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As tensions grew between the united states and mexico, there was a thirst for war
Utilizing the political and cultural lens, this author will show that the Mexican-American War was the inevitable result of the aspiration of American...
Utilizing the political and cultural lens, this author will show that the Mexican-American War was the inevitable result of the aspiration of American...
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Slavery was a major topic of the time. Mexico was completely against having slaves, while America wanted slavery. (Doc. D) This is a reason why the United States was not justified going into war. Our freedom was disrespected by the Mexicans and they could have charged American citizens with disgraceful robbery, while seeking extension of slavery.
Because of this, Mexico has thrusted war upon us. We believe what James K. Polk said, “The constitution, public treaties and the laws oblige the President to regard Texas as an independent state, and its territory
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
(Henderson 1) He explains how even though both the United States and Mexico are past colonies of European powers, their legacies very much differ. The United States was the world’s most successful and oldest federal republic, and while Mexico tried to do the same; coming from different backgrounds was a big detriment that impeded national success for them. Even so, Mexico suffered greatly from its internal conflicts and strifes; something that the United States already had time to differentiate and settle. These points tie into the defeat in the Battle of San Jacinto where the efforts in maintaining Texas as a Mexican colony was unsuccessful due to the lack of power within Mexico, while the U.S believed it was their god given right to colonize the west due to manifest destiny.
Thirdly, a second reason the Mexican War was not justified because US soldiers were in a disputed area. According to Jesus Velasco Marquez from “A Mexican Viewpoint on the War With the United States,” he states that “From Mexico’s point of view, the annexation of Texas to the United States was inadmissible for both legal and security reasons.” As well as, “The American government acted like a bandit who came upon a
The way they claimed annexed was by saying the Rio Grande was the southern boundary of Texas but Mexico said it was the Nueces River. In regards to the war, Americans were greatly divided. The northerners hated it because of the fact that Texas favored slavery. Those in the south liked the idea of a war because it would help expand to the west. This expansion would provide more land and opportunity.
Steinbeck claims that the Mexican War only did two good things, one, “We got a lot of western land, damn near doubled our size...” and two, the land becomes a training ground for generals (Steinbeck 130). At the end of the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo calls for Mexico to “...transfer 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory to the U.S. in exchange for $15 million” (Wood). The U.S. gained western territory from the treaty, but the land did not double the size of America. Instead, the land that Mexico surrendered to the United States was approximately half of Mexico’s territory (Wood). When Steinbeck states that only two good things come from the war, it is evidently false.
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 United States gained from the expansion, aside land, was the resources found in the different states owned. For example, the state of California contributed gold and oil. The United States should have not gone declared war with Mexico because it resulted in many deaths on both sides. A second reason was since the U.S. gained new land it caused a problem, in whether to allow slavery in the new territory or not.
After Texas won its independence from Mexico, the people who inhabited that area believed they were entitled to the entire land of, what was then, Texas. Manifest Destiny, or the belief of a God-given entitlement, was instilled in the hearts of many Americans; they believed God wanted them to expand outward. Yet the Mexicans weren’t prepared to give up all that land, and only allowed the Texans the area of land in which they inhabited. After the annexation of Texas in 1845, both the US and Mexico placed troops in the previously uninhabited land that the white Texans had believed they won. Thus began the Mexican-American war, and America, with its skilled military and greater population, easily defeated the Mexicans.
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.
In 1845, United States Magazine and Democratic View Vol. XVII had a statement on the start of the war “The 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].” The idea that God gave Americans the permission to take over the land is completely invalid as it does not give a definitive tangible reason for the U.S to take the land, it sounds more like an excuse to steal the land than an actual reason. All though the Americans used Manifest Destiny as a reason to justify their decision. The article stated “Other to start the war, for the reason stated previously it doesn’t justify why the U.S would go to war with Mexico over such a
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.
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