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Battle of the Alamo
5,000 Mexican soldiers, lead by General Santa Anna, defeat 189 Anglo-Mexican rebels at a mission church in San Antonio, Texas. -
Texas Independence Declared
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Battle of San Jacinto
General Sam Houston leads American forces to victory over General Santa Anna's Mexican soldiers. The following day, Santa Anna is taken prisoner and forced to sign peace treaties, granting Texas its independence -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty resolved the conflict over the ill-defined border between Maine and Canada (still under British rule). Also settled the boundary of the Minnesota territory. -
War threat over Texas
Mexican General Santa Anna threatens war with the U.S. if Texas is annexed. -
Polk wins election of 1844
"Democrat James K. Polk wins the presidency, defeating Whig Henry Clay by a margin of just a 1.4% of the popular vote; he loses his home state, Tennessee, by 113 votes." -
Texas becomes part of the United States
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A Mexican army crosses Rio Grande and captures an American army patrol, killing 11
This is noted as an immediate cause of the Mexican American War. Polk uses this incident to send a war message to Congress and claims "American blood had been shed on American soil" -
Period: to
Mexican American War
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Oregon Agreement
British agree to establish an Oregon boundary at the 49th parallel, as long as Vancouver Island remains British territory. -
Wilmot Proviso
"In Congress, Democratic rep. David Wilmot introduces the momentous antislavery amendment that later comes to bear his name: the Wilmot Proviso. A proposed attachment to President Polk's request for $2 million to fund the war and to buy territory, the proviso would grant the president his funds only if any territory acquired was made free soil. The Proviso splits the Democratic Party, with southern Democrats unanimously opposing it while northern Democrats support it by a vote of 54-4." -
California Gold Rush begins
Gold is discovered at Sutter's Mill, near Sacramento, CA. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The end of the Mexican American War. California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico, and Arizona are obtained by the United States, making for the largest single land aquisition since the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.