In order to reflect on the justification by the United States for war against Mexico, we must examine the United State’s motives and beliefs prior to their official declaration of war in April 1846. To really understand this conflict, we have to look back at Mexican history and realize that they themselves acquired their land from the Spanish in the 1821 revolution/war of independence. The United States would use this fact to later justify their invasion of Mexico, by stating that Mexicans were not the true owners of the land and that they had simply acquired this land by force (and so they could then do the same?). However looking back at US history we see that the United States had likewise acquired their land through revolution against the …show more content…
When Mexico abolished states rights and centralized power in Mexico City in 1835, Texans responded through violence and cries for independence. Led by Sam Houston, the Texas rebel army started a rebellion against Mexican rule, leading Mexican general Santa Anna to declare war on what he saw as traitors committing treason. Santa Anna’s approach against these traitors was brutal, executing 340 Mexican unarmed prisoners at the battle of the Alamo, giving the Americans even more motivation with saying like “Remember the Alamo”. Ultimately in April 21, Houston was able to declare victory after killing 600 Mexicans caught off guard, leading to the birth of an independent republic of Texas. This victory was key, as with control over Texas, control over California and New Mexico was surely to come. Therefore keeping in mind the violent and unjustified manor in which the US took the land of those who graciously offered it to them, we can immediately see how the United States are the aggressors in the conflict to …show more content…
While the phrase originated in the early 1840’s, it was first employed by John L. O’Sullivan in an article on the annexation of Texas published in the July-August 1845. In short, the Manifest Destiny stated that God intended certain land to be under control of America and that by taking said land they were simply gaining freedom and acquiring what rightfully belonged to them (This concept in my mind draws a direct parallel to Zionism). Using this extremely egocentric justification, the United States annexed Texas in February 1845, and under the order of President Polk in July set up troops down at the Mexican coast and at the border in the name of defense. After Mexican president Herrera attempted to ease tension by selling California to the United States, he was accused of treason, and Mariano Perreras who was marching north to face the United States, returned to Mexico to take control as president. Finally, the conflict began when the United States entered disputed territory near the town of Matamoros, and even entered Mexican territory south of the Rio Grande. While this was a clear act of invasion, the United States accused the Mexicans of attacking them first in April 24 at the Rancho de Carachos. This itself was justification for president Zach Taylor to declare war on Mexico, under the basis that
Diaz offered foreign investors to start business in Mexico and encouraged utilization of the country’s natural resources through the investment of foreign capital (284).
Many people do not know that the Mexican War had increased the United States by 50%. The Mexican War started in 1846 and ended in 1848 and took place mostly south of the Rio Grande. What forced Mexico to declare war was the annexation of Texas, the citizens in Texas disobeying the Mexican laws, and Americans crossing the border. Do you think the United States had enough justification for going to war with Mexico? The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because the United States’ Manifest Destiny beliefs, the Mexicans passed the border of Rio Grande, and the American citizens supported going to war.
Many factors led to the Texicans’ decision to declare their independence. The declaration was due to a lack of tolerance for religion, the repealing of the constitution of 1824, an unstable government with an unstable president, and the closure of the Mexican legislature, a congress of nine declared Texas independent from Mexico, followed by a formal declaration on March 2, 1836. After the declaration, General Samuel Houston was appointed commander-in-chief for the Texican government. Immediately after the declaration, hostilities between Mexico and Texas began. Santa Anna sent back up to Texas, but the Texicans fought them off with bows and spears (Mckeehan). Santa Anna’s first mistake was his decision to go to Texas with 10,000 men behind him with no intention of mercy.
Even throughout continuously losing battle after battle, Mexico thought that Texas was theirs. Still, the United States was still justified in going to war with Mexico. Mexico thought that they were at Texas first and that, that meant that they had the right to call the land theirs but Americans counteracted that they were positive that Texas was theirs and God even tells them that it is destiny to have Texas.
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,
So, is the United States justified in going to war with Mexico? I think the U.S. was unjustified to go to war with Mexico because, the United States provoked the war and started the war, the only reason they had the Mexican war was to gain land and lastly Texas was stolen from Mexico by southern slave owners.
the land and yet it had such a weak economy and could use the money
The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because America came in and broke the laws, there were no borders for Texas, and America stole Mexico's land. Tejanos(Mexicans) invited Americans in to settle in Texas. Americans also known as Anglos Broke most of the few laws Mexico made. There was a war for the independence of Texas. A couple years later, President Polk went to go ask Mexico for some of their land because of their belief called Manifest destiny.
Now, the Mexican Revolution was just a small beginning for the eventual state of Texas. Back in 1809, Texas was just a provenance in the Spanish Empire and its inhabitants were mostly converted Native Americans and people of Spanish descent, but not native born of Spain. The Spanish born people had more rights and were, according to the law, superior to all others. This and more oppression by the Spanish against the Mexicans (i.e. the Native Americans and non-Spanish born), caused an uprising by the common people that was started by a Catholic priest in 1809. It would take 16 more years before Mexico had won its independence from Spain like the US had from Great Britain.
13 October 1834 was the first revolutionary meeting of the American citizens who’d settled in Mexico, in the area soon to be known as Texas. The people attempted a movement that soon was laid to rest by the Mexican Congress. Attempts at independence were silenced for the time being and the elections of 1835 proceeded forward. With Santa Anna moving to control Mexico, and taxes increasing, Texans grew restless and rowdy.
Beginning in 1845 and ending in 1850 a series of events took place that would come to be known as the Mexican war and the Texas Revolution. This paper will give an overview on not only the events that occurred (battles, treaties, negotiations, ect.) But also the politics and reasoning behind it all. This was a war that involved America and Mexico fighting over Texas. That was the base for the entire ordeal. This series of events contained some of the most dramatic war strategy that has ever been implemented.
Flores is a Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the College of Liberal Arts and a Professor of Anthropology and Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas. Flores says that one of the reasons Texans wanted to gain its independence from Mexico was because of the government Santa Anna had. Texans and anyone going against Santa Anna wanted Mexico to go back to a federalist republic they did not want a centralist government. Stephen F. Austin proposed the idea of making Texas an independent Mexican state that had control of its own affairs to Santa Anna, but he refused the idea which then added on to the Texans desires to become independent. The tension grew between the Texans and the Mexican government when Santa Anna got rid of the Mexican Constitution of 1824. Flores states that saying the Battle of the Alamo was a battle between Texans and Mexicans is wrong. The “Texans” in fact were not truly Texans, only thirteen native-born Texans fought in the Battle of the Alamo (eleven of those were of Mexican descent), the rest were Europeans, Jews, African Americans, United States Americans and Mexicans. Flores discusses the severe effects of the Texas Modern on the Mexicans. He says that most Mexicans were unemployed, lived in poverty, and had little access to public institutions. He also says the Mexicans were maintained by
Manifest Destiny, before becoming nationally known, started very meagerly. The term "Manifest Destiny" was first used by Congressman Robert Winthrop before being made popular by John L. O'Sullivan in 1845 (Manifest Destiny). O'Sullivan first used the term, "Manifest Destiny" in an article he wrote for the Democratic Review in the July-August edition of 1845. O'Sullivan wrote to other nations who had, "the avowed object of thwarting our policy and hampering our power, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the Continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions" (Adams 332). He was actually talking about the annexation of Texas but the term was stolen from him and used by expansionists of the time to justify other annexations (Adams 332).
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.