HIST405N Week 3: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War of 1846

Initial Post Instructions

In preparation for the initial post, consider two (2) of the historical selections below:

The Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Missouri Compromise
Independence of Texas
Mexican War of 1846–1848
The California Gold Rush

Then, in one (1) to two (2) paragraphs, address one (1) of the following:

Which of your two selections do you consider most impactful on Westward Expansion during 1800–1848? Explain why.
Analyze the effects of the ideology of Manifest Destiny on the two historical events that you chose from the list above.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to one peer.
Further the dialogue by building upon their post with information you uncovered while researching.
Include one (1) meaningful scholarly source to demonstrate much depth. A scholarly source can include your textbook, assigned readings, or additional scholarly research.

SOLUTION

Today, I would like to speak on the two historical events that I feel carried a great deal of importance toward expanding our country west and becoming the fifty-state nation that we are now. In my opinion, the California Gold Rush and the Mexican-American War drew massive crowds in their respective directions that would change the landscape of this country forever.

Going from east to west, I will start with the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848. The origins of this war belong to disputes between where the border lied separating the two countries and Mexico’s refusal to meet with American officials regarding the sale of the land that we know as Texas in 1846. Annoyed by Mexico’s unwillingness to speak with him, president James Polk dispatched troops to the Rio Grande border to build a……………………………………………..$5