National Border History

“The invasion was threatened solely because Texas had determined… to annex herself to our Union; and, under these circumstances, it was plainly our duty to extend our protection over her citizens and soil.”(Polk 325)Texas and the United States believed that the Rio Grande was considered as the border between Mexico and Texas. But the river that Mexico believed as the border was the Nueces River. The two countries didn’t have the same perspective of the borders. In 1821, Mexico declared itself free from its mother country, Spain. The Texans won their independence from Mexico in 1836.The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because of the Manifest Destiny, Texas wanted

Did you know that Texas was actually once Mexican territory? You may wonder why Texas is one of the 50 states in America today, and what were the events leading up to the Mexican American war. But why does a simple mission church relate to all of it? The battle of the Alamo was one of the most gruesome battles in American history. Today the Alamo Cenotaph stands 60 feet tall in the heart of San Antonio to honor all of the brave men and women who lost their lives for the freedom of Texas. Today America would be very different if the Mexican American war had not occurred.

During this conflict, Mexico had a different point of view. They Claimed and wanted the Texas Border to be the Nueces river. This was because Mexico wanted most of the rich land in Texas. They also thought that the Mexicans had the right to

The Hispanic population has experienced an incredible growth in the past decade in the United States of America. In 2006 it was estimated that the Hispanic cover 11 % of the population in North America. Their Origin is in Mexico and the few Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. American culture is derived from people who originated from the European nations like Italy and the Great Britain. Cultural identity is very important for every ethnic group as it shapes the culture of that particular faction and therefore, a certain culture cannot realize its own values until it is exposed to another one.

The Unlawful border crossing in the U.S. Southern border has been of political interest for the past decades. It has been the primary source of the illegal trades into U.S. from Mexico. Despite the government efforts to end the act, there have not been long-term solutions to the Menace. The vital approach is to understand the structural nature of the border and the socio-cultural nature of the inhabitants that facilitates the illegal act across the border. The lawful bill in place seems not to offer a practical solution to combating the problem. The existing border and immigration policies should be revised to provide a possible settlement to the illegal trade across the borders. Also, the border barriers should be adequately constructed and guarded with border security officials. Another crucial area for consideration is the cooperation between the two countries in combating the illegal trade across the border. A cross-border initiative like Merida by President Bush would have been the significant initiative in promoting the U.S. Mexico cross-border collaboration in combating the Illegal Border Crossings. Due to the well-coordinated nature of these criminal networks, full federal cooperation like Boarder Enforcement Security Taskforce (BEST) should act in combating the organized gangs.

Borders is a topic that has been currently talked about frequently in the news over the past year, which has got me thinking what are borders? A basic definition of borders are physical or imaginary lines that divide geographic areas. However borders are not always tangible, they can be psychological as well. My definition of borders are they are barriers, real or unreal, based on certain ideas that separate for specific reasons. But since there is no standard definition that everyone agrees on, each person has their very own definition of what borders are, what they mean, and what purpose they serve.

　　During the early 1800’s in San Antonio, over 6000 Mexicans made their way to the Alamo to fight a group of Texans approximately 187 strong. Led by Colonel William B. Travis the men of the Alamo defended their position for 10 days until they inevitably fell. There were a bevy of factors that led to the United States to declare war on Mexico. For example, the language barrier was a contributing factor as was the difference in religions. Their was also the United States growing desire to expand further out west, driven partially by the premise of Manifest Destiny.

“One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name.” The Battle of the Alamo impacted the history of the United States monumentally. American expansionism led to American settlers heading to Texas and settling there. The expansionists called for the annexing of Texas, which lead to an uproar with the Mexicans, causing the Battle of the Alamo. The abandoned mission is located near the city of San Antonio. The Texans and Mexicans have clashed multiple times, fighting for control over it. The Battle of the Alamo, prior events, and post battle are very important in shaping the history of the United States, Texas, and Mexico.

Before understanding the importance of the Battle of the Alamo, a brief history of the region is needed and the understanding of the factors that lead to the battle itself. Shortly after Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the young republic was desperate to populate its northern state of Texas. There was an attempt to gain control of the vast territory, but there was a problem. The problem was that the area was already inhabited by Apache and Comanche tribes who were not wanting any settlers

America is considered to be the "melting pot of the world" and was built from the lives of immigrants; rather than continuing to let others "discover a new world", the border wall will prevent others from what settling Americans were granted. In 1886 the Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France as a sign of friendship and thanks for openly accepting all immigrants no matter what nationality. Now, immigrants are looked at as pests and a threat to American's way of life. Most often those crossing over the US-Mexico border are from poor, violent, or war-torn countries where they have no chance of bettering their lives; their only hope is to escape to a different country in order to continue their survival. Jakota Herring, a psychotherapist who writes for Delmarva Now,

The border amongst Mexico and the United States has been a controversial topic since the early 1800’s. The war between Mexico and the United States was the outcome of religious, territory, corrupt government, and economy ambitions. During this war most of the territory of Mexico was disputed and retained by the United States. There are many factors that were crucial to the way everything was preceded; Polk was the main key point in this war. President Polk believed in a Manifest Destiny that leads everything to conflict between two neighbor countries. As a result of this belief Mexico ended devastated and the United States was considerably political benefited. Mexico was fighting to keep their land where the United States was fighting to obtain

Mexico allowed Americans to come to Texas believing they would contribute to their economy and taxes. When it was obvious that Americans far outnumbered Mexicans in Texas and they weren’t as loyal as Mexico assumed they would become, Mexico tried to stop the immigration but eventually gave up. When factions started to form and it was obvious that unrest was evident, the new Mexican General enforced stricter rules and regulations that started a war over Texas that resulted in Texas’ Independence from Mexico. The Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico came with both positive and negative results for the new independent Texans, such as their joyful release from Mexican control and taxes to the United States’ continuous refusal to allow

The 1950s, for those who were not white men, were a time of deep oppression and are not looked back on fondly. However, John Benson argues that in regards to borders, the 1950s was “something of a golden age.” Those years were defined by nearly uninhibited border crossing, cooperation between Mexico and the United States, and the celebration of cross cultural relations. Now, in 2017, the border is heavily militarized and border crossing is demonized. The 1970s marked a shift in border control policies, and since then cross border relations have become more and more strained. Cadava, in Standing on Common Ground: The Making of a Sunbelt Borderland noted that in the post-war era, “the Good Neighbor policy shaped U.S.-Mexico

Massachusetts has been a state of immigrants since the 1620 establishment of the Bay State colony by the Pilgrims (“U.S. Immigration Since 1965” n.d). The United States is created on the foundation of immigrants, but the US only began embracing immigrants after 1965. Prior to that, the first restrictive immigration law was enacted in 1790. In the later 1800’s, the United States immigration laws oppressed the Chinese, who were migrating to the United States as their country was facing starvation. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was implemented because the United States felt that the Chinese were taking over jobs that belonged to the natives. In the research findings by Ramanujan Nadadur (2009) rejected this theory by stating that when illegal workers occupy secondary-sector jobs for less cost, it allows skilled workers in the US to occupy primary-sector jobs where they have a comparative advantage. The result is greater economic productivity (p.1044). The Act of 1882 was the first immigration law that prohibited a specific ethnic group from immigration to the United States. Moreover, the Immigration Act of 1917 expanded the Chinese Exclusion Act to prohibit immigration to anyone from Asian ancestry

CBP plays a role in protecting and enhancing culture for future generations, and takes significant conservation into account in planning and carrying out facilities and operational activities. CBP promotes communication and partnerships with Native groups, private sector, and important government entities, to safeguard traditional and cultural resources and guarantee their accountability and respectful treatment.