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The Mexican American War Bullet Points

President James K. Polk wanted to get the New Mexico and California territories away from Mexico.

The possession of both territories would guarantee that the U.S had a clear passage to the Pacific Ocean.

The British occupied part of Oregon.

Polk was involved in fulfilling the Nation’s manifest destiny.

As many Americans Polk saw California  and New Mexico as rightfully belonging to the United States.

After Mexico refused to sell California and New Mexico Polk plotted to pull Mexican provinces into the Union through war.

He wanted to provoke Mexico into taking military action first.

This way he could justify the war to congress.

Relations between Mexico and the United States has been strained for many years now.

When the U.S annexed Texas in 1845 the situation got worse.

Mexico charged that annexation was illegal.

The United States insisted that the Rio Grande formed the border.

Mexico wanted the border to lay along the Nueces river.

Mexico had stopped payments to american citizens for their losses suffered during the Mexico’s war for independence.

America offered 30 million for California and New Mexico’s acceptance of the Rio Grande as the Texas boundary.

Facts from the history textbook: The American Journey.

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Click here to watch a short video about Manifest Destiny

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Animoto turns your photos and video clips into professional video slideshows in minutes. Fast, free and shockingly simple - we make awesome easy.

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My name is Jonnah its 1840 and Oregon fever just came through the Mississippi valley. The depression that caught my three brothers and I in a full on panic has just passed us. It all started in 1837 it hit our region hard.people formed societies to gather information about Oregon and to make plans to leave during this time we called this long journey the great migration. The trip was long and ruff there was about ten thousand of us who decided to take this trip .My brothers and I were one of the few people who decided to take a wagon with all of our belongings stuffed fiercely inside, from a far are wagons looked like large ships at sea this heavy load made it even more difficult along the 2,000 mile path. We followed this trail across the great plains ,along the platte river and through the south pass of the rocky mountains. On the other side we took the trail north and west along the snake columbia rivers into oregon country.

We believed traveling to Oregon country in 1830 to settle was a great idea because of the reports of fertile land persuading us and many others to go for farming.the economic trouble at home made the west seem like a great catch. That is why we traveled to the west and also our journey.

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The Oregon trail was much more than just a trail to Oregon.

It served as the most practical route to the western United States.

The pioneers traveled in large groups, often of related families.

Some went all the way to Oregon in search of farmland. Many others

split off for california in search of gold.

The trip west lasted five or six months. The pioneers had to start

in the bring and complete the trip before winter snows blocked

the mountain passes. The trail crossed difficult terrain.

The pioneers walked across seemingly endless plains,

forded swift rivers, and labored up high mountains.

-The Oregon trail was 2,000 miles long

* Facts from the American Journey text book. Pages 358/359

* Click to see pictures