Mexican–American War facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mexican–American War
Clockwise from top left: Winfield Scott entering Plaza de la Constitución after the Fall of Mexico City, U.S. soldiers engaging the retreating Mexican force during the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, American victory at Churubusco outside Mexico City, U.S. Marines storming Chapultepec castle under a large American flag, Battle of Cerro Gordo
Date April 25, 1846 – February 3, 1848 (1 year, 9 months, 1 week and 1 day) Location Texas, New Mexico, California; Northern, Central, and Eastern Mexico; Mexico City Result American victory Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexican recognition of U.S. sovereignty over Texas (among other territories) End of the conflict between Mexico and Republic of Texas Territorial changes Mexican Cession
Strength
73,532 regulars and volunteers	70,000 regulars 12,000 irregulars
Casualties and losses
1,733 killed in battle (1,721 soldiers, 11 Marines, and 1 sailor) 4,152 wounded	10,000 regulars dead (5,000 killed in battle)
Including civilians killed by the war's violence and military disease and accidental deaths, the Mexican death toll may have reached 25,000.

The Mexican–American War took place between 1846 and 1848 between the United States of America and Mexico.

Why did the war happen?

After Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, the border between the two countries wasn't very clearly defined. This led to a lot of confusion and disagreements, especially about a region called Texas.

Texas was once part of Mexico, but many Americans moved there. By the 1830s, there were more Americans than Mexicans living in Texas. These Americans wanted more independence and eventually fought for it, winning their own independence in 1836 and declaring the Republic of Texas. However, Mexico still claimed Texas as its own.

The United States was interested in Texas, too. Adding Texas to the U.S. would mean more land and resources. In 1845, Texas officially joined the United States. Mexico refused to recognize the annexation, claiming that Texas remained Mexican territory. This disagreement over the border, particularly the Rio Grande River, became a major point of contention. Mexico claimed the Nueces River as the border, while the United States insisted on the Rio Grande.

Border dispute

In April 1846, a clash between U.S. and Mexican troops near the disputed border area, known as the Thornton Affair, provided the immediate trigger for the war. A small detachment of U.S. soldiers under Captain Thornton encountered a larger Mexican force. The resulting skirmish, though relatively small in scale, was enough to escalate tensions and prompt President James K. Polk to ask Congress for a declaration of war.

Overview

General Antonio López de Santa Anna was a military hero who became president of Mexico on multiple occasions. The Mexican Army's intervention in politics was an ongoing issue during much of the mid-nineteenth century.

The United States sent two major armies into Mexico under the commands of General Winfield Scott and future President of the United States General Zachary Taylor.

After the U.S. had entered Mexico, the Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna took command of the Mexican soldiers in early 1847. The U.S. forces fought Santa Anna near Monterrey and Buena Vista. After Buena Vista, the Mexican army had many problems, including starvation, disease, and desertion. The Mexican government was unstable. In March 1847, Scott landed at Veracruz. His force included future Civil War generals Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson and George G. Meade, as well as Commodore Perry. Scott took Puebla in May, and took Mexico City in September after the battle of Battle of Chapultepec.

When American soldiers came to California, the Bear Flag Revolt was happening. Some Californians were attempting to leave Mexico and form their own country, as Texas had done. In July and August 1846, American soldiers captured Monterey, Yerba Buena and Los Angeles. After a counterattack by the Californios, the Americans had taken much of California by 1847. The Mexican governor of California, Pio Pico, left the state.

Key events

The Mexican-American War was fought across a vast expanse of territory, from the southwestern United States to northern Mexico. The war saw a series of significant battles, each with its own unique characteristics.

• The Battle of Palo Alto (May 8, 1846): This was one of the first major battles. General Taylor's American forces defeated the Mexican army. The Americans had better artillery (big cannons!), which gave them a significant advantage.

• The Battle of Resaca de la Palma (May 9, 1846): Just one day after Palo Alto, the Americans won another victory, further pushing the Mexican army back.

• The Siege of Veracruz (March 9 – 29, 1847): General Winfield Scott led a large American force to capture the important port city of Veracruz. This was a long and difficult siege, but the Americans eventually won.

• The Battle of Cerro Gordo (April 18, 1847): Another significant American victory, this battle helped pave the way for the capture of Mexico City.

• The Battle of Chapultepec (September 12–13, 1847): This battle was crucial in the capture of Mexico City. The Americans faced strong resistance, but ultimately prevailed.

• The Capture of Mexico City (September 14, 1847): The capture of Mexico City was a major turning point in the war. It showed the Americans' dominance and significantly weakened Mexico's ability to continue fighting.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Territorial organization of Mexico between the First and Second Centralist Republic. Marked by red line is the land claimed for the republic of Texas.

The United States won the war and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo] in 1848. The treaty gave the U.S. lands that would become the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, southwestern Colorado, and southwestern Wyoming. Mexico received 15 million dollars and gave up its claims to Texas.

Numbers and facts

• Years of the war: 1846-1848
• Approximate number of American soldiers: Around 100,000
• Approximate number of Mexican soldiers: Around 50,000 to 75,000 (estimates vary)
• American casualties (killed and wounded): Around 13,000
• Mexican casualties (killed and wounded): Estimates vary greatly, but likely much higher than American casualties.

Legacy

The Mexican-American War had a profound and lasting impact on both the United States and Mexico. It led to significant territorial changes, shaping the map of North America as we know it today.

This war also raised important questions about the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories, which would later contribute to the tensions leading up to the American Civil War. This is a complex topic, but it's important to understand that the Mexican-American War had far-reaching consequences that extended beyond the immediate conflict.

Images for kids

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  The 1832 boundaries of Comancheria, the Comanche homeland

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  Comanches of West Texas in war regalia, c. 1830.

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  Mexico in 1824 with the boundary line with the U.S. from the 1818 Adams-Onis Treaty that Spain negotiated with the U.S.

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  U.S. Army full dress and campaign uniforms, 1835–1851.

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  Abraham Lincoln in his late 30s as a Whig member of the U.S. House of Representatives, when he opposed the Mexican–American War. Photo taken by one of Lincoln's law students around 1846.

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  Ex-slave and prominent anti-slavery advocate Frederick Douglass opposed the Mexican–American War.

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  Henry David Thoreau spent a night in jail for not paying poll taxes to support the war and later wrote Civil Disobedience.

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  War News from Mexico (1848)

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  Gen. Kearny's annexation of New Mexico Territory, August 15, 1846

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  A replica of the first "Bear Flag" now at El Presidio de Sonoma, or Sonoma Barracks

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  Reenactors in U.S. (left) and Mexican (right) uniforms of the period

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  The Battle of Monterrey September 20–24, 1846, after a painting by Carl Nebel

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  Battle of Buena Vista

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  Bombardment of Veracruz

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  Battle of Cerro Gordo, lithograph courtesy of the Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.

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  The Battle of Molino del Rey

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  The Battle of Chapultepec

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  U.S. Army occupation of Mexico City in 1847. The U.S. flag flying over the National Palace, the seat of the Mexican government. Carl Nebel.

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  Battle of Churubusco by J. Cameron, published by Nathaniel Currier. Hand tinted lithograph, 1847. Digitally restored.

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  The mass hanging of Irish Catholic soldiers who joined the Mexican side, forming the Saint Patrick's Battalion

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  Mexican territorial claims relinquished in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in white

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  The Mexican Cession, shown in red, and the later Gadsden Purchase, shown in yellow

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  Second lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant

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  "An Available Candidate: The One Qualification for a Whig President." Political cartoon about the 1848 presidential election, referring to Zachary Taylor or Winfield Scott, the two leading contenders for the Whig Party nomination in the aftermath of the Mexican–American War. Published by Nathaniel Currier in 1848, digitally restored.

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  Obelisk to the Niños Héroes, Mexico City, 1881

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  Commemorative plaque to the San Patricios, Mexico City, 1959

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  Palmetto Regiment Monument, State House grounds, Columbia, S.C. Wrought iron 1858. Sculptor: Christopher Werner

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  "American Army Entering the City of Mexico" by Filippo Constaggini, 1885. Architect of the Capitol

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  Mormon Battalion monument, Fort Moore Pioneer Monument (1950), showing raising the U.S. flag in Los Angeles, 1847

See also

In Spanish: Intervención estadounidense en México para niños