U S Congress declares war on Mexico
On May 13 1846 the U.S.Congress overwhelmingly votes in favor of President James K.Polks request to declare war on Mexico in a dispute over Texas.Under the threat of war the United States had refrained from annexing Texas after the latter won independence from Mexico in 1836.
But in 1844 President John Tyler restarted negotiations with the Republic of Texas culminating with a Treaty of Annexation.The treaty was defeated by a wide margin in the Senate because it would upset the slave statefree state balance between North and South and risked war with Mexico which had broken off relations with the United States.But shortly before leaving office and with the support of President-elect Polk Tyler managed to get the joint resolution passed on March 1 1845.
Texas was admitted to the union on December 29. While Mexico didnt follow through with its threat to declare war relations between the two nations remained tense over border disputes and in July 1845 President Polk ordered troops into disputed lands that lay between the Neuces and Rio Grande rivers.In November Polk sent the diplomat John Slidell to Mexico to seek boundary adjustments in return for the U.S.governments settlement of the claims of U.S.
citizens against Mexico and also to make an offer to purchase California and New Mexico.After the mission failed the U.S.army under Gen.
Zachary Taylor advanced to the mouth of the Rio Grande the river that the state of Texas claimed as its southern boundary.Mexico claiming that the boundary was the Nueces Riverto the northeast of the Rio Grande considered the advance of Taylors army an act of aggression and in April 1846 sent troops across the Rio Grande.Polk in turn declared the Mexican advance to be an invasion of U.S.soil and on May 11 1846 asked Congress to declare war onMexico which it did two days later.After nearly two years of fighting peace was established by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signed on February 2 1848.
The Rio Grande was made the southern boundary of Texas and California and New Mexico were ceded to the United States.In return the United States paid Mexico the sum of 15 million and agreed to settle all claims of U.S.citizens against Mexico.READ MORE 10 Things You May Not Know About the Mexican-American War
