texas was a nearly uninhabited part of mexico, lying between louisiana and the rio grande river. it was a fertile region, with a fine climate. the spanish possessors of mexico, in the bigoted and bitter spirit that was traditional with the spaniards toward protestants, and deeply hostile in feeling from the rather high-handed and vigorous proceedings of gen. jackson before and after the cession of florida, did not encourage the settlement of texas; preferring to be separated by a wilderness from the united states. in 1821 the mexicans finally threw off the spanish yoke and established an independent government.
about this time the americans, and especially those of the south, foreseeing the probable spread of the northern part of the republic to the pacific, began to look with covetous eyes on the fine savannas of texas, as[639] an excellent field for land speculations, and also for extending the southern area, so as to keep its balance in the number of slave states equal to the free states of the north, as they had been provided for by the missouri compromise. it was believed to be the plan of mr. calhoun, an able and far-seeing statesman, thoroughly in earnest in the maintenance of slavery, and the political equality of the slave with the free states. a settlement was made by people from the united states. in a few years they grew to be numerous, and came in conflict with the rigid spanish catholic laws, still maintained by the mexicans. the united states government made advances toward purchasing texas, but the mexicans were resolute in their purpose to hold it, and bring its people under the dominion of strict mexican law. the americans resisted this with the settled determination of ultimate separation from mexico, and probable annexation to the united states.
the mexicans undertook to reduce them to submission. the texans, supported by bold and fearless adventurers from the southern states, resisted. the war commenced oct. 2d, 1835, by a battle at gonzalez, followed by various others. march 2d, 1836, the texans formally declared independence, which they maintained by force of arms. march 3d, 1837, the united states government recognized the independence of texas. england did the same in 1842. propositions of annexation had been made to presidents jackson, van buren, and tyler, successively, by the texas government, but as often rejected by them as tending necessarily to a war with mexico; that power having distinctly and repeatedly declared that she should regard such a step as a declaration of war.
the democratic party regaining the ascendency in the election of 1844, made this annexation the issue of the presidential campaign. a majority of the people were in favor of it.
the southern view, however, was not alone in its influence on this decision. indignities and injuries had been inflicted by the mexicans on american citizens in that country; its haughty, exclusive, and unfriendly spirit awakened strong indignation; and the pacific coast of california, with the mining regions of the northern interior of mexico, both nearly uninhabited, were objects of desire to the american people. thus a wish to extend the bounds of the republic, and to chastise an insolent neighbor, combined with the ardent wishes of the pro-slavery interest, to lead the nation to determine on a war, somewhat ungenerously, with a neighbor notoriously too weak and disorganized for effectual resistance to the whole strength of the united states. the whole plan, as afterward carried out, was arranged in the cabinet at washington almost before hostilities had actually commenced.
1846.
mar. 28—gen. taylor takes position with a small army at the mouth of the rio grande opposite matamoras. this the mexican government regard as a declaration of war, for which they had prepared and were waiting.
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apr. 24—hostilities commence by an attack on capt. thornton. he loses 16 men out of 63, and surrenders.
may 8—the battle of palo alto. gen. taylor with 2,300 men defeats 6,000 mexicans. mexican loss 100 killed, 300 wounded; american 4 killed, 40 wounded.
” 9—the battle of resaca de la palma. the mexicans are totally defeated with a loss of about 600; the americans lose about 160. gen. la vega, (mexican,) taken prisoner. the mexicans fled in total rout across the rio grande. the object of the war, so far as texas was concerned, was gained; but the mexicans were still spirited, and california, utah, and new mexico were not gained. an invasion and march on the city of mexico were the next steps.
” 12—congress ordered the raising of 50,000 men, and voted $10,000,000 to carry on the war.
july 6—monterey, on the california coast is taken by the american navy under com. sloat.
” 9—congress re-cedes the virginia portion of the district of columbia to that state.
” 30—the tariff on imported goods is reduced.
aug. 3—president polk vetoes the river and harbor bill.
” 8—he vetoes the french spoliation bill.
” 18—gen. kearney takes possession of santa fe, new mexico, and declared the u. s. authority established over the people.
” 22—california is at this time entirely in the possession of u. s. forces.
sept. 5—gen. taylor, with 6,000 men, commences his march on monterey.
” 21—gen. worth, with 650 men, fights the mexicans near monterey.
” 22—the “bishops palace,” strongly fortified, is stormed and taken.
the previous attacks were directed on the rear of monterey. an advance is now made in front with success.
” 23—the defenses are assaulted in front and rear. the city surrenders. gen. ampudia, the mexican commander, had about 10,000 men and very strong fortifications. a truce of some weeks was agreed upon. gen. santa anna having recently come into power, it was thought peace would be made. this proved delusive.
oct. 25—tobasco bombarded by the u. s. fleet, and the mexican vessels in the port taken or destroyed.
nov. 14—tampico surrenders to com. connor.
dec. 25—battle of bracito. col. doniphan, with 500 men, defeats a mexican force of 1,200. mexican loss 200, american but 7 wounded, none killed.
1847.
jan. 8—the mexican congress votes $15,000,000 to carry on the war, to be raised on the property of the church.
feb. 23—the larger part of gen. taylor’s army was withdrawn from him to support gen. scott in his march from vera cruz on the city of[641] mexico. gen. taylor, with only 4,500 men, is attacked by santa anna with 20,000 men. santa anna is completely defeated with a loss in killed and wounded of 2,000. american loss 264 killed, 450 wounded, 26 missing.
mar. 1—gen. kearney proclaims california annexed to the united states.
” 3—a bill admitting wisconsin into the union passed.
” 9—gen. scott landed 12,000 men at vera cruz.
” 18—the cannonade of vera cruz commences.
” 26—vera cruz capitulates to gen. scott.
apr. 18—the battle of cerro gordo. santa anna is defeated. he had 12,000 men. gen. scott 8,500. the mexicans lost 1,100 in killed and wounded, and 3,000 prisoners. gen. scott lost in killed and wounded, 430. the mexicans were vigorously pursued april 19, and the city of jalapa taken possession of.
” 22—gen. worth takes possession of the town and castle of perote.
may 15—puebla is entered. it is the second city in mexico. offers of peace were now made by the americans but rejected by the mexicans.
aug. 11—the army advances to the neighborhood of the city of mexico.
” 19—the battle of contreras. americans successful in cutting the enemy’s communications. the americans march in the night to attack a fortified camp which is carried at sunrise. american force 4,500, mexican 7,000. mexican loss in killed, wounded and prisoners, about 4,000; american, 66.
” 20—cherubusco, a fortified hill, stormed and taken by gen. worth with 9,000 men. an armistice is now agreed on, and peace offered, but the mexicans still hold to their first terms, and refuse to give up territory.
sept. 8—the mexicans determine to yield only to absolute force, and the american army again advances. battles of molinos del rey, and casa mata. the mexicans are largely superior in numbers and fight with determined valor, but are overcome. american loss 800.
” 13—battle of chapultepec. this fortress was the last exterior defense to the city of mexico. it was once the site of the “palace of the montezumas.” the mexican force within and outside the fortress 20,000. the american force 7,180. mexican loss in killed, wounded, prisoners and deserted, about 14,000; american, 900. a part of the army gained a foothold in the city of mexico.
” 14—gen. scott enters mexico in triumph.
oct. 9—battle of huamantla. santa anna again defeated.
” 18—again at attixco, with heavy loss. santa anna is now deserted by his troops, and resigns his office.
nov. 11—the mexican congress assembles, and appoints commissioners to treat for peace.
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1848.
feb. 2—a treaty of peace signed at guadalupe hidalgo (a town four miles from mexico).
” 23—john quincy adams expires at washington.
may 20—the treaty having been ratified by the president and senate of the u. s., march 10, it was followed by that of the mexican government on this day.
” 23—peace was proclaimed in the american camp.
the war was now over. the mexicans relinquished all claim to texas, and ceded upper california and new mexico to the united states. in return the united states gave them $18,500,000 of which $3,500,000 was due by a former treaty to citizens of this country and paid them by our government.
it will not be easy for an american to wholly condemn an act that gave us california and the fertile valleys and vast mining territory of the pacific slope as well as new mexico, or the chastisement which the mexicans had merited for their barbarity; though he may blame the eagerness for the acquisition of territory and the support of slavery that led us to invade another country and humble her pride. the ability of americans as soldiers would appear by this war to be unrivalled, and, in that view arouses our pride. the moral sense of the world must ever be shocked by war, though there seem many cases in which it is far the least of two evils. our government was fairly generous so far as it dared be in dealing with the vanquished, as soon as its demands for territory were satisfied. it is also evident that this territory will be better developed and governed than would have been the case under mexican rule.
aug. 14—oregon receives a territorial government.
nov.—gen. taylor was elected president this month and millard fillmore vice president.
1849.
jan. 26—postal treaty with england concluded.
mar. 3—minnesota receives a territorial government.
” 4—gen. taylor inaugurated president.
may 7—gen. worth, a very gallant officer of the mexican war, died.
sept.—a state constitution is formed by the people of california, which excludes slavery.
dec. 31—the house of representatives ballots 63 times for a speaker, and now elects howell cobb, of geo.
gold was discovered in california, in feb. 1848, and through 1849 emigrants—gold seekers—were arriving there by tens of thousands. by the end of this year it was a populous region. the mass of american immigrants were from the northern states, and disapproved of slavery, while the special end of the mexican[643] war was to procure more territory for that institution. at this time a violent contest was waged in congress over that admission. it was not ended until late in the following year.
1850.
jan.—gen. twiggs obtains the consent of the seminoles of florida to emigrate to the indian territory.
feb. 13—president taylor sends the constitution of california to congress. there were many threats of secession in case california was admitted free.
mar. 7—mr. webster’s great speech for the union.
may 8—the “omnibus bill” reported by henry clay.
” 18—a private expedition from the south under command of lopez invades cuba. they are driven off with a loss of 30 killed and executed as pirates, on the 19th. the remainder returned to key west on the 22d of the same month.
july 9—death of president taylor. fillmore becomes acting president.
sept. 9-20—a committee of thirteen, of which henry clay was chairman, had been appointed apr. 19th, and they had prepared four measures forming a compromise between the north and south as to slavery, which were debated and passed into laws, receiving the concurrence of the president: first, the south conceded to the north the admission of california as a free state, and the abolition of the slave trade in the district of columbia; second, the north conceded to the south a stringent fugitive slave law, and the organization of territorial governments in new mexico and utah without mention of slavery, but in the understanding that they were finally to form slave states. the real gain was to the north, as anti-slavery was advanced two steps, while the fugitive law could not be generally enforced in the north from the invincible aversion of the people to it, and the southern people were not sufficiently migratory in their habits to introduce slavery into distant regions not naturally adapted to that institution. still the question was laid aside for the present.
nov. 19—richard m. johnson, a former vice-president of the u. s., died.
dec. 16—a treaty of amity and commerce ratified with switzerland.
1851.
mar. 3—a cheap postage law passed by congress.
john c. calhoun, the most eminent of southern statesmen, died.
1852.
june 28—henry clay, orator and statesman, died.
july 3—a branch mint established at san francisco, cal.
oct. 24—daniel webster died. these three were the ablest and most esteemed statesmen of their day.
nov.—the seventeenth presidential election occurred. franklin pierce was elected. he was the democratic nominee. gen. scott, whig, was defeated.
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1853.
mar. 4—pierce inaugurated president.
aug. 11—proclamation of president pierce against the invasion of cuba by armed americans.
1854.
mar. 23—an important treaty of commerce negotiated with the empire of japan by com. perry, which opened a new era in the progress of that country, and of united states commerce and influence in asia.
may 30—the failure of the compromise measures of 1850 to realize the hopes of the south from the rapid development of anti-slavery views in the north caused the subject to be again agitated, and the missouri compromise, which stopped the formation of slave states north of its south boundary line, was repealed; the question of the admission of slavery into kansas and nebraska, both being north of that line, being referred by the famous “kansas-nebraska bill” to the “squatters,” or first settlers. this was called “squatter sovereignty.” this measure gave satisfaction to the south, but was strongly reprobated by many of the northern people. both sides prepared to renew the contest there, and civil war raged in kansas for near three years. each side sought to secure its end which terminated in favor of the north. the south could not compete with it in numbers nor drive the extra numbers away. this was the last hope of the south for preserving equilibrium in the general government.
the democratic party in the north, anxious to soothe and conciliate the south, and not holding so advanced opinions against slavery, was still strong enough to maintain itself in power in the administration; but the republican party, formed about this time by the dissolution of the whig party, constantly grew in numbers and influence, and, by the end of the next administration its numbers were so large and the ultimate result so certain that the south resolved on secession rather than give up their favorite institution.
1855.
feb. 24—the court of claims, an important relief to congress and to claimants against the government, was established in washington, by congress.
1856.
mar. 4—a free state legislature assembles in kansas. it adopted a constitution and prepared to apply for admission into the union.
nov.—the eighteenth presidential election took place. james buchanan was elected against j. c. fremont and millard fillmore. buchanan was the democratic candidate; fremont, republican, and fillmore, american, or “know nothing” candidate.
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1857.
feb. 2—nathaniel banks of mass., a republican, is elected speaker of the house of representatives. it had required two months and 133 ballotings to settle this point; indicating the nearly equal balance of parties, and the final success of the republican element in the popular branch of congress.
mar. 4—buchanan inaugurated president.
the next three years (after the decision of the kansas troubles) were marked by the unnatural quiet that forebodes the storm. anti-slavery feeling was maturing in the north, and discontent and secession tendencies in the south.
1858.
may 11—minnesota admitted into the union as a state.
1859.
feb. 14—oregon admitted into the union as a state. the admission of these two without any corresponding ones in the south indicated the strength of northern sentiment, and that the south had given up the struggle in that way. john brown’s raid on harper’s ferry, in this year, as showing the tone of northern feeling, still further estranged the south from the union.
