The main stages of cold war.

Posted on Apr 23, 2026 in History and Heritage

The Mexican–American War (1846–1848)

1. What years did the Mexican–American War occur?
   1846–1848
2. Which two countries fought in the war?
   
   The United States and Mexico
3. Who was the U.S. President during the war?
   James K. Polk
4. What was a major cause of the war?
   A dispute over the Texas border after the U.S. Annexed Texas (and the U.S. Move to expand into Mexican territory).
5. What concept justified U.S. Expansion?
   Manifest Destiny
6. When was Texas annexed by the U.S.?
   1845 (annexation accepted by the U.S.; Texas entered the Union in December 1845).
7. What river did the U.S. Claim as Texas’s border?
   The Rio Grande
8. What river did Mexico claim as the border?
   The Nueces River
9. Who led U.S. Forces in early battles?
   General Zachary Taylor
10. Who was a key Mexican general and leader?
    Antonio López de Santa Anna
11. Which U.S. General captured Mexico City?
    General Winfield Scott
12. What was the name of the treaty that ended the war?
    The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
13. What year was the treaty signed?
    1848 (signed February 2, 1848)
14. What land did the U.S. Gain?
    The Mexican Cession (including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming).
15. How much did the U.S. Pay Mexico for the land?
    $15 million (and the U.S. Also assumed certain American claims against Mexico).
16. What was the impact on Mexico’s territory?
    Mexico lost a huge portion of its territory—about half of its pre-war land.
17. Which future U.S. Civil War general gained experience in this war?
    Many did; a common answer is Robert E. Lee (also Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, etc.).
18. What was a major criticism of the war in the U.S.?
    That it was an unjust “war of aggression” to seize land and expand slavery
    .
19. Which U.S. Congressman opposed the war and demanded justification?
    Abraham Lincoln (his “Spot Resolutions” questioned the exact spot where blood was shed).
20. What long-term issue did the new territories intensify?
    The conflict over the expansion of slavery into the new territories (helping lead toward the Civil War)
    

1. The Secession War / U.S. Civil War (1861–1865)

1. When did the Civil War take place?
   1861–1865
2. Which two sides fought in the war?
   The Union (North) vs. The Confederacy (South)
3. What was the Confederacy officially called?
   The Confederate States of America (CSA)
4. Who was the U.S. President during the war?
   Abraham Lincoln
5. Who was the president of the Confederacy?
   Jefferson Davis
6. What event started the Civil War?
   The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter (April 1861)
7. Which state was the first to secede?
   South Carolina (December 1860)
8. What was the main cause of the war?
   Slavery, tied to disputes over states’ rights and the future of slavery in new territories.
9. Who led the Union army?
   Most commonly given as Ulysses S. Grant (overall Union general in 1864–65). Earlier major commanders included George B. McClellan, etc.
10. Who was a key Confederate general?
    Robert E. Lee
11. What important Union victory in 1863 was a turning point?
    The Battle of Gettysburg
12. What siege gave the Union control of the Mississippi River?
    The Siege of Vicksburg
13. What document freed enslaved people in Confederate areas?
    The Emancipation Proclamation (effective January 1, 1863)
14. Who was a famous Union general known for total war tactics?
    William Tecumseh Sherman
15. What was Sherman’s famous campaign called?
    Sherman’s March to the Sea
16. Where did Robert E. Lee surrender?
    Appomattox Court House, Virginia
17. What year did the war end?
    1865
18. What amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.?
    The 13th Amendment
19. Who assassinated Abraham Lincoln?
    John Wilkes Booth
20. What was the overall outcome of the war?
    Union victory, the Confederacy was defeated, the U.S. Remained united, and slavery was abolished.