At the following link, view all 6 parts of the History Channel Documentary: “The Mexican American War”=
To comply with ADA requirements, a companion pieces of the film can be accessed at the following site:
You are also required to read the following primary documents at the provided links, presenting pros and cons for entering a War with Mexico:
1. Rep. Joshua Giddings, Debate on the Mexican War, House of Representatives, Washington, May 13, 1846 (complete)
2. President James K. Polk, To the Congress of the United States: A Special Message Calling for a Declaration of War against Mexico, Washington, May 11, 1846 (complete)
Answer the following study questions in a 600-word minimum essay, quoting the film, YOUR TEXTBOOK, and the primary documents at least once each in your essay to help support your conclusions. (4 quotes total required). Do not answer in bullet points or in a numbered list, but write at least 3 full paragraphs in answering these questions posed. At the end of your essay YOU MUST post a study question of your own for your fellow students to consider and answer in their response posts.
1. Provide full identification of your sources, film, textbook and documents, with their description, dates, names, producers, publishers, places, purposes, etc.
2. What were the arguments, both for and against, the United States entering into a war with Mexico?
3. How did the War with Mexico further the notion of Manifest Destiny in the minds of the American people?
4. What role did the socio-political aspects of the institution of Slavery in the USA play in forming the provisions of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?
5. What comparisons, both similar and different, can you make between the historical information in your textbook, in the documentary, and the primary documents concerning the US War with Mexico?