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Website
Digital History

Digital History: War With Mexico [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the reasons President James Polk presented to Congress as justification for a declaration of war against Mexico. Find Polk's war message and the rebuttal by Congressman Davis.
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Mexican War

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the attempt by the United States to purchase land in the Southwest prior to the declaration of war between the two countries. Find out the causes of the war, and see that there was considerable opposition to the war in the...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: War Fever and Antiwar Protests

For Students 9th - 10th
What started out as a prowar inclination of American citizens at the beginning of the Mexican War soon deteriorated. Read about the opposition of politicians, clergymen, and intellectuals to the reasoning for the war, and later for the...
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: Peace

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the peace treaty that ended the Mexican War. See that there were some who wanted to annex the whole of Mexico and were disappointed with the terms of the treaty.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Learning Lab: The Expansion of the United States, 1846 48

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This online lesson plan shows young scholars through primary sources how the borders of the U.S. changed in just a few years. They are asked to analyze maps and use map skills. All maps and worksheets are included as well as additional...
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Article
Texas A&M University

Sons of De Witt Colony Texas: Nueva Espana Nuevas Philipinas Provincia De Tejas

For Students 9th - 10th
Read some first-person excerpts taken from Texas letters accounting events from the Mexican War for Independence from Spain.
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Activity
US Army Center

U.s. Army Center of Military History: Winfield Scott

For Students 9th - 10th
From the book, "Commanding Generals and Chiefs of Staff," by William Gardner Bell, this brief biography of Winfield Scott lists the dates of his many military accomplishments, including his successful capture of Mexico City, ending the...
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Website
PBS

U.s. Mexican War: Biographies

For Students 9th - 10th
As part of the larger site on the Mexican War, here are several biographies of the players, both American and Mexican, of those involved in the politics and fighting.
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Activity
Curated OER

National Park Service: Fort Scott National Historic Site: The Mexican War

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a very brief overview of the Mexican War, organized into the following sections: "Zachary Taylor's Army," "The Army of the West," and "Invasion of Mexico City." Includes links to related articles and websites.
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Handout
Other

Tulane University: Winfield Scott

For Students 9th - 10th
This biography briefly covers the 50-year span of Winfield Scott's military career.
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Unknown Type
Other

About North Georgia: Winfield Scott: A Georgia Notable

For Students 9th - 10th
Resource details the life of Winfield Scott, and his involvement in the removal of the Cherokee, his command in the Mexican War, and and his strategy in the Anaconda Plans.
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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery: 1846: Portrait of a Nation

For Students 3rd - 8th
This site provides a glimpse into the United States in the year 1846. James Polk was president and the Westward Expansion was in full force. The site has nice historical photographs.
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Activity
Other

Californians and the Military: John Charles Fremont and the Bear Flag Revolt

For Students 3rd - 8th
A brief retelling of John C. Fremont's expedition to California. Learn about his confrontation with Mexican authorities that led to the Bear Flag Revolt.
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Article
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: Gutierrez De Lara, Jose Bernardo Maximiliano

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about Jose Gutierrez de Lara, Mexican revolutionary and diplomat. Read about how Gutierrez de Lara was obsessed with the idea of freeing Mexico from Spain.
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Article
Texas State Historical Association

Texas State Historical Association: Battle of Medina

For Students 9th - 10th
A concise synopsis of the Battle of Medina, a part of the Mexican War of Independence against Spanish authority in Mexico.
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Website
Texas State Library and Archives Commission

Texas State Library and Archives Commission: Hard Road to Texas 1836 1845: Aftermath the Reckoning

For Students 9th - 10th
What happened in the 15 years that followed the annexation of Texas? How did the Mexican War end? Read this article to learn about the aftermath of the annexation, and check out primary documents--a "moral map" of the United States and a...
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Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: James Knox Polk: Domestic Affairs

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the domestic policies of the Polk Administration.
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Handout
The White House

The White House: Presidents: Zachary Taylor

For Students 9th - 10th
The White House website gives a very interesting look at the too brief presidency of Zachary Taylor. Read about his solutions for the decisions of whether slavery should be allowed in U.S. territories.
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Activity
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: The Nation Expands: Mexican Cession, 1848

For Students 9th - 10th
See a map of the land acquired by the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, called the Mexican Cession. From Annenberg Media.
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Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

For Students 3rd - 8th
This 3-page article provides a general overview of the Mexican War which resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in Mexico City on February 2, 1848.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: Mexican American War

For Students 9th - 10th
Review the events leading up to, through, and ending the Mexican-American War of the mid-19th century.
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Activity
Other

Civil War Book Reviews

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides good examples of critical book reviews of Civil War literature.
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Handout
San Jacinto Museum of History

San Jacinto Museum: How Did the Battle of San Jacinto Change the World?

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an interesting look at the impact of the Battle of San Jacinto not only for the Republic of Texas, but for places in North America and in Europe. Links to additional information.
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Website
San Jacinto Museum of History

San Jacinto Museum: Commanders in the Field: Mirabeau Lamar

For Students 9th - 10th
This brief biography from San Jacinto Museum hits the high points of Mirabeau Lamar's life as a writer, soldier, and politician.