The Mexican Cession in 1848 gained the United States 830,000 sq miles of territory. Some American politicians wanted to annex more or all of Mexico. John C. Calhoun for example wanted more territory for farmland, but not the large population centers of the country. If the United States pushed hard enough they probably would have got Baja California, Sonora, & Chihuahua, along with all the territory they got from the original cession.
Largest Mexican Cession?
- Thread starter The_Shortline_Gamer_KSP
- Start date
I wonder how they would do that. Mexico certainly wouldn't like the idea of becoming America's southern puppet.
I think Baja and Sonora would be the most likely option for annexation. Considering the US almost got Baja in the peace negotiations.
Mexico certainly didn't like losing nearly a million square miles of territory, I think turning them into an economic satellite wouldn't be the end of the world for the U.S.
The problem, politically and socially, is that more territory is also equated in the minds of Northerners with more attempts at slave states, the expansion of slavery that comes with it, and more political power to the South.
Well exactly how many more miles of desert can be swallowed without Congress rejecting the Treaty or northerners starting to talk secession? Or at least an electoral backlash leading to a boosting of the Whigs (and maybe some Free Soil Democrats) in the North?
FillyofDelphi
Banned
Well, can we butterfly in a brief delay/extension of the Oregon border discussion with Great Britain? Polk and his administration did adopt an All of Oregon plank for a spell and threatened to unilaterally occupy the territory (Where American settlers outnumber British by roughly 10:1 by that time). If you can somehow get the Northerners their territory, there's certainly enough moderate Whigs and northern Democrats to agree to a 'sectional balance' (Perhaps the Whigs operating the assumption California will be free)
In that case, adding Sonora to the mix is far from impossible. Especially if the Doughlas belief that slavery would be kept out by geography and climate managed to gain traction in people's minds.
Why is the bottom of Vancouver island cut off? OTL both parties realized that would be stupid and avoided it and why is Yucatan American.This:
This map seems illogical.
I think the Yucatan is included because there was (allegedly) an offer made by the leader of the Yucatan Republic to the United States for annexation. During the Mexican-American War the U.S. Navy not only blockaded Mexican Ports, but the Ports of Yucatan as well. And so the story goes that the leader of Yucatan proposed annexation by the United States in exchange for ending the blockade. The story is mentioned in the Wikipedia article for the Yucatan Republic, but a citation is needed, so it could all be fake.
Aside from that possibility, it could just be that the Yucatan was a rebellious part of Mexico claiming independence at the time, which might make it more friendly to the idea of appealing to the U.S. to secure its freedom from Mexico. But that's all speculation on my part.
Interesting.
I have no doubt that the Americans could hold the territory I just have a preference for less ugly borders.
So is Manifest Destiny. Ten thousand miles of land for the White Protestant ... without enough White Protestants to fill it.
Britain would told Polk to piss up a rope. There's a good reason why that one was all bluster.
But the map was what Polk wanted, not what he could have got.
With regards to the Mexican cession. He could have easily gotten all of that Mexican territory. Perhaps even the southern portion of Vancouver Island, which is shown. He knew that anything more than that would have been war and he wisely backed down.
Frankly, for bluster he did pretty well. While Americans wanted 'all' of the Oregon territory most Brits wanted all the territory above the Columbia. The British didn't get that, but did keep the island. I imagine even in the late 1840's most Americans thought that sooner or later if the US wanted more of Canada their numbers would make it happen. Time was on their side. Either way, Polk's choice to negotiate with words with the UK while backing Texas/Mexico theater with the threat (and eventual use) of force worked out quite well.
As for the Mexican cession size, from what I can remember I think the US was pretty lucky to get a treaty at all. Trying to keep even more territory, including Baja and Sonora would have only made getting out with a treaty (and thus a much needed end to the conflict) far more unlikely. Attempting the stretch that the map portrays would make a treaty likely impossible.
I think Sinaloa is stretching it to far. Baja, Sonora, and Chihuahua is a bit more doable.
I don't think the US was interested in puppeting parts of Mexico. If they wanted control over the territory, the US would have just directly annexed it.