Mexican-American began on April 25, 1846, with an attack by Mexican soldiers over the United States military in the disputed land. This attack claimed dozens of US soldiers' lives.
The war lasted till 2nd February 1848 and came to an end with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. With this treaty, the United States was able to expand its territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
American cotton production soared from 156,000 bales in 1800 to more than 4,000,000 bales in 1860 (a bale is a compressed bundle of cotton weighing between 400 and 500 pounds)
