Rio Grande Dbq

Texas and the United States believed that the proper borderline between Texas and Mexico was the Rio Grande, but for Mexico it believed that the border between them and Texas is the Nueces River.”(Hook) As you can see the United States and Mexico had different beliefs. This evidence shows the US was justified in going to war with Mexico because the US believed that Mexico had a smaller amount of land they what they think they have. But Mexico believes that it has more land. Mexico and the United States were fighting over the disputed territory which was between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, which made the tension between Mexico and the US more negative. “ on April 24th of April a party…..of sixty three men and officers, were… dispatched from the American camp up the Rio del Norte.(Doc B)” This evidence shows that Mexico had went against its boundary and fought with American men in the striped area where Mexico and the United states were already fighting for. This Made thing more difficult to handle because the Us and Mexico were already fighting for land and the probably made things worse between the two

The war between the United States and Mexico was the first foreign battle the US had fought in as a nation. It was also the first war fought on enemy land. In 1836 Texas won its independence from Mexico. Three times, the US wanted annexation for Mexico and three times it was denied due to the impression of slavery. In 1845 Texas was claimed as a state and because of that Mexico broke all diplomatic relations with the United States. The Mexican-American War was fought between the United States and Mexico between April 1846 and February 1848. The US claimed that the dispute started over the annexation of Texas and other territories they wanted. However, it was also claimed that the US went to war to spread slavery not for the expansion of land,

After Mexico had declared their independence from Spain, Americans were encouraged to settle there, as population was sparse. Americans were sold land at a low price as long as they agreed to follow Mexican law, which mean slavery was prohibited. Despite their instruction, Americans brought over large amounts of slaves anyway (Document D). As Americans began to outnumber Mexicans, nothing could be done to enforce the “Mexican ordinance of freedom” (Document D). Mexico did nothing to wrong the United States in this situation, and certainly not anything that would warrant a

According to Charles Sumner, from “Objections to the Mexican-American War”, he states, “Our (American) Newspapers excited the lust of territorial robbery in the public mind.” This quote shows that even a state legislator from Massachusetts admits that the United States stole land from Mexico. In another quote from Charles Sumner’s “Objections to the Mexican-American War”, he states “Certainly Mexico might justly charge our citizens with disgraceful robbery.” This evidence shows that the United States already stole land from Mexico and that it was unjust to go to war with

The Mexican-American War was incorrectly named; it was not simply Americans vs Mexicans, but a war between opinions. America’s war with Mexico: a war for land, for the sake of Manifest Destiny, or perhaps, a war to be started and ended in victory by… a thief. This war was supported and criticized by Americans and Mexicans alike. Manifest Destiny was a belief that it was God’s Plan to for America to expand to the Pacific Ocean, and a very controversial belief, at that. Before this war of opinions, the US already created a tense relationship with its neighbor by providing aid to the Texas Rebellion, and later annexing Texas. The United States was not Justified in going to war with Mexico because Texas was signed over, with no extra land, America was obviously itching to go to war, and settlers agreed to become Mexican citizens in the first place

“At this period, citizens of the United States had already begun to into Texas... That deal was... That this extensive prevent to become a part of the United States…” (Doc D ,Charles Sumner This evidence Demonstrate that America was not justified in going to war with Mexico because all they wanted to do was to get their lands. “A current of emigration soon followed from the United States favorite. Slaveholders cross the Sabine with their slaves, In defiance of the Mexican ordinance of freedom” Doc D,Charles Sumner. This mean that America was All About Us Us expanding slavery into stole a land and was not justified into going in with

Incidentally, a few years later the discussion of the annexation of Texas to the United States had begun, but required years of debate before the final decision came in December of 1845 where Texas joined the Union as a slave state. This issue of slavery caused much of the debate in whether or not to accept Texas into the Union as doing so may have further disrupted the status quo by upsetting the political balance in Congress and in the country. All the while, Mexico remained another source of concern as people thought the annexation of Texas would cause some sort of trouble with them. Despite all of this, Texas was eventually annexed with its own new state government and constitution to go along with it. Although it had already been defeated by Texas in their revolt, Mexico remained angry at the annexation of Texas and began the Mexican-American War spanning all of 2 years, from 1846 to 1848 bested by the American army. This resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, establishing the Rio Grande as the United States-Mexican border. Along with the establishing of set borders, Mexico accepted the United States annexation of Texas and it agreed to sell California and the rest of the territory north of the Rio Grande to the U.S.

America was justified in going to war as Mexico invaded the country,American troops were killed by the Mexicans,and Mexico decided to strike first.When Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 and stated that the Rio Grande was the border boundary.However in 1846,Mexican forces decided to cross the border line as it was known as an invasion against the US.On Document B President Polk stated, “The Congress of Texas,by its act of December 19,1836, had declared the Rio del Norte to be the boundary of that Republic.”(Doc B)On April 24th,1846,an American force of 70 men were dispatched to camp north of the Rio Grande. However,a larger Mexican force,decided to attack the American force where 16 American soldiers were killed.On Document

First, the USA annexed Texas into their country without Mexico knowing that a treaty had been signed by both Texas and the USA in April of 1844. Because of this, Mexico saw this as declaration of war by the United States.

The Mexican-American War was a result of Manifest Destiny.  Manifest Destiny was a belief that Americans had a god given right to expand their border all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Not only did Americans believe that they also had a right to the land, but they also believed that they had a moral duty to civilize its occupants, which included Native Americans, Mexicans, and Spanish speaking Catholics. According to Britannica, the Mexican-American War originated from the United States annexation of Texas in 1845. Texas had been in a border dispute with Mexico at the time of the annexation  therefore, the conflict transferred to the U.S. Mexico claimed that the border ended at the Nueces River, and the United States claimed it ended at the Rio Grande River.

Mexican President Jose Herrera refused to negotiate (Stevenson 2009). After failed negotiations with Mexico, Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to position his troops in the disputed territory, north of the Rio Grande River. Mexico, seeing this as an act of aggression struck first and killed several of Tyler’s men. After receiving word of the skirmish, President Polk petitioned congress, claiming Mexico “has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon the American soil” (Tindall & Shi 2010, p. 401). In response, congress unanimously passed the resolution and on May 13, 1846, the United States declared war (Tindall & Shi 2010).

In 1845 Texas was annexed as a state, however disputes between America and Mexico remained concerning where the border would be located. President Polk at the time had no choice but to send troops due south to defend Texas and the Thornton affair, won by the Mexicans, would force congress to declare war on Mexico.

It is evident through this quote and past events that Texas would do anything to try give Mexico a hint that the Texans do not want any role in being involved with Mexico. By not obeying the Mexicans and the government, it makes Texas appeal to be more distant rather than conjoined. Furthermore, America has the same viewpoint on Texas’ craving for departure. Similar to Texas, the United States understood why the Texans decided to not follow the strict laws of Mexico. In fact, in the Texas Declaration of Independence, the United States government writes, “When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people… it is the right of the people to abolish such government, and create another one that will secure their future welfare and happiness.”

In 1821, when Mexico gained their freedom from Spain, they invited American settlers to move to the province of Texas, but there were many conflicts over laws. Texas decided to rebel from Mexico by fighting for their independence, and in 1836 when the Texans won, they applied for annexation to the United States. Out of respect for Mexico, the United States said no at first. Nine years later, in 1845 the United States congress voted to let Texas join the the United States, but Mexico was not happy about this as they believed that there were different borders, and that they still owned part of Texas. With a threat of them being attacked, United States troops were sent to protect the real Texas borders from Mexico, but there they were met and attacked by Mexican soldiers.

It is worth noting here that the Americans were concerned about appearances, and that they did their best to provoke Mexico into a war, without having to bear the responsibility of actually starting the war. In his Personal Memoirs, Grant explained the mission of the U.S. Army in south Texas, "We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that Mexico should commence it." The plan worked. The U.S. annexed Texas in February of 1846, and Polk immediately ordered Taylor to proceed to the Rio Grande. One of Taylor's patrols skirmished with a Mexican detachment and lost over twenty soldiers, including eleven dead, five wounded, and several captured. Polk immediately called for war. In his bellicose message to the U.S. Congress, the President announced that, "American blood had been shed upon American soil." He got his declaration of war.