MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR DOCUMENTARY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS | HISTORY CHANNEL
Documentary: The Mexican and American War
Run Time: 1:28:56
History Channel
-A controversial war that ultimately enabled America to enjoy greater wealth and security, but called into question our national character.
1. True or False: Lincoln said the war was unconstitutional.
True
2. True or False: Ulysses S Grant thought it was one of the most justified wars ever waged.
False: He thought it was one of the most unjustified wars ever fought.
3. True or False: The goal of the war was to annex all of Mexico.
False: The goal was to expand our western border along the Pacific.
4. What two rivers were the disputed borders between Mexico and the U.S.?
El Río Grande—claimed by the US to be the border (150 miles south of the Nueces)
El Río Nueces—claimed by Mexico to be the border
5. On April 24, 1856, Mexican troops fired on US troops, killing 11 soldiers and taking 52 prisoner.
6. Who was the US President during the war?
Polk.
7. Describe Manifest Destiny.
God intended for his “new chosen people”, the Americans, to settle North America.
8. List some disadvantages Mexico had going into the war.
Obsolete armament. Fewer soldiers. Politically divided. Lack of money.
9. Polk sent 1500 troops to Corpus Christi by steamboat. Within 4 months the number of troops had grown to 4,000.
10. General Zachary Tayler, nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready” commanded the troops.
11. Describe the offer Polk was prepared to make in exchange for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
30M dollars in exchange for Mexico’s Northern Territories.
Rio Grande is the border between the two countries.
12. Slidell and his envoy were sent home by the Mexican government when they found out what?
Polk wanted 50% of Mexico’s land.
13. What Fort was built by the Americans on the Río Grande?
Fort Texas.
14. An armistice is refused and Taylor responds by:
“Setting up and training his cannon on the square of Matamoros.”
15. Polk hoped Mexico would take the offer or:
Fire the first shots.
16. What story did Polk tell the US Congress to motivate them to vote for war?
Mexican troops had come to American territory and killed Americans in America.
17. Was the story true?
No. The land south of the Rio Nueces was generally understood to be Mexican territory.
18. The first major battle of the war was in Palo Alto on May 8, 1846.
19. True or False: The Americans outnumbered the Mexicans.
False. The Americans were 2300 strong and the Mexicans were 3200 strong.
20. What technological advantage did the Americans have?
Flying Artillery—horse drawn cannons.
21. On May 13, 1846 The US declared war. Mariano Paredes decreed Mexico would defend itself.
22. True or False: Polk thought it would be a short war.
True
23. Who was asked to command the Mexican war effort?
Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana, the former Mexican President exiled to Cuba 2 years earlier.
24. Why was this shocking?
He had to pass through a US Naval blockade to get to Mexico—He couldn’t get to Mexico without passing permission from the United States.
25. Describe the American sentiment toward Mexico at the start of the war:
“Punish the Mexicans for having killed the Americans.”
26. True or False: Taylor treated the Mexican civilians so well that some of them felt more secure with him than with their own government.
True
27. True or False: Polk, displeased with Taylor, assigned Winfield Scott to command the US army.
True.
28. True or False: Scott, known as “Fuss and Feathers” thought highly of Taylor.
False.
29. Where did Taylor head with his remaining 6,000 troops?
Monterrey.
30. List three places significant to the battle of Monterrey:
Saddleback Mountain, Independence Hill, The Bishop’s Palace
31. The fighting spirit of the Americans was compared to what in this documentary?
The spirit of soldiers in the Revolutionary War: we could win any war!
32. Taylor agreed to an 8 week armistice.
33. True or False: disobeying orders, Taylor held a defensive position.
False, he moved to fight directly against Santa Ana.
34. True or False: Polk expected little resistance in Mexico’s Northern Territories.
True
35. Who did Polk assign to secure New Mexico and California?
Stephen Watts Kearney
36. What three groups of people had to be managed to secure the area?
The Mexican settlers
The Native Americans fighting with the Mexican settlers
The Mexican soldiers
37. What happy surprise awaited Kearney when he got to Santa Fe?
The Mexican governor of Santa Fe, Manuel Armijo, had sent all of his troops away—not a shot was fired when securing the city.
38. True or False: The American press used this peaceful outcome to promote the idea that Americans were liberating Mexicans from their own government.
True
39. Kit Carson, a US scout, told Kearney that due to the efforts of John Freemont, the people of California had formed the Bear Flag Republic and were ready to join the United States.
40. True or False: The US army was received in California peacefully, like in Santa Fe.
False
41. True or False: Using the flying artillery in California made the battle with resistant Mexicans an easy victory.
False. Kearney had sent nearly all of his troops back to New Mexico. Consequently, he and his troops were nearly all killed.
42. Less than 3 months after war was declared, American troops controlled the Northern Territories.
43. True or False: When Santa Ana realized Scott had taken 2/3 of Taylor’s troops, he decided to move his army north to take on Taylor.
True
44. True or False: Santa Ana wiped out Taylor before returning to Mexico City to resolve a brewing civil war.
False. Though the Mexicans outnumbered the Americans and were winning the battle of Buena Vista, Santa Ana ordered a retreat to Mexico City to deal with infighting between Mexican militias originally organized to assist the Mexican army.
45. Polk initiated a new war strategy starting with an amphibious landing just outside Vera Cruz with 12,000 troops and 80 American warships.
46. True or False: Reinforcements were expected, but never came because Santa Ana was distracted with matters in Mexico City.
True
47. What led to the surrender of Veracruz?
The Mexican resistance ran out of ammunition, functioning weapons, and food.
48. Why was this battle a potentially dangerous international incident?
Many foreign nationals in Veracruz died during the attack.
49. True or False: American support for the war was decreasing.
True. Nearly one year into the war the anti-war movement is growing stronger.
50. Santa Ana realized Winfield Scott had a clear march from Veracruz to Mexico City, so he set up canons along the path, except for one rocky hill he thought was impassable. Under the cover of night, Robert E. Lee, using relays of 500 men, drug cannons to the top of the mountain—a sore surprise for Santa Ana’s men.
51. Once the Mexicans began their retreat, the American’s found an unusual war spoil: Santa Ana’s prosthetic leg.
52. The Americans, like the Mexicans were exhausted. Scott decided to wait for reinforcements in Puebla.
53. Polk sent a diplomat named Nicholas Trist to negotiate the sale of the Northern Territories. Santa Ana had two choices: sell the land or risk the invasion of Mexico City.
54. True or False: Santa Ana used the negotiation opportunity as a delay tactic to rest his soldiers.
True
55. 2 months later the invasion of Mexico City was underway.
56. Santa Ana thought Scott would take the direct route, but instead he ordered his troops to El Pedregal, a rocky area very difficult to cross.
57. True or False: Ulysses S Grant plotted a course for the US soldiers.
False. It was Robert E. Lee.
58. General Gabriel Valencia, one of Santa Ana’s political rivals, moved troops forward to meet Scott, but Santa Ana refused to follow. The troops were defeated in just 15 minutes.
59. Who were Los San Patricios?
A group of American deserters, many Irish, who fought for Santa Ana.
60. What ultimately happened to them?
They were forced to surrender when they ran out of ammunition. Scott divided them in two categories: those who deserted before hostilities officially began were branded and driven out of the service, those who deserted after hostilities officially began were given the death penalty.
61. True or False: Trist once again attempts to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to the war but he is unsuccessful.
True
62. The last obstacle to taking over Mexico City was El Castillo de Chapultepec: both a fortress and a military academy. It was defended by approximately 750 soldiers and 80 cadets.
63. The battle for El Castillo de Chapultepec started on September 12, 1847 and lasted two days.
64. True or False: Santa Ana sent reinforcements to protect El Castillo de Chapultepec.
False
65. Legend has it, when there was only one cadet left, he wrapped himself in a Mexican flag and leapt to his death.
66. Who were Los NiñosHéroes?
The cadets who defended El Castillo.
67. True or False: When American troops entered the city center, El Zócalo, they fought hard to secure the city.
False. There were no troops or Mexican officials there.
68. Why were Mexican government officials so hard to find?
No one wanted to take the blame for signing away half the country.
69. Who was Manuel de la Peña y Peña?
The interim Mexican President.
70. True or False: Trist stays in Mexico and negotiates a treat without Polk’s permission.
True
71. Which US President, 100 years after the war, visited Mexico City and El Castillo de Chapultepec?
President Harry S. Truman
72. What discovery might have significantly impacted the price of the Northern Territories?
The discovery of gold in California.
73. Santa Ana was president of Mexico 11 times. He was exiled to Jamaica until his death in 1876.
74. Polk died of cholera. He didn’t run for another presidential term.
75. Taylor ran for president and won in 1848, but died of a stomach illness 2 years into his term.
76. Scott ran for president in 1852 but lost.
77. Lee, Grant, and McClellan played major roles in The Civil War.