The Mexican American War, 1846 - 1848

About this episode

This episode discusses the Mexican American War and its implications for U.S. expansion and Native American populations.

President James K. Polk’s administration was a period of intensive expansion for the United States. After overseeing the final details regarding the annexation of Texas from Mexico, Polk negotiated a peaceful settlement with Great Britain regarding ownership of the Oregon Country, which brought the United States what are now the states of Washington and Oregon. The acquisition of additional lands from Mexico, a country many in the United States perceived as weak and inferior, was not so bloodless. The Mexican Cession added nearly half of Mexico’s territory to the United States, including New Mexico and California, and established the U.S.-Mexico border at the Rio Grande. The California Gold Rush rapidly expanded the population of the new territory, but also prompted concerns over immigration, especially from China, and led to a massive loss of Native American life in the state. All images referenced in this podcast can be found at https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/11-4-the-mexican-american-war-1846-1848 Welcome to A Journey into Human History. This podcast will attempt to tell the whole human story. The content contained in this podcast was produced by OpenStax and is…

People in this episode

Host: Miranda Casturo

Topics covered

• Mexican American War
• U.S. expansion
• California Gold Rush
• immigration
• Native American history

Keywords

• Mexican American War
• James K. Polk
• U.S. expansion
• California Gold Rush
• immigration

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Texas, Oregon Country, Mexico, New Mexico, California, Rio Grande

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