ipl-logo

Was The United States Unjustified In The Mexican American War?

763 Words4 Pages

History textbooks and classes have lied to us for years about how the Mexican American War went. For years we’ve been taught that the U.S bought Mexico although that isn’t what really went down. Back before the war in 1821, Mexico had freed itself from its motherland Spain. Mexico had invited the Americans to live and use Texas for it’s land since there weren’t any Mexican citizens living there, Americans just had to abide by Mexican law. One of these laws was that the Americans would not be allowed to bring slaves to Mexico as it is illegal there, Americans almost immediately broke this rule bringing in slaves to help with farmwork. Mexico attempted to kick them out only for Texas to hold a revolution against them making Texas, American land. …show more content…

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 …show more content…

In “A Mexican Viewpoint on the War With the United States,” Voices of Mexico,Issue #41, the issue states: “In the eyes of the [Mexican] government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico.” This shows that, to Mexico, the Americans randomly entering what they thought was their land would have been seen as an attack. The Americans should have realized that Mexico would take the intrusion as an attack before sending in men to do nothing but walk in the undisputed land, obviously just attempting to egg the Mexicans on to shoot at

Show More
Related

Was The Us Justified Dbq Essay

501 Words | 3 Pages

The next reason The United States was not justified is that the United States straight-up attacked Mexico. Doc C shows that The United States was not justified. This shows that Mexico was attacked by the United States document C says, “In the eyes of the Mexican government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico… As a consequence, the Mexican government reaffirmed the instruction to protect the border” This tells us that it wasn’t justified as it says that Mexico was attacked by the United States when Mexico was trying to protect the Texas

Read More

Was The Us Justified To Go To War With Mexico Dbq

237 Words | 1 Pages

*One of the many reasons that the United States was justified to go to war with Mexico is that the Mexican soldiers shot 16 American soldiers. * This shooting was located at the North Bank of the Rio Del Norte River. [Document B, is a speech given by President James Polk, to try and convince congress to go to war with Mexico, and he gave his speech on May 11, 1846. ] In Document B, President

Read More

Mexico Dbq Analysis

648 Words | 3 Pages

According to President Polk, “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil,” (Document B). The Americans were not the ones that attacked the Mexicans; it was the other way around. The Mexicans and the Americans did not agree on where the border between Texas and Mexico. The Americans were still where they thought their territory was, and the Mexicans invaded America! The Americans needed to fight back to defend their honor.

Read More

Manifest Destiny Dbq Essay

760 Words | 4 Pages

Mexico’s attack against America was unnecessary, and an outright declaration of

Read More

President James K. Polk Dbq Essay

1130 Words | 5 Pages

John O’Sullivan stated very clearly that this was the belief of Americans. He said, “Imbecile and distracted, Mexico never can exert any real governmental authority over such a country…” (Document A). The US believed that Mexico couldn’t control their land and didn’t have a strong government so it felt the need to barge in and take the land. On the opposite side of O’Sullivan’s words, who was an American, are the words of Jesus Velasco-Marquez, who was Mexican.

Read More

Mexican-American War Dbq Analysis

1015 Words | 5 Pages

Thus, if the land being “invaded” was U.S. territory why would Mexican citizens be found there? They wouldn’t be, and they weren’t. In reality, Mexican citizens were in disputed land that was inhabited by Mexicans long before the U.S. came along thinking it was theirs. To reiterate, to argue the war was just because our land was invaded by Mexico is imprecise as in actuality the land was being

Read More

Manifest Destiny Dbq Essay

871 Words | 4 Pages

[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. "According to Document C, Mexico had never approved Texas' annexation in the , so they were merely protecting what they believed to be their land. " The troops commanded by General Zachary Taylor arrived at the Río Grande, across from the city of Matamoros, thus occupying the territory in dispute and increasing the possibilities of a confrontation…. In the eyes of the [Mexican] government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico. ''

Read More

How Did The United States Win The Mexican-American War

768 Words | 4 Pages

Fifty-five percent of Mexico's territory was taken in the Mexican-American war by the United States. The Mexican-American War began due to a disputed boundary between the United States and Texas. Mexico did not consider Texas to be an actual American territory and Texas's admittance to the United States angered Mexican inhabitants. Mexico's goal in the war was to defend Mexico's territory from the United States invasion, Mexico was not driven by greed or desire for power, Mexico only wanted to defend the land that was once theirs. President Polk, the president during the time the Mexican-American War was occurring, intentionally angered Mexico to start a war, which was not the best idea since in the end, Mexico ended up losing Texas and other

Read More

Why Was The United States Unjust In Achieving Manifest Destiny?

832 Words | 4 Pages

President Polk’s scheme to provoke an attack had worked. Because of the previous events that had happened before the Mexican American war, where the US had taken away Texas from Mexico by violence and without proper justification Mexico once again had to defend their territory from being seized by the United States. Which they had a right to attack any US soldiers who were on their territory since they were not abiding their laws but yet Mexicans were blamed for the Mexican American war which was mainly the United States fault. Texas belong to Mexico but because Mexico had a weak national government while the US had a strong national government the US took advantage of them and took away their lands. Once again Mexico was not powerful enough to defend their beloved territories which was California and New Mexico due to brutal force and unfortunately lost their lands.

Read More

Was The Mexican Americans Justified To Go To War

301 Words | 2 Pages

What would you do if the U.S president was setting you up to look like you were invading them? Were the Americans justified to go to war with the Mexicans? I believe they were not justified to go to war. Polk only wanted war to steal the Mexicans land. He set the Mexicans up by making it look like they were invading U.S citizens so that he could get the votes to go to war.

Read More

Was The Mexican-American War Justified?

1199 Words | 5 Pages

Since the Mexican people were not able to vote when Santa Anna gave away Texas, they felt as if the US took advantage of them when Santa Anna was president. Mexico did not see the war as a dual sided conflict. To Mexico, the war was an invasion of the weaker by the stronger, and at a time when Mexico was vulnerable

Read More

Was The Mexican American War Justified

667 Words | 3 Pages

While describing that America was purposefully sending troops into the disputed war which greatly increased the chances of a war to begin, the author states,”In early 1846, on Polk's orders] the troops commanded by General Zachary Taylor arrived at the Rio Grande, across from the city of Matamoros, thus occupying the territory in dispute and increasing the possibilities of a confrontation.... ”This proves that the Mexican American war wasn’t justified because AMerica was sending troops to try and start conflict in the territory. This is important because AMerica was deliberately trying to start conflict by being in the disputed war. While describing that Mexico believed America was going to try and attack so they responded by protecting their land and country from the invaders, the author states,“In the eyes of the [Mexican] government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico.... As a consequence, the Mexican government reaffirmed the instruction to protect the border, meaning the territory located between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River - an order which led to the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma....

Read More

Speech About Manifest Destiny

766 Words | 4 Pages

If we look back at everything, all of this could have been avoided if James would have just sent 1 man to talk with Mexico into accepting 30 million dollars and not a whole army. The cause and effects of this was that Mexico lost a lot of land but the beneficial side is that now more americans were able to expand and chase a new reality. Without this event future generals like, President Zachary Taylor, Robert E Lee, and Ulysses S. Grant wouldn't have gotten their inspiration to become the future generals we hear of every now and then.. So I think I rest my case to say that, “ yes the U.S did have the right to attack Mexico for the greater good of the human necessity to be able to expand in new land and grow like a seed on a new

Read More

Essay On The Mexican American War

1083 Words | 5 Pages

If Mexicans saw armed American troops in the land, they would think it’s an attack. Even knowing that, he sent the troops in the land, and found an excuse for

Read More

Was The Mexican War Justified Essay

568 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More

More about Was The United States Unjustified In The Mexican American War?

Related Topics

Open Document