PBS Video Database: U.S.-Mexican War: Episode 1: Chapter 6

OBJECTIVE

Students will learn how the U.S. Army, under the leadership of General Zachary Taylor, prepared for war with Mexico.

CLASS QUESTIONS

When James K. Polk became president of the United States, he also became commander-in-chief of the nation's military forces. He had no personal military experience, but he was willing to use the military to achieve his goals. Polk's hands-on leadership during the war was a model that Abraham Lincoln studied carefully.

What clues are in the story of the U.S. Army at Corpus Christi that reveal information about American society in the mid-19th century? What clues reveal how Gen. Taylor's troops will perform during a war?
What happens when one country wants territory claimed by another country that refuses to part with it?

PRIOR TO CLASS VIEWING

Review the CLASSROOM TIPS FOR USING ANY VIDEO CHAPTER .

Use THE U.S.-MEXICAN WAR MAP to locate the places where the first stages of the U.S.-Mexican War unfold:

CONNECTIONS TO SEMESTER STUDIES

Why did Gen. Taylor camp along the Nueces River? The territory claimed by the Republic of Texas was brought into the Union upon annexation. Mexico claimed that the Nueces rather than the Rio Grande was the actual border with Texas. Each side disputed the other's claims based on past treaties and boundaries that were not surveyed. This was not uncommon in the 19th century. The bottom line was that the land between the two rivers was "disputed territory."

George Washington renounced his military status to become president of the United States, setting an example and helping to establish the principle that the military is subordinate to the civilian government. Compare this model to the model in Mexico where this principle had not yet been established.

Study the role of the U.S. president as commander-in-chief. What do those responsibilities entail?

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Ongoing Project Ask students to write journals about the war and military life from the perspectives of Mexican or U.S. soldiers. Consider developing the journals into a multimedia presentation.

Web Search and Analysis

Ask students to research and compare similarities and differences of online reproductions of period maps that detail the disputed territory.

A Shared Experience: Navigating Through History -- Cartography of the Lower Rio Grande
http://www.rice.edu/armadillo/Past/Book/Part6/part6.html

NCSS Standards	United States
III, V, VIII	General Zachary "Rough and Ready" Taylor was 61 years old and a veteran of the second Seminole War. Although he was described by one man as looking like an old farmer going to market with eggs, Taylor inspired loyalty among his troops.
III, VI, VIII	From July 1845 until March 1846, Taylor prepared 4,000 officers and enlisted men for war along the shore of the Gulf Coast and on the banks of the Nueces River. Half of the soldiers were recent immigrants who were barely trained and poorly paid. Many officers were graduates of West Point Academy and had a solid understanding of military tactics and strategy.
III	One officer, in particular, stood out among the enlisted men: Major Samuel Ringgold. With constant drilling, he turned his "flying artillery" unit into one of the most valuable assets of Taylor's army.
VIII	Tensions mounted as the army troops waited to see what Mexico would do and how Polk would respond.

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