Mormon Reading

Happy Leap Day!

Finish today's classwork:

Read pages 525-528.

On page 528 complete the identification and answer questions 1 and 2.

St. Patrick's Battalion

During the Mexican-American War roughly 9,000 American soldiers deserted the army, the highest desertion rate in U.S. history. Many soldiers left because of economic reasons, choosing to take their three month advanced pay and return back to the United States to their farms and families. Others left because of the harsh living conditions of military life and the cruel treatment of commanding officers. A number of U.S. soldiers left the army and fought for Mexico.

Commanding officers were often well-educated men from West Point and the Virginia Military Institute who had difficulties disciplining their men. Many officers resorted to severe public punishments to try and deter any future disciplinary problems. Despite these efforts, several cases of drunken American soldiers looting at times Mexican homes and villages were documented.

For Irish and German soldiers, life in the U.S. military was very challenging. Army officers as well as other enlisted men often persecuted the immigrants and Catholics were forbidden to worship while they were serving. Over time, some immigrants began to feel that the war was only being fought to expand slavery and make the plantation owners of the South richer.

The Irish soldiers were shocked by the American treatment of Mexican civilians, and began to empathize with the Mexicans. American actions in Mexico were reminiscent of British actions in Ireland. Like the United States, Great Britain is a Protestant nation. The British government took over Catholic property and destroyed Catholic Churches in Ireland. Some Irish and German soldiers felt that they should come to the assistance of Catholic Mexico.

The Mexican government was actively recruiting support from immigrant deserters. The Mexican government had handbills printed in French, German, and English that reminded combatants that Mexico “lived in peace and friendship” with their home nations. It encouraged foreign born soldiers to fight for their “shared imperiled religion”. The Mexican government also offered three hundred and fifty acres of land and gold to any U.S. solider that joined their army.

John Riley, an Irish immigrant from Galway had encouraged his fellow Irishmen to abandon the U.S. and fight for Mexico. Riley's soldiers became known as the Saint Patrick's Battalion or San Patricos. The Battalion was considered to be one of the best for the Mexican army, whose soldiers were decorated for their valor and bravery in several battles. General Santa Anna himself was to have said that he could have won the war if he only had 100 more Irish soldiers.

The Battalion was captured following the battle of Churubusco, outside Mexico City. Several times the Mexican army attempted to surrender, only to be stopped by members of the Battalion who urged them to fight on. At the end of the battle, 48 men were captured were found guilty of treason and sentenced to be executed by hanging.

General Taylor ordered that the execution take place on September 12th at dawn, just as the American flag was being raised above the city of Churubusco. Taylor wanted the sight of the American flag to be the last image the traitors would see, brining that “image to hell with them.” Typically, soldiers who were found guilty of treason were executed by firing squad, a more honorable death then hanging. Hanging was only reserved for spies, the worst type of punishment for the lowest class of soldier. The deserters were branded with the letter "D" on their cheek, a punishment that they were to carry for the rest of their lives.

The U.S. military did not formally acknowledge the Saint Patrick's Battalion until 1916. The actions taken by the Irish and German immigrants during the Mexican-American War was considered a black mark in the history of the U.S. army. The members of the battalion that were not executed disappeared from history. Appearing only in records regarding the purchase of land. In Mexico and Ireland they are considered martyrs, dying for a cause.

1. Define desert.

2. List three reasons why an American solider would have deserted during the Mexican-American War.

3. Give two examples of the prejudice that German and Irish immigrant soldiers faced while serving in the U.S. military.

4. Why did some Irish soldiers decide to fight for Mexico?

5. What was the punishment for the captured members of the St. Patrick's Battalion? Why was there a "D" branded on their cheek? Why do you think General Taylor ordered such a harsh punishment?

Motivation

Here are two stories about my friend Darryl where he talks about his reasons for joining the military.

John Tyler and Texas Questions

1. What were two economic reasons to support the annexation of Texas?

2. What was William Channing's position on Texas? Explain his stance in your own words.

3. Why did President Van Buren reject the proposal for annexation?

4. How did John C. Calhoun help divide the nation on the issue of Texas?

5. Explain Joshua Giddings' view of annexation.

6. Thinking Ahead: What are two possible consequences of this event?

Justin Tuck

A friend from home sent me this story about Justin Tuck of the New York Giants and the one of a kind relationship he had with a Giants fan. It is worth watching.

Reasons for Manifest Destiny

“…is by the right of our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty and federated self-government entrusted to us.”

~ John O’Sullivan

In 1845, journalist John O’Sullivan wrote an essay urging the United States to annex the Republic of Texas and created a phrase that has become synonymous with American history, “Manifest Destiny”. O’Sullivan was a strong supporter of Andrew Jackson and the Democratic Party, he believed that the United States had a purpose to spread the ideals and values of democracy across the continent of North America. In addition to this belief, there were several political, economic, and social factors that became the driving forces behind Manifest Destiny.

Many American officials were concerned over the British, Spanish, and later Mexican forces were present in the Continental United States following the War of 1812. If American did not expand in North America, then the British or the Spanish might increase their empires instead. American settlers and trappers in the Pacific Northwest were in competition with the British, while a strong Spanish and later Mexican presence in Texas was seen as a threat to U.S. interests in the South. Some Southern politicians encouraged expanding westward hoping that if Americans moved west, slavery would be expanded into new territories.

During the 1820s and 30s, American merchants had begun to trade with China. Chinese silk, jade, ivory, and tea were imported into American ports at a very high profit. Merchant houses of Philadelphia, Boston, Salem, and New York had become very wealthy over trade with China. In order to ensure that their investments would be secure, there was a call for the United States to establish trade outposts on the Pacific coast.

In the early 1800s, Americans began to establish fur trade outposts in the Pacific Northwest. John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company established forts along the Colombia River in the Oregon Territory. In fifteen years Astor’s company had become a presence from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Plains. As trade increased, so did the revenue, the Rocky Mountain Fur Company earn $60,000 a year between 1823 and 1827. By the mid 1820s, the American fur trade became an international venture with U.S. merchants selling furs and pelts to China, Russia, and Japan.

Between 1800 and 1840, the price of farmland had risen at a dramatic rate. Many farmers could no longer afford to own and operate their own farms. Land ownership was considered a major value to Americans, and many found themselves unable to afford the American dream. With the promise of cheaper land out West, thousands of Americans left their homes in the hopes of making a better life for themselves in a new territory. The Financial Panic of 1837 left hundreds of thousands of Americans in debt and further increased the westward migration.

The U.S. government encouraged Americans to settle the western portion of the continent by offering acres of land that was cheap and sometimes free. American settlers in the West would provide the nation with natural resources such as timber, silver, and gold that would help grow the U.S. economy. Western farms were seen as a solution to feed the growing U.S. population and ease the growing pains of Eastern cities and states.

Historians refer to the period following the War of 1812 as “The Era of Good Feelings”. Just having defeated the British and enjoying economic prosperity prompted many Americans to feel a great sense of pride and optimism in their country. Spared the decades of war and unrest in Europe, Americans believed that they had a sense of purpose and were filled with pride for their republic.

This nationalism fueled many Americans to expand into the western territories and bring their values and beliefs with them into the west. Some American settlers believed that they were fulfilling a sense of purpose as they established new communities in the west. Christian missionaries began to travel to West to convert Native American tribes and to teach them how to assimilate to American culture.

Questions:

1. What were three economic reasons that fueled Manifest Destiny?

2. Why did John O'Sullivan want the United States to expand?

3. How did slavery fuel expansion?

4. What were two social reasons that encouraged Westward Expansion?

5. How did immigration encourage Americans to settle West?

Debate Results

Thank you all for a very spirited and lively debate of the Indian Removal Act this year. It is one of my favorite topics to teach and I look forward to the two day simulation every year. Here are the results for the winners of the 2012 Indian Removal Act Debate.

Period 1.

Winning Group: The Cherokee

Individual: Anna L-R.

Period 3.

Winning Group: The Jackson Administration

Individual: Olivia

Period 4.

Winning Group: The Jackson Administration

Individual: A Three Way Tie! Congrats to Will, Charlie, and Kelli.

Period 6.

Winning Group: The Missionaries

Individual: Alyssa

Period 7.

Winning Group: The Jackson Administration

Individual: Thomas.

Congrats to all the winners.

Enjoy the Game Today.

Questions on the Trail of Tears

Here is a link to the We Shall Remain Documentary it may be helpful to watch a few scenes on your own.

Here are questions that need to be answered for H.W. tonight.

1. Who were the three leaders of the "Treaty Party"?

2. Why did the Cherokee believe that the Treaty of New Echota was not legal?

3. How many Cherokee died on the journey to Oklahoma?

4. Why did John Ridge want the Cherokee to agree to move to Oklahoma?

5. Chief Justice John Marshall's ruling sided with the Cherokee saying that the Cherokee were a sovereign nation and that the rules of Georgia did not apply to them. Then why did the Cherokee still have to leave their land?