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How Did The Mexican-American War Dbq

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In April 25, 1846, the U.S. went to war with Mexico over the U.S. annexation of Texas. Later in the war, it was revealed that America’s true intensions were to expand slavery and to claim western territory. This skirmish between the U.S. and Mexico became known as the Mexican-American War. The Mexican-American War was fought from the April 25, 1846 to February 2,1848 and took place on disputed land, in what’s current day Texas. This yearlong combat resulted in Mexico losing and even more importantly, the loss of half of Mexico’s national territory in the north. Furthermore, feuds over land were a common practice during this period in history. Due to the fact that the economic state of both Mexico and America was unsteady, Mexico wasn’t …show more content…

A significant amount of American’s interpreted this as a god given right to expand. Declared in “John L. O’ Sullivan, “Annexation”, The United States Magazine and Democratic Review, Vol. XVII, July 1845.” (Document A) “[O]ther nations have undertaken… hostile interference against us… hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by providence [God] for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” To summarize, this meant that countless Americans believed that Manifest Destiny gave them the means to take and take with no repercussions. In addition to America’s new found beliefs, the U.S. had even more of a reason to engage the Mexico because the Mexicans had killed and wounded sixteen Americans. As stated in “War Message of President James Polk, Washington, May 11, 1846” (Document B) “[On the 24th of April] a party… of sixty-three men and officers, were… dispatched from the American camp up the Rio del Norte, on its [North] bank, to ascertain whether the Mexican troops had crossed, or were preparing to cross, the river… [They] became engaged with a large body …show more content…

Mainly due to the event involving the Mexicans who killed sixteen Americans on disputed territory. Americans were angered that blood was shed on this land they wanted dearly. As a matter of fact, Mexico denied $10 million dollars from the US in exchange for Texas. President Polk said that the Mexicans brought this on themselves and the war was inevitable. Within “Jesus Velasco- Marquez, Instituto Technologico Autonomo de Mexico, “A Mexican Viewpoint on the War With the United States,” Voices of Mexico, Issue #41, Center for Research on North America (CISAN), National Autonomous University of Mexico, 2006.” (Document C) it’s said that “From Mexico’s point of view, the annexation of Texas to the United States was inadmissible for both legal and security reasons, Thus, when the Mexican government learned of the treaty signed between Texas and the United States in April 1844, it… would consider such an act “a declaration of war.” Yet, another reason the United States was justified in going to war with Mexico. Texas wanted to be annexed from the U.S., the only problem with this was that Texas wanted to be a regarded as a slave state. The northerners denied that request because it

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With westward expansion becoming more popular, and with people thinking it was their manifest destiny-or God given fate to go west, populations increased. But conflict arose with our southern neighbor Mexico. This conflict could’ve been prevented, or resolved, but instead it grew worse. This conflict is often called the “Mexican American War” but in Mexico it is called the “US Invasion”. On April 24th, 1836 63 American men and officers went just south of the Rio Grande when Mexico attacked.

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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).

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This act triggered Mexico to fight since they saw this move as an act of war and declared war on the United States of America playing right into the hands of Polk. However, one could argue that the U.S. invaded Mexico before Mexico declared war on America. Texas, although independent, still belonged to Mexico through the Border Treaty from 1828. Nonetheless, the war began with President Polk mainly directing the troops of America, and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna directing the army for Mexico. Santa Anna leading the Mexican army was interesting due to his controversial background.

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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.

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The true spark if the war was lit when America annexed Texas without the permission of Mexico. Along with this, America chooses to ignore Mexico’s decisions all in all. The 11th president of the United States was President Polk. President Polk was for the Mexican American War and even decided to asked for Congress approval to declare war on Mexico in ‘President Polk’s Address to Congress Calling for a Declaration of War’. In President Polk’s Address to Congress Calling for a Declaration of War, May 11, 1846, “...The Mexican Government refused all negotiation, and have made to proposition of any kind.”

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The Mexican-American war altered the United States environmentally, culturally and politically. First, on February 2, 1848, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo two years post the beginning of the war. The treaty not only achieved President Polk’s goal to achieve California from Mexico but also granted the U.S. over 500,000 square miles of new territory. The new land caused approximately 90,000 spanish speaking, mostly Catholic Mexicans under American jurisdiction. Second, Nativism, a rising anti-catholic and anti-immigrant deemed the Mexicans inferior.

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By establishing a treaty with Mexico without consulting the Mexican government, the United States made the situation worse. Hence, Mexico and the United States are both at fault for the Mexican-American war. First and foremost, after gaining independence from Mexico, Texas wanted annexation by the US. Texas wished to be a member of the United States, as stated by Polk in document B. Polk responded to this by setting restrictions to safeguard US residents living in Texas. Sixteen Americans were slain by the Mexican military who crossed the border.

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The Mexican American war the main war for the United States to have begun and battled on remote ruined. Because of social and objective contrasts this lead to strife between the countries. The United States needed to spread their property and assume control Mexican region while Mexico attempted to determine their political emergency and needed to keep their

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By September 1847, American troops had captured Mexico City after winning a series of hotly contested battles. The Mexicans still refused to surrender. With the American army went a special envoy, Nicholas Trist, who unauthorized to deliver Polk’s terms of peace. Therefore, in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which signed on February 2, 1848, Mexico ceded its northern provinces of California, New Mexico (included today’s Arizona, Utah, Nevada and part of Colorado) and accepted the Rio Grande as the boundary of Texas. The United States was to pay Mexico $15 million and assume up to $3 million in Mexican debts to American citizens.

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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.

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The Mexican-American war is the result of the expansionist ideologies that were predominant in the United States post-Independence. Vazquez argues that the war was inevitable, due to the expansionist nature of the US at the time. A constant flow of settlers were migrating from Europe to North America. As more settlers arrived, the current settlers sold their land and migrated westward. Thus began a cycle of expansionism, which became a necessity post-Independence, from enlightenment nationalism.

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Considering that North America was quite large and there was still a great expanse of open territory left for discovery in the early to middle 19th century, the growing population of the United States moved westerly to find available land to settle on. Some of this wide open land was located in what is now known as Texas and California. At about this same time, 1821, Mexico, who owned the property known as Texas, declares its Independence from Spain (Tindall & Shi, 2013). The failure of the Mexican government to establish a stable government and create an effective economy at the time of their independence began a series of events that would lead to the Mexican – American War of 1846. The borders of the Mexican territories were not well defined and many Americans crossed southerly and westerly into the land mass known as Texas and California.

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The many battles of the Mexican American war led to what is now the U.S. borders The Mexican American war led to social inequality over Mexican immigrants, a debate on slavery in the new U.S. territory, and a treaty which ended the war. On May 13, 1846 the U.S. declares war with Mexico President James K. Polk requested a war because he wanted more territory Polk wanted to get the U.S. borders changed Polk not only wanted what is now Texas but other U.S. states The U.S. advanced into Mexico on the Rio Grande river. Due to the small population just north of the Rio Grande, the U.S. was able to capture this land very easily The first battle of the war was the battle of Palo Alto.

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President Polk is interested in expanding the borders of the US by means of war with Mexico. There are three points made in Polk’s message to Congress to justify the US going to war with Mexico. The first was Mexico’s refusal to peacefully negotiate the Texas border dispute with a US envoy. (Polk, 375). The second was Mexico refusal to live up to its responsibilities it committed to in signing treaties between the two countries.

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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.

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