PBS Video Database:U.S.-Mexican War: Episode 1: Chapter 1

VIDEO PROGRAM

Volume 276: Episode I: Neighbors and Strangers

CLASS QUESTIONS

In 1845, John O'Sullivan wrote the phrase "Manifest Destiny." What was meant by the phrase Manifest Destiny? What was the point of view held by people who opposed Manifest Destiny?

PRIOR TO CLASS VIEWING

Conduct a class on Manifest Destiny.

Use THE U.S.-MEXICAN WAR MAP that shows the topography of the North American continent (without boundaries). Point to regions affected by the war and note their geographical features. Do these features provide clues to the reasons why the U.S. and Mexico went to war? (Places to note: Corpus Christi, Matamoros, Monterrey, Saltillo, Santa Fe, Chihuahua, San Diego, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, Veracruz, Puebla, Mexico City.)

CONNECTIONS TO SEMESTER STUDIES

Review how the U.S. acquired its land:

as a British colony,
as an early republic,
after the Louisiana Purchase, and
fighting for its independence from Spain. What if this treaty had included what is now the U.S. Southwest?

Pose the following questions to the class: If you were a Mexican leader in the early 19th-century, how would U.S. expansionism affect you? How did U.S. leaders view Mexico and its government after its independence?

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Classroom Tips

Review theCLASSROOM TIPS FOR USING ANY VIDEO CHAPTER . Consider dividing the class into focus groups, representing different perspectives, for the purpose of discussing video segments.

Classroom Discussion

Economics: Why did the United States feel that it was important to span from sea to sea? What advantages did that offer the nation in terms of additional deep-water ports and the possibilities of Pacific trade?
Ethnic groups: Who was most affected by the cession of land to the United States?
Political concepts: What are ways in which a country defines its national identity? How might the U.S. and Mexico each define itself on the eve of war? What is meant by "model republic" and "a nation's ideals"?
Conflict resolution: What are some ways to resolve conflicts? How might the U.S. and Mexico have approached this situation?

Small Group Discussion

Ask students to select images of people from the STUDENT ACTIVITIES PACKAGE and write an imaginary biography about the person. How old is he or she? What country is he/she from? What were memorable events in his/her life? How was his/her life and opinion shaped by where they lived? By his/her race? Work? Culture?

Map Skills

Ask the students to draw a map that shows the boundaries between Mexico and the United States in January 1846, after Texas annexation and before the war with Mexico. Have students make a presentation that focuses on some of the special characteristics of this territory.

NCSS Standards	Introduction to The U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848)
I, II, III, IV	In 1846, two neighbors went to war over a border traced by a river...
I, II, V X	The saga of the U.S.-Mexican War began at the Rio Grande, known in Mexico as the Rio Bravo del Norte. The conflict crossed the North American landscape and, as a result, the borders of two countries, and the people who call this land home, were transforme
VIII	Rare daguerreotypes captured the solemn expressions, the dress, the youth and hardship on the faces of Americans and Mexicans who went to war, of Native Americans who witnessed it, and of those whose citizenship changed as the U.S. became the new owner of
V, X	Soon after it ended, fifteen Mexican writers, intellectuals, soldiers and politicians chronicled the war in an effort not only to document its events but to confront the enormous pain of loss. In the United States, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, Robert E. Le
I, III, IX	For those courageous Mexican scholars who chronicled the war, the U.S.-Mexican War was "the first time, [the two nations] came to measure their strength, and to sustain the right of their respective nations..."
V, X	What happened and why the story must be told.

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