The American-Mexican War

The Mexican American War was a very controversial event. The Americans believed in their “Manifest Destiny” which prompted them to annex the territory of Texas which, in turn, initiated the war on April 25, 1846. Texas was annexed to the Union as a slave state on December 29, 1845. This upset all of the Free states along with the Mexicans but the Southerners were in favor of the war because it gave them more strength when fighting for slavery. While there were many different beliefs about the Mexican-American War throughout the United States, these beliefs generally were the same within a region.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, once famously said, “War is never a lasting solution for any problem”. Every single country has had some sort of conflict with another country, and often the solution is war. However, many do not realize that most wars (including the Mexican-American War) permanently damage the diplomatic relations of countries. Because of the damage of the Mexican-American War, it is unlikely that the bond between America and Mexico will ever be the same. The events leading up to the war began when Mexico won its independence from Spain, and in an effort to increase the population of the country, Mexican leaders welcomed American settlers to colonize the Mexican territory of Texas. However, conflict arose

The Mexican American war was started in 1845; the main cause of the war then was whether the border of Texas would be at Nueces River the claim of Mexico or at the Rio Grande that was being claimed by United States. U.S. forces emerged victorious and as a result they were able to acquire more than 500,000 square miles of the Mexican territory and it extended westward all the way from Rio Grande to Pacific Ocean. However, tension between America and Mexico had been building for so long since when the Mexican government gave an invitation to the Anglo settlers back in the 1820.

“The United States had emerged as a modern capitalist nation, and the spirit of nationalism in the country was strong and growing” (Henderson 71). As tensions grew between the Unites States and Mexico, there was a thirst for war. The Unites States declared war with Mexico, because they owned land that Americans desired, resulting in America’s fulfillment of achieving their philosophy of “Manifest Destiny”. The blood boil of both countries caused a lot of bloodshed. The dispute lasted for a long two year battle which was for huge amounts of land. The Americans were victorious and claimed new territories from the conflict.

Throughout American History, started from Jamestown Americans started to settle upon Native American land by wiping them out or forcing them to move west. By 1846 throughout 1848, Americans approach Mexican territory’s land which they were eager to conquer and Manifest Density that was unstoppable and a goal for the United States. The conflict was the Mexicans weren 't going to give up their land because of a selfish belief and were provoked to go to war against a stronger nation. A war broke out known as the Mexican-American War.

The southern desire to expand slavery was a major cause of the Mexican-American War, but there were other causes as well. The war started on April 25, 1846, and ended on February 2, 1848, with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In that treaty, Mexico ceded Texas with the Rio Grande boundary, New Mexico, and California to the United States. The desire to expand slavery in the south was perhaps the largest cause of the Mexican-American War, because southerners were in favor of Manifest Destiny and believed that the expansion of slavery was necessary to keep the slave trade alive in the U.S. Internal political conflicts were another cause of the Mexican-American War. Also, the fear that Texas could be claimed by Britain or France or that it would be uncontrollable if independent was another cause of the war. The

The Mexican War, Spanish Guerra de 1847, or Guerra do Estados Unidos a Mexico, are different names for the Mexican-American War. Many incidents happened even before the war officially began. Eisenhower simply and bluntly stated: “The fact is that Mexico stood in the way of the American dream of Manifest Destiny.” Manifest Destiny was just one of the causes that pushed us to war with Mexico. The first battle was at Palo Alto, a fort that was in the disputed zone. There were many battles in 2 years. The war finally grasped an end when Mexico signed a treaty in Mexico City. With the treaty, U.S and Mexico were able to reach terms. Each proceedings that happened, brought on the war that lasted from 1846-1848 and then ended with the U.S as victors.

Did you know that in the Mexican-American War, the US took half of Mexico 's land? After Mexico 's independence from Spain in 1821, the northern lands of Mexico were rarely used. America saw this as an opportunity to expand by seizing Mexico’s northern lands, and took it. They accepted Mexico 's offer to live in Texas, and soon Texas became overrun with Americans. They influenced Texas to go against Mexico, and eventually Texas was won by the US in battle. After that, Mexico and America began having disputes. However, the Mexican-American War officially started when Mexican troops shot American soldiers in the disputed territory. In modern-day, many people take sides about whether it was right or not for America to declare war upon Mexico. In various forms, one of the most controversial questions is, "Did the US have good reasons for starting war with Mexico?". The United States were not justified because they were greedy for land, broke Mexican laws that they agreed to while in Mexico, and created faulty reasons for their actions.

America during the early 19th century were dominated with reforms and compromise to maintain the union. The Temperance movement was successful in lowering the consumption of alcohol. The early abolition movement send concerns for the southerners, who rely on their agricultural based economy. The Mexican American War didn’t change America culturally and judicially. However, The Mexican Cession, extension of Slavery, and congress incompetent of passing compromises lead to drastic changes. Therefore, The Mexican American War is a turning point in American history and the debate over slavery.

One reason that the Mexican War was not justified was that Polk was the one that wanted and provoked the war. This is what President Polk said, “... I had ordered an efficient military force to take a position between the Nueces and the Del Norte(Rio Grande).”(Polk, 325) This quote shows that Polk purposely brought a military force into Mexico because of what they thought was a threat that threatened Texas. This is also what Polk said in his war message, “...sixty-three men and officers, were...dispatched from the American Camp up the Rio Del Norte,...to ascertain whether the Mexican troops had cross, or were preparing to cross, the river…”(Polk, 325) This information provides an example that the Americans were basically planning and waiting

How did the U.S got more land? The U.S did not attack the Mexican for no reason, the Mexican attacked the U.S first so the U.S was defending themselves. Second, U.S tried to make everything so they don't have to go to war with the Mexicans. Third, Mexican did not win the war because the U.S took their territory.

Upon gaining control of the Mexican government, the centrists decided to exercise firm control over its northern province of Texas by restricting immigration, outlawing slavery, and imposing taxes. In response, talk of rebellion spread throughout Americans settlements in Texas, and the flood of anti-Mexican expansionists led to sentiments of racial superiority. In turn, these racist attitudes abolished any chance of compromise with the Mexican government. Soon, these combined factors led to the break-out of war between Texans and the Mexican

The war with Mexico is long remembered as an episode, and by no means is it an unimportant one. With the events that led up to its happening, from the Manifest Destiny to the disputes on territory, it has severely marked the United States. American historians regard the Mexican-American war as “the foulest blot on our national honor”. (sfmuseum.org) Unethical actions were taken gain Mexican territory. Polk and his hunger for land drove him to find some devious way to fight a war with Mexico. His belligerent attitude in regard to this war was the “foulest blot on our national honor.” However, as one studies the events that led to it, was it an unprovoked act of aggression? Or did the US unjustifiably lure Mexico into one of the bloodiest wars on American soil?

The War with Mexico was not as bad. The war was only consisted of the two states Mexico and Texas. In 1803, Louisiana Purchase was created at this year before the war had occurred. After the Louisiana Purchase, in 1836, Texas declares its independence from Mexico. Texas was a country that had once belonged to Mexico. Texas wanted to become a state of their own. They had created a state of their own to have their own religious beliefs. They moved out of Mexico because Mexico was Catholic, which meant anti-slavery. They moved out of Texas because they did not like the fact that they can not have slavery. This is why Texas moved out of Mexico. After Texas had declared, at the year of 1840, the first baseball diamond was laid out in Cooperstown, New York. Many people now enjoy baseball. Manifest Destiny was believed to be a plan created by God that America was to extend its territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Alamo was a battleground that the people of Texas and Mexico had fought on for their own freedom.

Let's say that Mexico was bigger than it is already being and that Mexico takes up the whole west side of American . But Mexico does not succeed by have land and America succeeded by winning the battle of Buena Vista led by officials urging general Zachary Taylor and brave men .