Mexican-American War
1846-1848 · 19th Century
War between the United States and Mexico from April 1846 to February 1848, following the U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico still considered its territory. The conflict resulted in American victories at Palo Alto, Buena Vista, Veracruz, and Mexico City, ultimately leading to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo where Mexico ceded vast territories including California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, and Oklahoma to the United States.
Key Figures
James K. PolkWinfield ScottZachary TaylorAntonio López de Santa AnnaNicholas Trist
Locations
Mexico CityMonterreyPalo AltoBuena VistaVeracruz
Topics
aliforniaGuadalupe Treatyexpansion
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Cortés's landing at Veracruz established the Spanish colonial template for Mexico that lasted 300 years, creating the political and territorial framework that Mexico inherited at independence and subsequently lost to the United States in the Mexican-American War Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire
The war's territorial acquisitions intensified national slavery debates and strengthened fugitive slave laws, making Tubman's escape more urgent as enforcement increased Harriet Tubman escapes slavery
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