One War, Two Accounts
D2.His.10.3-5
Read both sources, then answer the questions. Compare what each one says.
How Mexico Saw the Border
An information text written for this worksheet. Texas broke away from Mexico in 1836, but Mexico never agreed that Texas was independent. When the United States annexed Texas in 1845, Mexico's government saw it as taking Mexican land. Mexico said that, even so, Texas ended at the Nueces River. The United States claimed Texas reached all the way south to the Rio Grande. In 1846 President Polk sent US soldiers into the land between the two rivers. Mexican soldiers attacked a US patrol there in April 1846. To many people in Mexico, the war began because American soldiers had marched onto Mexican soil.
- 1. How did Mexico's government see the annexation of Texas in 1845?
- 2. What is the last sentence of the text for?
- 3. How far south did the United States claim Texas reached?
President Polk Asks Congress for War
From President James K. Polk's message to Congress, May 11, 1846. The word help line was added for this worksheet. But now, after reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil. Word help: "reiterated menaces" means repeated threats.
- 1. What two things does Polk say Mexico has done besides passing the boundary?
- 2. According to Polk, whose soil was the blood shed upon?
- 3. What do the words "reiterated menaces" suggest Mexico had been doing before?
LessonPrint · D2.His.10.3-5 · Set 5 · free to copy for classroom use