Few today are aware of the war between the United States and Mexico (1846–48), except that it led to the acquisition of a vast tract of land that became California, Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of several other states. But this forgotten conflict transformed the nation by triggering a major national political crisis over the issue of slavery that pushed it closer to civil war. It also led to the Gold Rush of 1849, an event that had a major impact on the national economy as well as American political culture. Historian Edward T. O’Donnell explores these consequences, as well as the details of the war itself.
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