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Mexican-American War Dbq

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The Mexican-American War was a war fought between the United States and Mexico during the years 1846-1848. It was the first American war that took place in another country that being Mexico. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. Polk, who believed the United States had a “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean (History.com) Manifest Destiny was a term used in the 19th century in which Americans felt that it was their destiny and right ‘by god’ to expand their country from coast to coast. President Polk felt the United States needed a westward expansion and the territories he wanted were: California, New Mexico …show more content…

Polk selected General Winfield Scott to command this assault and assigned him 12,000 troops. Scott sailed south aided by Commodore David E. Conner’s Home Squadron and on March 9, 1847 landed his forces near the port of Vera Cruz. He sent his 12,000 troops ashore in barge boats in what was the US Army’s first major amphibious landing. General Scott needed to take Vera Cruz quickly and decide on a massive artillery bombardment of the city. Using both Army and Navy artillery General Scott began the bombardment of Vera Cruz by shelling the city from both the sea and from shore batteries. General Scott took the city after a twenty-day siege and was ordered by President Polk to begin the 260 mile journey southward to Mexico City. Along the way General Scott battled Mexican General Santa Anna and they fought a series of bloody, hard-fought battles from the coast inland toward Mexico City. In the Mexico City campaign in 1847, General Scott repeatedly maneuvered his opponents out of their defensive positions. His chief engineer, Captain Robert E. Lee, helped scout the route for some of these flanking maneuvers. Scott was not averse to using frontal assaults if necessary, but he preferred to win victories by siege craft or turning movements. War to him was much like a game of chess that matched brains as well as brawn. General Winfield Scott (1786-1866) was one of the most important American military figures of the early 19th century

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