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Spain Settles New Mexico
- Founded in 1598, New Mexico was the oldest colony along New Spain's northwestern frontier.
- There were two major towns: El Paso and Santa Fe.
- Colonists depended on Pueblo Indians for protection, but disease wiped out a lot of the Pueblos.
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Americans Migrate to Texas
- Mexico wanted to allow Americans to live in Mexico, as long as they agreed to become Mexican citizens, worship as Roman-Catholics, and accept the Mexican Constitution
- Stephen F. Austin led American emigrants to start a town (Austin, TX) above Antonio, TX
- By 1835, American settlers (30000 of them) out numbered the Mexicans living in America 6 to 1
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Wilmot Proviso
- Establishedby Whig congressmen David Wilmot of PA
- Banned slavery in any lands won from Mexico
- This proposal highly divided political parties in Congress
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Mormons Move West
- Wanted refuge after Mormon founder, Joseph Smith, was killed by a mob in Illinois
- Brigham Young convinced Mormons to move to "New Zion," a colony along the eastern shore of the Great Salt Lake
- By 1860, 40000+ Mormons lived in the West
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California Seeks Statehood
- October 1849: Leaders held a convention where they drew up their constitution
- Wasn't sure what the state would enter as: a free or slave state? The dicision would make balance between the numebr of free and slave states unequal
- Division over this conflict ultimately led to the Civil War
