Expansion of the United States: Texas and California
The Expansion of the United States: Texas and CaliforniaIn 1819, the Transcontinental Treaty was drafted with Spain, which set boundaries for the United States that included the territory of Texas. However, in 1821, the treaty was ratified and just as Americans (led by Stephen F. Austin) had begun to settle, Mexico did away with any semblance of Spanish rule. For a while after this, Mexican authorities were giving free land to groups of American settlers. Some 20,000 Americans with roughly 2,000 slaves lived in Texas by 1830...only several thousand Mexicans lived among them.Originally, President John Quincy Adams had offered Mexico $1,000,000 (one million) for Texas...even though he was willing to pay up to $5,000,000 (five million). Mexico would hear nothing of a sale. This did not stop American settlement of Texas, though. By the late 1820's, the problems were beginning to become apparent as most of the settlers were Protestant and Mexican law required that all settlers were to be Catholic. Another point of contention was the slave issue. Mexico outlawed slavery and in an effort to get around this, the Americans "freed" their slaves only to turn around and sign them as lifetime indentured serv
(2) New Mexicoand Upper California were territories of the United States. Due to heightened distress over the war itself and public admonition for the way "America was crushing a small neighbor," the Senate passed and ratified the agreement by a vote of 38 to 14. The missions had been controlled by more that 30,000 converts of Indian descent but they were powerless against the Mexicans as they were regarded as little more than slaves. As a direct result of the more that obvious opinion of the American people, President Tyler prompted Congress to admit Texas to the Union by joint resolution. This, however, went against public opinion. President Polk had ordered General Zachary Taylor to Texas for the purpose of defending the border (which was then under a fog as to where that border actually was drawn). Although they did not formally vote for war, Congress did vote to send an additional 50,000 troops to the area. 000 people (most of which were men) had come to the new territory. Trist, to be acting Peace Commissioner when Mexico City fell. Houston was said to have shouted the now infamous words among Texans-"Forward! Charge! Remember the Alamo!" Soon afterward, the Mexican Army was retreating and in October, the "Republic of Texas" was born. He then crossed into "Mexican" territory but stopped on the south side of Corpus Christi so as not to anger the Mexicans by going all the way to the Rio Grande.
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