Pbs Learning Media: Crash Course Us History: War and Expansion

In which John Green teaches you about the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s and the expansion of the United States into the western end of North America. Famous Americans abound in this episode, including James K Polk (Young Hickory, Napoleon of the Stump), Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, and Winfield Scott. You'll also learn about the California Gold Rush of 1848 and California's admission as a state, which necessitated the Compromise of 1850. [12:45]