The Mexican-American War

The Mexican-American War, though brief and limited, had a profound influence upon American life. The first successful offensive war in United States history, it added 850,000 square miles, a third of Mexico, to the United States domain. Ulysses S. Grant, who soldiered in it, called it the most disgraceful war the country ever fought. Abraham Lincoln, then a congressman, denounced President Polk's role in starting the war. The outcome triggered the Civil War thirteen years later. This primary source portfolio outlines the course of the war and helps to put it in proper perspective. It discusses the role of the slavery issue, the influence of Manifest Destiny, the boundary disputes, and the enormously important precedent set by James Polk in the use of presidential power in starting and conducting a war. The atmosphere of the times is recreated by letters, newspapers, broadsides, prints, cartoons, photographs, and other documents. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 6 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Heading West * Manifest Destiny * Inside Mexico * Our Country, Right or Wrong? * War Abroad, Dissent at Home * Victory and a Divided Nation 11 Primary Source Documents: * A chronology and map of the Mexican-American War, 1845 to 1848 * The first page of the New York Daily Tribune, May 13, 1846, containing President Polk's war message * The second page of the New York Daily Tribune, May 12, 1846, with a Horace Greeley editorial * The second page of the New York Daily Tribune, May 28, 1846, with a report from the battlefield * A recruiting poster * The first page of an antiwar speech by Congressman Severance from the Appendix to the Congressional Globe, February 4, 1847 * A sheet of battle art * A letter from an American soldier in the field and a transcript * Lincoln's "spot" resolutions from The Congressional Globe, December 22, 1847 * The first page of The American Star, October 20, 1847 * A political caricature sheet