U.S., prompting huge migration of "49er" miners in 1849

. California still officially Mexican territory at time of discovery

1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

. Officially ended Mexican-American War

. U.S. annexed California, Arizona, New Mexico, other areas in Southwest

. Mexico lost 55% of its territory

1848 Founding of Free Soil Party

. Members of Liberty and Whig parties joined to create Free Soil Party, dedicated to preventing spread of slavery into new territories

. Nominated ex-president Martin Van Buren as presidential candidate; he won only 10% of vote

GROUPS

Whigs

. American political party, founded to oppose Jacksonian Democrats in 1830s

. Believed in economic improvement and domination of legislative branch

. Torn apart by questions over expansion of slavery

Democrats

. Direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson's Republican Party

. Cultivated broad support across sectional lines

. Believed in egalitarian agricultural society, opposed modernization

. Generally in favor of both territorial expansion and slavery

Free-Soil Party

. Founded in opposition to expansion of slavery into territories

. Precursor to Republican Party; formed base for Lincoln's election

CONCEPTS

"Manifest Destiny"

. Notion that America was destined by God to stretch from Atlantic to Pacific

. Drew upon Thomas Jefferson's vision of an expansive "empire of liberty"

. Used as a rationale for expansionist foreign policy

PLACES

The Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

. Old Spanish mission church used as makeshift fort by Texan soldiers surrounded by Santa Anna's Mexican army, 1836

. Battle ended with defeat of all Texan forces

. "Remember the Alamo" became rallying cry for Texan fighters through remainder of struggle for Texas independence

Sutter's Mill, California

. Site of discovery of gold in 1849

. Gold strike sparked rapid American settlement of California, previously Mexican territory

Mexico

. Before 1846, a country twice as large as it is today; used to include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Texas

. Forced to cede control over this territory to US following defeat in Mexican-American War