American Spirit 17

B. Provoking War with Mexico

pp. 386 – 391
1. Charles Sumner Assails the Texas Grab (1847)
 Boston-bred and graduated from Harvard, Charles Sumner, a soon to be U.S. senator,
one of most impressive orators of his day
 Sway vast audiences
 Foe of war, preached arbitration, enemy of slavery, demanded abolition, champion of
race equality, fought the MA law forbidding marriages between whites and blacks
 1847 – Midst of war w/ Mexico, the MA legislature adopted this document, Sumner
prepared -> BLASTING ANNEXATION OF TEZAS
 Overplayed the slave conspiracy accusation, made multiple points.
 Immigration from U.S. to TX
 Defiance of Mexico’s ordinance of freedom
 Called it a disgraceful robbery, in seeking extension of slavery
2. President James Polk Justifies the Texas Coup
(1845)
 United States tried to wrest Texas from Spain under vague terms of Louisiana Purchase,
abandoned claims in swap that netted the Floridas in 1819
 Texan-Americans staged a successful revolt against Mexico in (a835-36)
 3 days before Polk took office on March 4, 1845
 John Tyler signed joint resolution of Congress offering the Republic of Texas annexation
to the U.S.
 Accept terms on June 23, 1845
 Tension heightened by interest of Britain and France in making Texas a satellite
 Texas expressed desire
 Annexation only concerns, U.S. and Texas
 Danger to U.S. if Texas remains a country
3. The Cabinet Debates War (1846)
 Eager to purchase CA from Mexico
 Mexicans, though bankrupt, refused to sell.
 Also threatened war over the annexation of TX, and defaulted on payment of claims to
Americans for damage during revolutionary disturbance
 Polk made last hope effort to buy CA and adjust other disputes when he sent John Slidell
to Mexico as an envoy in late 1845
 Mexico refuses to negotiate
 Polk orders General Taylor to move army from Corpus Christi on Nueces River to Rio
Grande del Norte
 Mexicans did not attack the invader
 Polk recommended cabinet a declaration of war, on basis of unpaid damage claims and
Slidell’s rejection
 All except secretary of the navy gave advice to Polk on making a message to Congress
about a declaration of war on Mexico
4. The President Blames Mexico (1846)
 Whigs regard Polk as a willing tool of the expansionist southern “slavocracy” condemned
him as a liar for allegations that Mexico had provoked the war
 U.S. exerting best efforts to propitiate good will
  Mexico’s fault for ignoring U.S,
5. A British View of the Mexican War (1847)
 Criticizes America’s imperial ambition in war -> CARTOON
 Shows Polk as ignoring Washington’s wishes and just power hungry