Question

“Fort Ross, located about 90 miles north of San Francisco, marked the southern-most limit of Russian territory in North America. It was founded in 1812 by the Russian-American Company as an agricultural colony to feed Russian fur trappers in Alaska. With a population of 250 at its peak, Fort Ross was actually the central hub for a number of even smaller outposts as far south as Bodega Bay and the Farallon Islands, located 40 miles north and 18 miles west of San Francisco, respectively. The Russians dismantled the colony in 1841. But Mexico was still worried about the threat of Russian expansion in their land, so they invited Anglo-American settlers to California as a buffer against Russian expansion from Alaska. The Mexican government also considered inviting Chinese colonists and Irish famine refugees to California.” Source: The Mental Floss History of the United States by Erik Sass
Does this information support or refute the view that American dominance then annexation of California was in the best long term interests of the North America. Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes, it supports that view because Mexico which is a country in North America did not want Russia, a European country to dominate North America. Therefore, they encouraged the American annexation of California.

Explanation:

The excerpt says that the Russians already had Fort Ross in their possession and that they were expanding as seen in their other smaller outpost which extended far into the Farallon Islands. The population was also increasing as the territory expanded. The Mexicans who are North Americans wanted to protect the territory from Russian domination.

For that reason, they encouraged the Anglo-Americans to move into California. So, this annexation of California was actually in the best long term interests of North America.