White House: Major Issues (by Jill)

The delegates within the White House will have many challenging situations presented to them throughout the conference. Each delegate will be faced with different issues that can pop up at any time, that is why it is important that they know the basic information about the general time period and the roles which they will be playing.

In 1848, there were many events that the White House had to deal with. These events included: the end of the Mexican-American War, the new found gold in California, the surprisingly large amount of supporters for the Declaration of Sentiments, and the debate whether or not to pass the Wilmot Proviso.

After two years of being at war with Mexico, the United States presented the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to the Mexican government. Because the United States’ numerous military victories, they were able to dictate the terms of the settlement. The original treaty stated that the United States would receive at least 500,000 square miles of valuable territory which inevitably aided them in their rise to becoming a world super power and gave the U.S. the right of transit across the Rio Grande. In return, the United States would pay the Mexican government up to twenty million dollars, and would assume a maximum of three million dollars worth of citizen claims against Mexico. Once these terms were presented to the Mexican government, the Unites States government began to negotiate the terms until both countries were satisfied and had signed the treaty.

In late January of 1848, gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Colona, California. Less than one year latter, news of the mass amount s of gold in California reached the East coast. By 1849, approximately eighty thousand Americans had left their homes for the opportunity to “strike it rich” during the California Gold Rush. Because of the Gold Rush, underground mines were opened and a new industry was born.

In 1848, the first Women’s Rights Convention was held in New York. At that time, the Declaration of Sentiments was presented and signed by one hundred men and women at the conference. The Declaration of Sentiments, which followed the same format as the Declaration of Independence, declared that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men. Although the Declaration of Sentiments did not have as large of a direct effect towards the American people as many other events of the time did, it did cause tension to arise within the country not only between men and women, but also between traditionalists and the progressives.

The Wilmot Proviso was submitted to congress in mid-1846 by David Wilmot with the purpose of preventing slavery from being instated into the land that was gained by America during the Mexican-American War. The Wilmot Proviso was not passed in 1846 and it continued to be debated in 1848. The debate carried on for so long, it was no longer a debate between the Democratic Party and the Whig Party; instead it was a debate between the Northerners and the Southerners which caused much tension.

Suggested Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/californiagoldrush.htm
http://ecssba.rutgers.edu/docs/seneca.html
http://dig.lib.niu.edu/message/ps-wilmotproviso.html
http://dig.lib.niu.edu/message/ps-wilmotproviso.html