Why Was The United States Unjust In Achieving Manifest Destiny?

The United States was unjust in achieving Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny had a strong influence and was one of the reasons why Americans supported for US expansion. The US felt that they were justified in achieving Manifest Destiny because this notion “offered a moral justification for territorial expansion” (466). However, what they did was unfair because they took control over Mexican territories that wasn’t theirs in the first place. President Polk lust for new land gave him motives in seizing Texas from Mexico. Texas as a matter of fact was taken from Mexico illegally. Not only did Polk annexed Texas but he also conquered California and New Mexico as well. The Mexican American War was an unjust war since the United States did not have

However, it was not Gods mission on wanting to expand the US territory it was the mission of Americans. Not only did whites conquer the lands of the Spanish speaking people but they also had taken the lands of Native Americans. Senator Lewis Cass stated that “We do not want the people of Mexico, either as citizens or as subjects. All we want is their territory” (469). This statements shows how manifest destiny had a strong influence on Americans because all they wanted was Mexico’s land and to remove its people and culture for their own benefit. California which was a part of Mexico’s territory at that time began overpopulating with American settlers. At first California had a scarce population but overtime it became over populated by white settlers which distressed Mexican officials since they knew that President Polk was not satisfied on just conquering Texas. They knew that Polk’s appetite for new territory was going to expand. Therefore, on March 6, 1845, the Mexican government broke off relations with the US to protest the annexation of Texas. Polk was prepared to go to war with Mexico so that he could acquire California and New Mexico, but he did not want Americans to attack

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. On February 2, 1848 the humiliated Mexican officials was coerced to acknowledge the Rio Grande as the border with Texas and were forced to transfer control of all parts of the future state of California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and