The Mexican War raged as both the Americans and Mexicans fought. Borders were disputed, shots were fired, men lost their lives- and for what? Why did they go to war? Even after several attacks and offenses took place over time, from the attack on the Alamo to the idea of Manifest Destiny, was it worth it? Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico? After the Texas invasion, the checking of Manifest Destiny, and the fact that Mexico still considered Texas, a new, small, and young country, as part of their nation, the United States was justified in the war and the attacks targeting Mexico. The Mexican War, which was a harsh dispute between the United States and the neighboring country of Mexico, raged on in the year 1846. …show more content…
At the time, the United States had their eye on Texas and desperately wanted to annex the new and small country. Soon after, Texas became part of the Union. Even after all this, Mexican troops invaded the northern bank of the Rio Grande, or the Del Norte, and fired upon a regiment of American troops, killing and wounding 16 in total. This defiance of crossing the border and “shedding American blood on American soil” was interpreted as a declaration of war. After receiving a grim report from President James K. Polk, Congress declared all out war against the country of …show more content…
After a revolution against the unjust and cruel Mexican government, Texas was finally free. It came at a large cost, but it was worth it. Texas, at least in its perspective and also that of the United States, was an independent country. On the other hand, Mexico did not agree. According to some, many “Mexican officials still considered Texas as theirs” (Roden). Some might say that the U.S. entered the war only for ourselves, and yes, we were trying to add Texas to the States, but we also were trying to defend freedom. Texas was still a small, weak, and new country, defenseless from the dangers of evil and power. We were simply trying to preserve their freedom, giving them a gentle push in the right
Starting off with how Comanches, Kiowas, Navajos, and other Indian tribes increased their attacks on Northern Mexican settlements which led to countless raids. Some of the reasons that cause this war were boundary disagreements and Manifest destiny. Americans overall outnumbered Mexicans during this time, which an advantage to Americans. In addition, Mexicans were viewed in a bad way, they saw them as weak and not intelligent. In 1845, Texas was annexed to the United States, the war ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe – Hidalgo.
Which resulted in some conflict. Was the Unites States Justified in going to war with Mexico? Yes, because of mexican invasions, manifest destiny,and increasing population. The first reason the United States was justified in going to war with mexico is because Mexico themselves invaded them. Where United States claimed to be the border (Rio Grande) they sent soldiers to check to see if mexicans would cross the boundary, and when encountered the mexican troops injured and killed 16 of the 63 men dispatched.(Doc B) Mexico also attempted to subdue Americans’ beliefs.
The Mexican American War started in 1846 because of Mexican resentment caused by the 1836 loss of Texas and the American’s desire for Mexico’s more northern territory. “On September 9, 1847 after two years of fighting, the Mexican American war essentially ended when the American Army captured Mexico City after the Battle of Chapultepec”( 6). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war. United States leaders then acted morally superior in their negotiations of the treaty 1. During negotiations, United States officials viewed the “forcible incorporations” (1) of almost one half of Mexico’s land as an “event foreordained by providence and Manifest Destiny” (1).
The Mexican-American War was the first war to be fought mostly on foreign soil. During this period, the newly formed the United States was eagerly seeking to expand their territory towards the west. When failed attempts to obtain lands by purchasing them from Mexico for the price of $30,000,000 dollars. The U.S. government felt there was little hope of gaining these territories by peaceful means, a war was inevitable. Mexico was still bitter despite Texas gaining their independence in 1836, voluntarily selling their lands to the United States was not an option.
The United States war with Mexico was over 160 years ago and still continues to be a divisive and widely debated topic, was it justifiable or not? The first war to be fought mostly on foreign land, was the Mexican-American War that started in 1846. America, lead by President Polk, who believed the U.S had a “manifest destiny”, fought against Mexico who had a weak military and was politically divided. After the war ended in 1848, Mexico lost one-third of its territory which included present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Although the United States war against Mexico resulted in the gaining of America’s most valuable land, the war itself was unjust because their goal was to expand slavery, Texas was wrong from the beginning, and the war was based on false pretenses.
The Mexican-American War was a conflict that lasted from 1846 to 1848 between the United States and Mexico over the territories of Texas and the Rio Grande River. The United States annexed Texas in 1845, and Mexico still considered Texas as part of its territory. The annexation of Texas created tension between the
The Mexico and United States war started in 1846 and it ended in 1848 the Mexico and United States war was a border dispute. Texas was annexed and americans got killed during the Mexico and United States war. I personally l don't think they were justified because Mexico invaded America and they wanted to take all their land back and America wasn't so happy about that. One reason for the war is because the Mexican army is attacking the Americans on their land. Another reason is that it will clear up the border dispute another reason is that it will also help them with manifest destiny.
America has always made them seem like a victim. During 1846-1848, the Mexican-American War started because of the Texas annexation, border dispute, and America going against their treaty with Texas. Justify means that an action or idea has been proven to be reasonable or acceptable. The United States was not justified in declaring war with Mexico because of Mexico being weak, their border dispute, and most importantly Manifest Destiny. The main reason the Mexican-American War was not justified was because of the U.S. idea of Manifest Destiny.
INTRODUCTION Throughout the 1840s and 1850s a major war happened called the Mexican American War which drastically changed the U.S. and Mexico and lead to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to be signed and which established the Rio Grande and not the Nueces River as the U.S Border. This also lead to the U.S. annexation of Texas and lead to the Mexico agreeing to sell California and the rest of the territory for 15 million. So you 're probably wondering why the war was fought but you 'll find that out later.
In Document B, President Polk said, “I had ordered and efficient military force to take a position...to meet a threatened invasion of Texas by the Mexican forces….invasion was threatened solely because Texas had determined….to annex herself to our Union,... it was plainly our duty to extend our protection over her citizens and soil.” President Polk then mentioned the attack at the Rio del Norte, where the invasion in Texas happened. This evidence shows the US was justified in going to war with Mexico because Texas was invaded by Mexico, meaning that the U.S. should protect Texas by fighting
Was the United States Justified in Going to War With Mexico? Who started the Mexican-American War? Firstly, The United States went to Mexico in 1846. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836. Certainly, Americans were being extremely greedy and wanted more and more land.
As stated before, the US was justified in going to war with Mexico because of three reasons, Americans were killed, Texas was already annexed, and Manifest Destiny allows it. The United states had many superb reasons for going to war with Mexico. This essay is significant because it helps explain the United States’ choice to go to war with
When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, a string of ruthless dictators and weak presidents made Mexico an easy target for its powerful neighbor, the United States. The US swooped in to expand its territory and its popular institution of slavery. By doing so, the US started a war with Mexico that was justified for illegitimate reasons. The Mexican-American War was not justified because the US took Mexico’s land for the expansion of slavery, and justified their taking advantage of Mexico when it was politically weak by hiding behind Manifest Destiny.
The Mexican-American War changed the Unites States of America in a monumental way. This war changed The U.S.A.’s relationship with foreign powers and the economic standpoint of the nation. The Mexican- American war, and its strong ties to manifest destiny, shaped the nation in a country bordered by two seas with a chance for common folk and foreigners to have a sustainable life due to the gold rush. The war can also be accounted for the downfall leading to the Civil War over the conflict of slavery due to the land purchased in the wars treaty. Conflict between Mexico and the United States began when Texas, previously part of Mexico, became part of the United States.
Although the United States war against Mexico resulted in the gaining of America’s most valuable land, the war itself wasn’t legitimate because of the revolution in Texas, motivation for superiority, and the U.S. government’s actions. To begin, the Texans began an unreasonable war because they didn’t follow Mexico’s laws and conditions. When Mexico started selling cheap land, they set conditions for the people moving in. The people had to convert to Catholicism, learn Spanish, become a Mexican citizen, and have no slaves. Many Americans didn’t like being told what to do, and disobeyed the rules and laws.