More handpicked essays just for you.
Manifest destiny and its consequences
What is the cause and effect of manifest destiny
Manifest destiny and its consequences
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
After Texas’s annexation to the U.S., Texas thought that their troubles with Mexico would be over. Texas thought wrong. Shortly after Texas joined the U.S., the Mexican American War broke out. The war was fought over where Texas’s borders were. Mexico claimed that the borders were at the Nueces River, while the U.S. said that the border line was at the Rio Grande. From 1846 to 1848, the two nations fought over the area between the two rivers, with the U.S. victorious. They signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which marked the Rio Grande as the official borderline between the two countries, and in addition, also got new territory from Mexico known as the Mexican Cession. But did the U.S. deserve all of the land it got from Mexico? Did they have the right to go to war with Mexico? The U.S. was able to justify going to war with Mexico because of these reasons: their manifest destiny and the slaughter of American soldiers on American soil. …show more content…
was justified into going to war to Mexico was because of their manifest destiny. The quote “...hostile interference against us,... hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Province (God)...” (Document A) by O’Sullivan is saying how they must keep on moving to the West to claim the lands that God told them to claim. Any nation that stands in the way of their manifest destiny must be removed. Since Mexico stands in their way, the U.S. has the right to remove them by the words of God. Mexico stands in the way of the U.S.’s manifest destiny and has to be taken care
Rodolfo Acuña and Norman A. Graebner take opposing standpoints on this topic. Acuña takes the standpoint that the Americans took advantage of the Mexican government, which was young and unstable at the time. He argued that the United States waged an unjust war solely for the acquisition of new lands. His excerpt from Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, 3rd Edition provided the basis for his argument. On the other hand, Graebner took the standpoint that President James Polk pushed a policy, enforced by a stronger nation, to force Mexico to sell New Mexico and California and recognize the annexation of Texas to the United States without starting a war. His argument was taken from his article “The Mexican War: A Study in Causation”. Both sides of the American Imperialism argument contain their own strengths. However, after the examination of the articles, Graebner proposes a more convincing
One reason the Mexican War was justified was the United States Manifest Destiny beliefs. Evidence supporting this reason is that, according to Document A, John O'Sullivan said it was God’s choice if the United States will grow by taking or buying territory. Also, the annexation of Texas helped grow the United States which gave the
The war between the United States and Mexico was brutal, but yet very interesting.“Today, we stand as a united country and are much closer to the ideals set forth in our Constitution that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The first sentence of this quote is a perfect example of the Mexican American War, the we were supposed to be united. Manifest Destiny states that we as the United States are bound to have all the land, God wants them to. The war between Mexico and the United States started in 1846, should the United States go to war with Mexico. The United States was indeed justified to go to war with Mexico, because 16 Americans lost their lives in a battle with Mexico, second, Mexicans were mad about the revolution, and Mexico treated U.S. diplomats poorly.
Through Manifest Destiny, the U.S. conquered many new territories. Ever since the U.S. became its own country, they always wanted more land. They thought that the Manifest Destiny gave them the right to expand and conquer more land. The United States were offered a deal known as the Louisiana Purchase which doubled their size. Even after they received this land, they were thirsty for more. They wanted to have Texas as their own. After Texas got their independence from Mexico, President Polk annexed it. Polk had his eye set on California next. But before he could get California, he had to deal with border dispute in Texas, leading to the war with Mexico. So, did the United States have a good reason to go to war with Mexico? The answer is simple, the U.S. was not justified into going to war with Mexico. This is proven through the Manifest Destiny, border disputes, and an American viewpoint on the war.
As Americans, we’ve taken far greater than just tacos, burritos, and nachos from the culture of Mexico. Through America’s past relations with Mexico, America has taken large amounts of land, and a sense of power from country south of the United States, Mexico. In 1846, James Polk, a former president of the United States, declared war on Mexico. There was confusion between Mexico and America. Land was being traded, new borders were being formed, but disorientation was aroused causing conflict. Differences in culture, beliefs, and even national law led to dispute among these two countries, making it even more difficult to reach a treaty of peace, or a deal. The Mexican-American War was not justified because it was an excuse for gaining land,
In February, 1848 Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ending the war with America, albeit under the threat of total domination by the United States. Although not agreed upon in a mutual sense, Mexico did work diligently to ensure the rights of its people still homesteading within the border region. Specific provisions were set forth within the document that guaranteed free passage within the region, respect for worldly possessions, protection under U.S. law, and the ability to make a decision pertaining to citizenship under Mexican or American rule. However, with the document the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo appeared on paper, its practices were far less diligent in defending the rights of the Mexican-Americans caught up in the debacle.
The U.S requested the also be given the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande was south of Texas and clearly belonged to Mexico (refer to figure 1). The U.S felt that the Rio Grande was part of Texas and should be given to the U.S with Texas. Mexico would not give up the Rio Grande because they were certain that the Rio Grande belonged to them. America's greed is THE major reason this conflict occurred. The U.S also believed the Mexico should have to pay for any of the U.S's debts that were incurred during Mexico's conflicts with Spain. America was in debt 3 million dollars because of the Mexico and Spanish conflicts and America very strongly believed that these debts were Mexico's fault and they should have to pay for them.
It is my honor to speak before the House of Representatives and Senate and officially state that Mexico and the United States have signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty ends the Mexican-American War as Mexico has agreed to cede all regions that rightfully belong to the United States of America. The Mexican-American War started in April of 1846 and ended yesterday in February of 1848. I consider the war against Mexico as a conflict that largely benefited the United States. President James Polk and all of my fellow US Congressman were reasonable and justifiable to dictate that Mexico obstructed and interfered with the freedom and rights of the citizens in our beautiful nation, specifically in Texas. The Mexican general, Santa Anna, sent troops to invade one of the Union’s state, Texas, and the act is clearly an attack against the United States. In this speech, I will address to the critics of the war the facts, reasons and my clarifications to justify that the United State’s action to declare war against Mexico was reasonable.
[In 1836, Texas had declared its independence from Mexico and was later annexed to the U.S. in 1845 which strained the relationship between the two countries. The disagreement over Texas was which river would be the border. The United States said that the Rio Grande River should be the border while Mexico said the Nueces River was the border. The war had began in 1846 after 16 Americans were killed North of the Rio Grande River because the Mexican government said they had cross the border , while President Polk believed they (Mexicans) fired upon Americans on the “Texas Side. The war between Mexico and the United States lasted 2 years and ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.]
After Mexico declared its independence from Spain, tensions between the United States and Mexico arose. Before the people of Mexico declared their independence, the treaty between the leaders of the US and Spain in 1819, Adams-Onis Treaty, had established that the border of Mexico lied along the Sabine River. In 1821, the US and Mexican governments signed a treaty stating that both governments will strive to maintain the peace and harmony among the Native Americans that live along the border between the two countries. However, due to the unique geography of the Sabine River the US and Mexico had different interpretations of where the border actually lied. This led to US leaders claiming the city of Nacogdoches as their own, while the Mexican government believed that it was within their territory. When the US President sent General Gaines to occupy Nacogdoches, it led to the anti-American sentiment that would fuel the Mexican-American War. There are many causes of the Mexican-American War but a major cause was the US government redefining terms of a treaty for their own benefit. Throughout history US leaders redefined the terms of treaties with other countries and people, such as the Treaty of Alliance with France and the Treaty of Fort Laramie, for the benefit of expanding United States territory.
Before the Gold rush, the United States was at war with Mexico over territory. If it had not been for the Treaty of Guadalupe in 1848 the United States might have turned out differently than it currently is today. The Treaty of Guadalupe was signed on February 2, 1848 and ended the Mexican-American war. Mexico transferred nearly half of their land to the U.S. (Rohrbough 12). Some Americans felt it was part of Manifest Destiny, especially by believer President James Polk (Smith, Orsi, and Rawls 26). The Treaty of Guadalupe guaranteed that any Mexican citizen in California who did not want to continue their allegiance to Mexico would within a year be granted the automatic “title and rights of citizens...
In addition, during Polk’s term he expanded the United States’ border to the west coast. His desire to enlarge the country stemmed from his belief in “manifest destiny” which was the idea that the United States was destined to stretch to the Pacific Ocean. His presidency; his decisions for the country were influenced by manifest destiny. In the article titled “Mexican-American War,” James K. Polk wanted to acquire California and the southwestern land of the United States. Polk’s movement of troops into the conflicted zone between the Rio Grande and Nueces River initiated a conflict with Mexico. The conflict developed into a war, with hefty Mexican losses, but finally ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo with the U.S. as the victor. In the treaty, Mexico decided to sell all the land north of the Rio G...
Did you know that the United States took half of Mexico’s country as a reward for winning the Mexican War? After Texas won its independence in 1836 it tried to get annexed to the US however Congressmen didn’t want to anger Mexico who still considered Texas a part of their country so they said no both times. Later in 1844, James K. Polk was elected and everything changed and the Manifest Destiny was ruling. Polk didn’t just want to annex texas but also California. Congress voted for Texas and polk sent troops, with John Slidell into the disputed area of southern texas to Mexico City to try to buy California. However the attempt to buy a huge part of their country angered Mexican government. Polk felt that America’ honor was challenged so when
The US was justified in going to war with Mexico because the mexicans attempted to forcefully removed General Zachary Taylor’s men, Mexico killed Americans first and the US would be able to obtain California. Mexico had no reason to send forces into the disputed territory without communicating with the Americans. Mexico attacked and killed 16 Americans at the Rio del Norte, giving America no other choice than to defend their people. It was America’s Manifest Destiny to spread to the Pacific, so when America could distract Mexico with the war over Texas, they took their chance. America had many justifiable reasons for going to war with Mexico, but Mexico might tell another story, so take what I have told you and what others will tell you and choose whether or not the US was justified in going to war with
The Mexican-American war determined the destiny of the United States of America, it determined whether or not it would become a world power and it established the size of the United States of America. Perhaps the war was inevitable due to the idea of Manifest Destiny - Americans thought they had the divine right to extend their territory. The Mexican-American War started mainly because of the annexation of the Republic of Texas (established in 1836 after breaking away from Mexico). The United States and Mexico still had conflicts on what the borders of Texas was, the United States claimed that the Texas border with Mexico was the Rio Grande, but the Mexicans said that it was the Nueces River, so the land in between were disputed and claimed by both the United States and Mexico. Hostilities started on April 24th, 1846, 2000 Mexican cavalry crossed the Rio Grande and attacked an American troop of 63 men.