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Relationship with Other Events- Manifest Destiny
"...our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federated self-government entrusted to us."
-John L. O' Sullivan, New York journalist, 1845
The Trails
Trails such as the Oregon Trail, Sante Fe Trail, Old Spanish Trail, and the Mormon Trail encouraged people to move westward and settle there. Trails like the Sante Fe Trail and Old Spanish Trail ran through Mexican Texas and other southwestern states. This made it easier for people to settle in these areas. Eventually this lead to many Americans living in Texas and other Mexican areas. This then lead to the annexation of Texas as the Texan Americans wanted Texas to become a part of the U.S.
The Sante Fe Trail was also used during the Mexican-American War, which was an effect of the annexation of Texas. The U.S. used the trail to send troops to occupy New Mexico. This eventually led to America winning the war, and states like New Mexico joined the U.S. Without these trails that promoted westward expansion and helped in wart, Texas and other southwestern states probably wouldn't be a part of the U.S. today.
The Trails and Westward Expansion
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The Battle of the Alamo
In the December of 1835, the Battle of the Alamo broke out. It was one of the first battles in the Texan war for independence from Mexico. After suffering a huge loss, the Texans used it as motivation for future battles. The Texans eventually went on to win their independence. Because of this, they were soon able to join the Union with the annexation of Texas. Therefore, the annexation of Texas wouldn't have occurred without battles like the Battle of the Alamo that enabled Texas to break free from the shackles of Mexico.
The Battle of the Alamo
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The California Gold Rush
The annexation of Texas led to the Mexican-American War which in turn led to the Mexican Cession. Because of the Mexican Cession and the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, America gained California. Six days before the treaty was signed, gold was found in California on January 24, 1848, by John W. Marshall at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Neither America or Mexico could have ever imagined that the streams of California would soon yield a fortune of gold. This initial gold that was found sparked the Gold Rush that would bring even more American settlers to the West and help fulfill the idea of Manifest Destiny, and none of it would have happened without the annexation of Texas.
The California Gold Rush
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The Gadsden Purchase
Even after the Mexican-American War ended, tensions between the two nations remained high. This complicated American efforts to find a southern route for a transcontinental railroad as all possible routes ran through Mexican territory. For this reason, America needed to make the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853, which gave them the land they needed for the railroad. This has to do with the annexation of Texas because the annexation led to the Mexican-American War which led to tension. Also, the southern route wouldn't even have been possible without the annexation because it ran through Texas as well as some other states acquired through the Mexican Cession. All in all, the Gadsden Purchase which created the U.S.-Mexican border, expanded the U.S., and allowed for another transcontinental railroad in the name of Manifest Destiny, would probably have never occurred if it wasn't for Texas.
The Gadsden Purchase
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