CHAPTER 13 • SECTION 3
Mexican army was much larger, but the U.S. troops were led by welltrained officers. American forces invaded Mexico from two directions.
General Taylor battled his way south from Texas toward the city of
Monterrey in northern Mexico. On February 22, 1847, his 4,800 troops
met General Santa Anna’s 15,000 Mexican soldiers near a ranch called
Buena Vista. After the first day of fighting, Santa Anna sent Taylor a note
offering him a chance to surrender. Taylor declined. At the end of the second bloody day of fighting, Santa Anna reported that “both armies have
been cut to pieces.” However, it was Santa Anna who retreated after the
Battle of Buena Vista. The war in the north of Mexico was over.
In southern Mexico, fighting continued. A second force led by General
Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico and battled
inland toward Mexico City. Outside the capital, Scott met fierce resistance
at the castle of Chapultepec (chuh•POOL•tuh•pek). About 1,000 soldiers
and 100 young military cadets bravely defended the fortress. Despite their
determined resistance, Mexico City fell to Scott in September 1847. As he
watched, a Mexican officer sighed and said, “God is a Yankee.”
Skillbuilder
Answers
1. all or part
of 14 states
2. Louisiana
Purchase
Growth of the United States, 1783–1853
Ceded to
Great Britain, 1818
Ceded by
Great Britain, 1818
50°N
Ceded by Great Britain,
Webster-Ashburton Treaty, 1842
CANADA
oni
es
OREGON
TERRITORY
From Great Britain, 1846
LO U I SI A N A
P U R C H A SE
Bought from France, 1803
gin
Ori
HISTORY FROM VISUALS
ATL ANTIC
OCE AN
G A D SD E N P U R C H A SE
Bought from Mexico, 1853
TEXAS ANNEXATION
Annexed Independent Republic, 1845
FLORIDA CESSION Modern U.S.
boundaries shown.
From Spain, 1819
GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Maps
410
Ceded by
Spain, 1818
1810
1813
Annexed by Gulf of Mexico
United States
0
0
300 Miles
80°W
1. Region How many states or parts of states were created
by all the lands added after Polk's election in 1844?
2. Region Which addition to the United States after 1783
added the greatest area of land?
90°W
Extension Using an almanac, have students determine how many people currently live in the states
carved out of the lands added in the decade identified above.
PACIFIC
OCEAN
120°W
Interpreting the Map Have the students construct
a time line of the expansion of the United States
using the dates found on the map. Ask them in
which decade the United States acquired the
greatest share of land. Answer the 1840s
600 Kilometers
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
INTERDISCIPLINARY LINK: LANGUAGE ARTS
BLOCK SCHEDULING
DIARY OF A CADET OF CHAPULTEPEC
Task Writing a diary entry of a
cadet at the Battle of Chapultepec
Purpose To describe the experiences of a Mexican soldier in the
War with Mexico
410 CHAPTER 13
N
70°W
From Great Britain
by Treaty of Paris, 1783
M E X I C A N C E SSI O N
From Mexico by Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo, 1848
Class Time One class period
40°
Col
In-Depth Resources: Unit 4
• Geography Application: The United States
Gains Land from Mexico, 1845–1853,
pp. 29–30
4
On February 2, 1848, the war officially ended with the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo (gwah•duh•LOOP•ay hih•DAHL•go). In this
treaty, Mexico recognized that Texas was part of the United States, and the
100°W
• What were the terms of the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo?
• What present-day territory did the United
States gain in the Mexican Cession?
• What problems were faced by Mexicans living
in the United States after the war?
• What was the last bit of land added after the
Mexican War?
General Winfield
Scott had become
a national hero
during the War
of 1812.
al 1
3
The Mexican Cession/
“From Sea to Shining Sea”
The Mexican Cession
110°W
INSTRUCT: OBJECTIVE 4
Background
Supplies Needed
• Reference material on the actions
of the cadets of Chapultepec
• Writing materials or wordprocessing equipment
Activity Ask the language arts teacher to discuss writing diary entries.
Then read to or have students read accounts of the attack at Chapultepec
and the brave actions of the cadets. Have students write a diary entry of a
cadet shortly before the final attack on the castle at Chapultepec. When
the students are finished, have them share their entries with one another
or bind all of them together as a memory book.
N
30°
E. Finding Main
Ideas What were
the three main
parts of the
Treaty of
Guadalupe
Hidalgo?
E. Answer United
States would pay
$15 million to
Mexico, pay $3.25
million in U.S. citizen claims against
Mexico, and protect Mexicans in
Texas and the
Mexican Cession.
F. Making
Inferences
Why did the
United States
pay a large price
for the Gadsden
Purchase?
F. Answer The
land was needed
for a transcontinental railroad.
Section
3
Rio Grande was the border between the nations. Mexico also ceded, or
gave up, a vast region known as the Mexican Cession. This area included
the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and
parts of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Together with Texas, this
land amounted to almost one-half of Mexico. The loss was a bitter defeat
for Mexico, particularly because many Mexicans felt that the United
States had provoked the war in the hope of gaining Mexican territory.
In return, the United States agreed to pay Mexico $15 million. The
United States would also pay the $3.25 million of claims U.S. citizens had
against Mexico. Finally, it also promised to protect the 80,000 Mexicans
living in Texas and the Mexican Cession.
Mexicans living in the United States saw the conquest of their land differently. Suddenly they were a minority in a nation with a strange language, culture, and legal system. At the same time, they would make
important contributions to their new country. They taught new settlers
how to develop the land for farming, ranching, and mining. A rich new
culture resulted from the blend of many cultures in the Mexican Cession.
“From Sea to Shining Sea”
The last bit of territory added to the continental United States was a strip
of land across what is now southern New Mexico and Arizona. The government wanted the land as a location for a southern transcontinental
railroad. In 1853, Mexico sold the land—called the Gadsden Purchase—
to the United States for $10 million.
On July 4, 1848, in Washington, President Polk laid the cornerstone of
a monument to honor George Washington. In Washington’s day, the
western border of the United States was the Mississippi River. The
United States in 1848 now stretched “from sea to shining sea.” In August,
Polk learned that gold had been found in California. In the next section,
you will read about the California gold rush.
1. Terms & Names
2. Using Graphics
3. Main Ideas
4. Critical Thinking
Explain the
significance of:
Review the chapter
and find five key events
to place on a time line
as shown.
a. How did the acquisitions
of Oregon and the Mexican
Cession relate to the idea of
manifest destiny?
Comparing Compare the
different ways land was
acquired by the United States
in the period of manifest destiny from 1844 to 1853.
James K. Polk
manifest destiny
Zachary Taylor
Bear Flag Revolt
Winfield Scott
Treaty of
Guadalupe
Hidalgo
• Mexican Cession
War with Mexico
event
MORE ABOUT . . .
Treatment of Mexicans After the War
Though Mexicans living in the United States after
the Mexican Cession were supposed to “enjoy all
the rights of citizens of the United States,” the
reality was much different. As Americans became
more dominant, many unfair laws were enacted.
For example, the antivagrancy act targeted people
with Spanish blood, and the foreign miners’ tax of
$20 per month was aimed at Mexican miners.
Ironically, it was in Mexico that the techniques for
extracting gold had been developed.
ASSESS & RETEACH
Reading Strategy Have students fill in the
Key Events column for Oregon, New Mexico,
and Utah.
Formal Assessment
• Section Quiz, p. 242
Assessment
•
•
•
•
•
•
CHAPTER 13 • SECTION 3
event
event
1848
1846
event
event
b. Why were some people
opposed to the War with
Mexico?
c. What does the phrase
“sea to shining sea” mean?
THINK ABOUT
• the acquisition of the
Oregon Territory
• lands in the Southwest
RETEACHING ACTIVITY
Have the students look at the Main Idea on
page 406. Have them write a summary paragraph that uses the Main Idea as the topic sentence. The paragraph should identify all lands
added to the United States and explain how
they were acquired.
In-Depth Resources: Unit 4
• Reteaching Activity, p. 38
ACTIVITY O P T I O N S
MATH
GEOGRAPHY
In an almanac, find the current population of the states formed from the Mexican
Cession. Create a graph or a map to display the information.
Manifest Destiny 411
Section
3
Assessment
1. Terms & Names
2. Using Graphics
3. Main Ideas
4. Critical Thinking
James K. Polk, p. 406
manifest destiny, p. 407
Zachary Taylor, p. 408
Bear Flag Revolt, p. 409
Winfield Scott, p. 410
Treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, p. 410
Mexican Cession, p. 411
Events could include: attack at the
Rio Grande; the fall of New Mexico;
the Bear Flag Revolt; the Battle of
Buena Vista; the Battle of Veracruz;
the Battle of Chapultepec
a. The lands were viewed as a part
of the future lands of the United
States. b. Some questioned the
truthfulness of the president, others
disliked war, and still others were
concerned about slavery in Texas.
c. the occupation of land from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
by treaty (Oregon); by annexation
(Texas); by war (Mexican Cession);
by purchase (Gadsden Purchase)
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
Integrated Assessment
• Rubrics for a graph, 2.3
• Rubrics for a map, 2.1
Teacher’s Edition 411