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Period: to
Manifest Destiny
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Mexicans allow settlement of Texas
Mexicans gain independence and allow outsiders to settle in Texas, as long as they obeyed Mexican rule. -
Tension between Mexicans and Americans increases
Mexican government outlaws slavery in Texas and forces all to convert to Roman Catholicism. American settlers do not want to, which cause an increase in tension. -
General Santa Anna becomes dictator of Mexico
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna abolishes the Mexican federal government and begins to lead the country himself. He wants to enforce Mexican rule in Texas. -
Battle of the Alamo ends
Santa Anna and his troops kill all but two of the Texans defending the Alamo. American settlers and Texans rally around this event. -
Texan War for Independence ends
Texans defeat Santa Anna at the San Jacinto River, ending the war and forcing Santa Anna to declare Texas's independence. The remains of the Mexican legislature disagreed with this, claiming that Texas was still a part of Mexico. -
Jackson rejects Texas's plan for Annextion
Jackson does not believe that annexing Texas to the US would be a good idea, for it would create more conflict between the anti-slavery North and the pro-slavery South. -
Van Buren rejects Texas's request for Annextion
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President Tyler tries and fails to annex Texas
Tyler proposes the idea, but the Senate vetoes it. -
Tyler gets both Houses of Congress to pass a joint resolution
Both Houses pass a joint resolution on the annextion of Texas as Tyler is a "lame-duck" President. This leaves the problems with Mexico to incoming President James K. Polk. -
Polk sends Slidell to negotiate with Mexico
Slidell works to get Mexico to sell Califonia and New Mexico territories and to settle a border dispute. He fails to do either. -
Polk sends Zachary Taylor and army towards Rio Grande
Taylor's troops are met by Mexicans and 11 of them are killed. Polk uses this incident to justify war. -
US and Britain settle Oregon dispute
The agreement is that the US has control of the territory south of the 49th parallel and that Britain can freely navigate the Columbia River. -
Wilmot Proviso passes House but fails Senate
The Proviso tried to forbid slavery in any of the new territories that would be gained from the Mexican Cession, but is never passed. -
Americans in California overthrow the Mexican government
John C. Fremont and other Americans in California work with a few dozen soldiers to overthrow Mexican rule in California and make it its own republic. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo and the Mexican Cession
Mexican government agrees that the Rio Grande is the Southern border of Texas and that the American government would take control of California and New Mexico territories for $15 million. -
California Gold Rush
People from the US, as well as from many other countries, move to California in hopes of striking it rich while mining for gold. -
Compromise of 1850
-California is admitted as a free state -Territory from Mexican Cession divided into New Mexico and Utah. These two territories are given popular sovereignty -Land disputed by Texas and New Mexico territory given to new territories if federal government assumed Texas's public debt. -Slave trade banned in DC, but whites could still hold slaves, -Stricter Fugitive Slave Law