Question

You are a reporter for channel 1848 and must report live from the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Write a short news report about the causes and outcomes of the war. Use your notes to help you. Make sure you explain the events that led to this major historical event. Use your notes to help you guide your News Flash.

MUST HAVES:
Explains the three causes of the U.S.-Mexican War (30 points)
States the document that ended the war (10 points)
Explains at least three outcomes of the war (30 points)
States if the war had a positive or negative effect on the U.S. and explains why (15 points)
Historical accurate; written in complete sentences (5 points)
3 images that represent the U.S- Mexican War (10 points)

write like a 7th grader short paragraph

Answer 1

This is Channel 1848 live from the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The U.S.-Mexican War started for three big reasons: Americans believed in Manifest Destiny and wanted more land (like California), the United States had just annexed Texas and Mexico disagreed about the border (Rio Grande or Nueces River), and there were violent border clashes after President Polk sent troops which made war more likely. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which the two countries are signing today. Because of the treaty the United States got a huge amount of land called the Mexican Cession (including California and other parts of the Southwest), the Rio Grande was set as the border of Texas, and the U.S. paid Mexico $15 million (and agreed to take some American claims). Other outcomes were that Mexico lost about half of its territory, many Mexicans suddenly lived in the United States and faced unfair treatment, and the new land made arguments about slavery worse and helped lead toward the Civil War. Overall the war helped the United States grow bigger and more powerful (so in some ways it was positive), but it also caused serious problems like more attacks on Mexico, loss of land for Mexicans, and stronger conflicts over slavery (so it had bad effects too).

Images you can use to represent the U.S.–Mexican War (click to view public images on Wikimedia Commons):
- Map of the Mexican Cession: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Mexican-American+War+map&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go
- Painting or print of a major battle (for example, Buena Vista or Palo Alto): https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Battle+of+Buena+Vista&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go
- Documents/painting of the Treaty signing: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=Treaty+of+Guadalupe+Hidalgo&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go

This is Channel 1848, signing live—back to you.