Conquest of California

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/conquest-of-california

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the timeframe?1846-1847
2. What is the broader conflict?Integral part of the Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
3. Why did the U.S. want California?The U.S. believed in Manifest Destiny, the idea that Americans should spread across the continent, and thought California was important for its coast, trade, and competition with Europe.
4. How did the U.S. military win in California?They used navy ships and overland troops, captured key ports and towns, and had more resources and soldiers than the Mexican forces.

Manifest Destiny: A 19th-century doctrine asserting the divine right and inevitability of U.S. territorial expansion across North America.
Californios: Native-born residents of California during the Mexican period, of Spanish and Mexican heritage.
Pacific Squadron: A naval force of the United States Navy tasked with operations in the Pacific Ocean.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: The treaty that officially ended the Mexican-American War, ceding vast territories to the United States.