PBS Video Database: U.S.-Mexican War: Episode 2: Chapter 1

VIDEO PROGRAM

Volume 277: Episode II: War for the Borderlands

OBJECTIVE

Students will be able to explain the military goals of the U.S. and the internal circumstances that prevented the Mexican government from helping its frontier territories.

CLASS QUESTIONS

How did the situation in New Mexico illustrate Mexico's vulnerability in the face of U.S. expansion?

Why were economic and trade issues so important? What are some current examples of conflicts over trade?

PRIOR TO CLASS VIEWING

Review the CLASSROOM TIPS FOR USING ANY VIDEO CHAPTER .

Use THE U.S.-MEXICAN WAR MAP to call attention to the vast and diverse terrain that is the backdrop of the war. Provide a sense of distances between locations and the time it takes to travel to them.

Locate on the map Polk's three-pronged strategic placement of Taylor's and Kearny's army troops, as well as of the U.S. Navy.
Locate California's coastal ports and discuss their value and importance to Pacific trade.

CONNECTIONS TO SEMESTER STUDIES

Discuss westward migration, including:

The Oregon Trail and the American communities established in the Northwest.
The Mormon migration to the Rockies, which was occurring during the war. Mormon volunteers joined with Kearny to form the Mormon Battalion.

Discuss the effects of westward migration on Native American tribes, such as Pueblo, Navajo, Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne and Ute peoples. How did they react? How did the migration of Eastern tribes to the West affect native peoples living there?

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Ongoing Project

Conduct a classroom discussion on how Mexicans living in the borderland territories may have felt about a lack of support from their government. Did they feel capable of handling threatening situations themselves or did they feel abandoned?
Use THE TEXAS GAME diagram in the CLASSROOM RESOURCE PACKAGE to discuss the resources and living conditions in New Mexico as compared to Texas.

Analyzing for Understanding

Research and write personal stories of interrelationships between American and Mexican traders who were conducting business in Mexico's borderlands. Ask students to compare the similarities and differences of these relationships in Texas, New Mexico and California.
Compare the quotes by Jesús Velasco-Marquez and David Weber found in the STUDENT VIEWING FOCUS SHEETS of this chapter. What insights do their comments provide as to reasons why settlements in New Mexico received little aid from Mexico?

Web Search and Analysis

Ask students to research period maps on the Web. Compare U.S. and Mexican territorial and political interests.

Persuasive Writing

Research the causes for the Mormon immigration to the West. Write a letter to President Polk requesting that the Mormons be allowed to join Kearny's army. Research the Mormon Battalion.

Letting the Numbers Speak

Trace the Santa Fe Trail and show its connections from the U.S. through St. Louis to the interior of Mexico by way of Chihuahua. Ask students to research the quantity and kinds of merchandise that travelled both directions on the route.

Outline or graph the population estimates of various Native American tribes and Mexicans living in New Mexico.

Analysis: Surveyors and Manifest Destiny

Research sources to learn about the vocation of a surveyor or topographical engineer, such as Lt. William Emory. What is the significance of their work, and how does it relate to Manifest Destiny?

NCSS Standards	United States	Mexico
II, III, V, IV	On May 13, 1846, President James K. Polk signed a Declaration of War against Mexico. At that time, two parts of his military strategy were already in place: General Zachary Taylor's army was positioned at the Rio Grande and the U.S. Navy was in the Gulf of Mexico and along the California coast.	Sonora, Sinaloa, Puebla, Jalisco and other Mexican states staged revolts against President Mariano Paredes' government. Yucatan declared its independence once more.
II, III, V, VI	Polk's third strategy was an overland campaign to claim Mexico's northernmost territories of Nuevo Mexico and California. He ordered Colonel Stephen W. Kearny to form the Army of the West, comprised of professional troops and 1,000 volunteers. Kearny and his army began the march west along the Santa Fe Trail in June.	As Paredes struggled with nationwide revolts, he faced the threat of U.S. troops invading northeast Mexico and a U.S. naval blockade of Mexico's gulf ports.
I, II, III, V, VI, VII	On July 28, 1846, Kearny reached Bent's Fort, a trading post on the edge of Mexico's territory. The Bent brothers had strong ties to Mexican and Native American cultures. William married Owl Woman, the daughter of a Cheyenne holy man. Charles Bent married Maria Ignacio Jaramillo, cousin to Governor Armijo.	Paredes could offer no assistance to New Mexico against the oncoming U.S. troops. His presidency was in crisis as his hometown of Guadalajara joined the revolt. Paredes mobilized Mexican troops to lay siege to Guadalajara and put down the rebellion.
I, III, IV		New Mexicans feared the growing influence of Americans like the Bent brothers. But they were without protection or assistance from Mexico's government and wanted to share in the commerce and benefits. The New Mexicans reached a level of understanding with the Americans.

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