1848-1850

Soup Tureen

Taylor & Lawrie, Philadelphia

1837 - c. 1875

Inscribed: Presented to / Gen George Cadwalader / by a large number of his / FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS / in testimony of their high approbation / of his Military Conduct when serving in the / INVADING ARMY OF MEXICO / particularly for the brilliant part he took in the conquest of the / CAPITAL of that COUNTRY, / And as an evidence of their affectionate / regard for him personally.

The Mexican War was set into motion when the United States annexed Texas in 1845. This territorial appropriation was justified at the time by the concept of Manifest Destiny, which held that the expansion of the United States was not only inevitable but divinely ordained. However, Antonio de Santa Anna, the Mexican general and dictator, perceived this decision as a declaration of war. After hard fighting, American troops captured Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, and peace was achieved in 1848. The peace treaty awarded the United States an area of more than 500,000 square miles, including what is now California, Nevada, and Utah; most of New Mexico and Arizona; and parts of Wyoming and Colorado.