The Zimmermann Telegram and Its True Purpose Essay

According to James Polk’s War Message,Washington, May 11, 1846, he states “I had ordered an efficient military to take position between the Nueces and the Del Norte.” This quote proves that between the Nueces and the Del Norte was Mexico’s land, that Mexico was just trying to protect. According to Jesus Velasco-Marquez from “A Mexican Viewpoint on the War With the United States”, Jesus states, “In the eyes of the [Mexican] government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico.” This evidence shows that Mexico viewed the mobilization of the U.S army as an attack on them, and that Mexico wasn’t trying to escalate things, they were just trying to protect their

The zimmerman telegram was a letter sent in 1917 from zimmerman who was the foreign minister of germany. the note contained information to ''proposed alliance aganinst america''. germany hopped that mexico would join them in their war againist america. The note also stated that if mexico joins the war againist america ''they would be rewarded with financial; support and reconqured land in new mexico, texas, and arizona. when america recived news about this note, they reacted strongy because germany was trying to get other countries to join the war againist them and they also treathen to take some of america's land and give it to the mexicans.

They also wanted to keep boundaries between Texas. During this time, the current day western US was under Spanish rule. Americans insisted Texas went farther west to Rio Grande. Polk also wanted New Mexico and California. Therefore, they sent diplomat John Slidell of Louisiana, to Mexico City. He tried to negotiate with their government officials. The Texas boundary and offered to buy New Mexico and California. Mexico was outraged. Since Slidell failed, they sent General Zachary Taylor. Mexican soldiers crossed Rio Grande and met the American soldiers, which broke into a fight. Sixteen Americans were killed or hurt. That is, when the Mexican-American War began. Mexico thought Americans were wrongfully on Mexican soil. Congress then approved the declaration of war. US won the war in three campaigns. General Taylor led the army across Rio Grande and took the city of Matamoros. They also defeated the Mexican garrison at Monterey. Taylor became a hero. The people called him “Old Rough and Ready”. They also defeated Santa Anna at the battle of Buena Vista in February of 1847. That is, how the Mexican and American war

Zimmermann Telegram- The Zimmermann Telegram was a coded message sent to the German ambassador Heinrich von Eckardt by Arthur Zimmermann. This letter was then sent to Mexico from the German Ambassador, calling Mexico to join an alliance with them in the case of a war between Germany and the U.S. The Zimmermann Telegram was sent on January 19, 1917. This message was sent to explain that unrestricted submarine warfare would resume by Germany on February 1st, 1917. The importance of the Zimmerman Telegram was to call on Mexico to join Germany in the war that soon would arrive.

My first reason of why they did not have proper reasoning into going to war with Mexico is that they stole land from them. John L. O`Sullivan quotes, “California, will, probably, next, fall away from Mexico.”(Doc.A) Charlie Summer, Massachusetts state legislature, also quotes,”At this period,citizens of the U.S. had already begun to[move] into Texas. The idea was, that this extensive province ought to become a part of the United States.”(Doc.D). The evidence that I have found for this argument shows the

How was the U.S military stronger than Mexico's, and how did it affect the war between them? The United states was justified in going to war with Mexico because the United States believed Mexico's government was too weak to take control. Source B states, ”Mexico never can exert any real government authority over such a country” (Polk). Mexico's government was too weak to take control of this country. So the U.S had no choice but to take it.

At the same time they attempted to sway Mexico into a alliance with them in case the United States declared war on Germany. The "Zimmerman Telegram" was intercepted by Allied forces and given to President Wilson. Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany on April 2, 1917. While Germany had done nothing to threaten our U.S. security, Wilson said in his speech that we would enter the war "to make the world safe for democracy". (Zieger, 53) A point that later spurn the effectiveness of Wilson's influence over peace was that America entered the war as an "associated power" rather than a true Ally.

“President James Polk had ordered an efficient military force to take a position in the northern territory of the Rio Grande river”(Doc B, Par1). This movement was unnecessary; making Mexico think this was an outright attack. Military units are not just sent near a border, especially when that country wants the land. The attack from America led to their own loss, losing 16 men. Mexico was only defending the proper border of Texas(Doc B). America was insightful of the correct set border; basically killing their own soldiers in an unnecessary

President Polk wanted to bring in California and New Mexico into the Union. Polk wanted to go to war, but did not want to be the start of the war so decided to anger Mexico into starting a war so that he would not be blamed. During the Mexico and American war, Mexican troops attacked Taylor's troops killing nine Americans. The United States forces were far more superior than the Mexican forces, they could easily take areas such as what is known as New Mexico today. Mexico refused to surrender in the United States had to invade

Dr. Henderson’s purpose for writing A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States is to explain the causes of Mexico going to war with the United States in 1846, and the reasons Mexico suffered severely from it. Dr. Henderson’s focus throughout the book is not solely on the military tactics, but rather on the political and diplomatic maneuvering. This approach to the book is to provide to the reader the conflict’s real significance, as to the how and why the United States and Mexico went to war. This book does not point blame at either side, but tells the war from the Mexican point of view. Furthermore, Dr. Henderson explores Mexico’s weaknesses at the time and how those weaknesses led to the war with the United States.

On April 2, 1917 the United States entered WWI declaring war against Germany and its allies. The deciding factor for the U.S. to enter the war is due to one document, the Zimmerman Telegram. The document was sole proof to many Americans that Germany’s intentions were not only causing harm on European soil but bringing it across the seas to American soil. It stated that Germany had no intentions on slowing down its submarine warfare to which they hoped to keep the Americans neutral, but if they failed in doing so they offered an alliance among themselves and Mexico. The understanding was that Mexico would declare war on the United States and help the Germans and in return they would receive their land they had lost to America in years past,

The U.S.-Mexican War was a violent and shattering event for Mexican citizens that lasted from 1846-1848 in what is now the state of Texas. It drastically altered the course of Mexican and American history for years to come. It occurred because of the unsettled disputes about the borders of newly annexed Texas. Once the debilitating battle ended, the United States emerged a world power having acquired more than 500,000 square miles of valuable territory. There are many potentially feasible explanations on the cause of the war; including, fault laying with American slaveholders for conquest of Mexico, the war as an American plot and responsibility lying with President Polk of the United States. However, this paper focuses on the three

The Zimmerman telegraph was sent by the German foreign secretary of State, Arthur Zimmerman. It proposed a German-Mexican

On April 2, 1917, President Wilson wrote and spoke one of his famous speech: War Message. President Wilson wants to ensure the people 's hope and faith from the war. As President Wilson (1917) stated in his speech "Each nation must decide for itself how it will meet it... Our motive will not be revenge or the victorious assertion of the physical might of the nation, but only the vindication of right, of human right, of which we are only a single champion."was to fix the issue the nation was in. President Wilson wants to show the people that we need to get involved war for the loss of many American lives that Germany took. Wilson persuades to Congress to go to war. President Wilson shows his persuasion effectively by using rhetorical strategies. Each strategy he used gave more persuasion to Congress to declare war on Germany. All the persuasion he used to convince Congress was put in his famous speech War Message.

By January 1917 representatives from the German navy convinced the military leadership and Kaiser Wilhelm II that a resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare could help defeat Great Britain within five months. German policymakers argued that they could violate the “Sussex pledge” because the United States was not being neutral (Office of the Historian). In January of 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to Mexico, offering United States’ territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause (Childress). Accordingly, on January 31, 1917, the German Ambassador, Count Johann von Bernstorff, presented U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing with a note declaring Germany’s intention to restart unrestricted submarine warfare the following day. Stunned by the news, President Wilson went before Congress on February 3 to announce that he had severed diplomatic relations with Germany (Office of the Historian). Throughout February and March 1917, German submarines targeted and sunk several American ships, and many American passengers and seamen died (Office of the Historian). On February 26, Wilson asked Congress for authority to arm American merchant ships with U.S. naval personnel and equipment.