Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park

Established 2009 | Cameron County | 3,357 acres

Established 2009 | Cameron County | 3,357 acres

The Battle of Palo Alto | Out 'N About with Jimmy and George (1993)

In 1845, the United States annexed the Republic of Texas as the nation's 28th state—and incited a border dispute with Mexico. Did Texas end at the Nueces River, as Mexico claimed, or extend further west to the Rio Grande, as the United States held? War broke out after President James Polk ordered American troops into the disputed territory, provoking armed retaliation from Mexico. The Battle of Palo Alto, fought near present-day Brownsville on May 8, 1846, was the first major clash of the Mexican-American War. In this 1993 educational film segment, hosts Jimmy Medellin and George Vasquez Jr. visit the battlefield to learn more about the conflict and its historical significance.


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