AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Effects of War with Mexico (Day 123/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of the Effects of War with Mexico in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

General Scott’s Entrance into Mexico, Wikimedia Commons

With advantages of more advanced weaponry, a strong naval blockade, and financial resources, America won the War with Mexico in 1848. 

Acquisitions of Territory, Library of Congress

In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Rio Grande was agreed upon as the border of Texas. The U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $15 million in exchange for approximately half of Mexico’s territory, which became known as the Mexican Cession.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, National Archives

While Polk was furious with Nicholas Trist, the American diplomat, for the terms of the treaty, Trist was ashamed by the “abuse of power on our part.” Many Whigs also opposed the treaty as they viewed the war as an attempt to expand slavery.

Uncle Sam Scatters the Indians, UC Berkeley Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

The treaty led to massive loss of life, property, and culture for Mexicans and American Indians living in the region especially as U.S. westward migration rapidly increased.

While the War with Mexico fulfilled the ideal of Manifest Destiny, it also fueled debates over the expansion of slavery. Additionally, there were increased conflicts with Mexicans and American Indians as the US furthered their conquest in newly acquired lands.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Federal Expansion Policies in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!