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Politics of the Mexican American War
Mexican american war essay
Justifications for mexican american war
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America’s war with Mexico had its supporters and its critics. In 1821 Mexico was declared free from the mother country, Spain. Mexico was stretched from Guatemala to Oregon. It was equal to the size of the United States. It had emptiness near their northern lands. In order to have a bigger population was to welcome settlers from America. America declared war with Mexico because Texas applied to the United States of America for annexation, they were turned down because Congressmen thought it would anger Mexico. Then things changed and James K. Polk was the president and he annexed Texas for land and Mexico didn’t like that they took Texas. In 1846-1848, at Texas the U.S. and Mexico had a war. Critics ask does the U.S. have a right to go to war with Mexico. Manifest Destiny was annexation, Alamo, and envoy. The Mexican War …show more content…
“ This had become necessary, to meet a threatened invasion of Texas….”(Polk 1). Texas was invaded by Mexico and the U.S. had to defend Texas because it was their duty to stretch out their protection over the people and land. “In the eye’s of the Mexican government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico…”(Velasco-Marquez 3). The us attacked Mexico in front of the government. “On April 24th 63 men and officers were sent up the Del Norte river to ascertain with the Mexican soldiers.”(Polk 3). American armies went up the river to fight the Mexican troops. “In 1846 Polk commanded General Zachary Taylor to send troops to the rio Grande to occupy the territory. Soldiers went to wait for the Mexicans to come to their territory. This evidence shows that the US was justified to going to war with Mexico because they are always prepared and ready for the Mexicans. The Mexicans tried getting the Americans to fight but they were always prepared and ready for
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
A third reason the Mexican War was justified was Americans supported going to war. Evidence of this claim is in Document D where Charles Sumner said, at the time, citizens had already started to move to Texas from Massachusetts. Also, in Document B, the note following the letter says that Congress, over killingly, voted 214 votes for “yes” and 16 votes for “no”. This evidence shows the US was justified in going to war with Mexico because it shows support from American citizens and the American
In President James Polk’s War Message to Congress, he states that the Congress of Texas had declared the Rio Grande to be the official boundary between Mexico and Texas. James Polk said, “Sixty-three men and officers, were … dispatched from the American camp up the Rio del Norte, on its [North] bank, to ascertain whether the Mexican troops had crosse, or were preparing to cross, the river…. [They] became engaged with a large body of these [Mexican] troops, and, after a short affair, in which some sixteen [Americans] were killed and wounded, appear to have been surrounded and compelled to surrender….” The invasion was almost like a ticket to declare war against Mexico for James Polk. He began to say that America had given its best efforts to mend the relationship between the countries, but even before the small battle, peace was not an option. “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.” This evidence shows that the United States was justified in declaring war against Mexico because they were trying to protect their own country. In trying to protect their own country and its borders, they were engaged in an attack from Mexico. Mexico threatened America first, this gives a reason for America to declare war against
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.
These two countries had reached a deal of new boundaries between themselves. Although, Mexico believed the Nueces River was the newly formed border, while America thought the Rio Grande serves as the new border. President James Polk sent a total of sixty three troops to station along the northern banks of the Rio Grande. Now, the Rio Grande was south of the Nueces River. Because the Mexicans believed the Nueces, which was farther north, was the new border, it led them to believe the Americans had “invaded” Mexico, causing confusion, and bloodshed, eventually leading to a declaration of war from the U.S. government. The Mexicans had crossed what America thought was the border, the Rio Grande. James Polk issued a declaration of war with Mexico after hearing his troops were being killed, due to a “Mexican invasion” (Doc G). While James Polk believed Mexico had invaded Texas, now a part of the Union, the Mexican Republic believed American troops were at fault for invading Mexico. Rumors spread throughout both countries of the other invading. The Mexicans had formerly offered peace, yet none was reached, continuing on to the war. Confusion of new borderlines and “invasions” of troops spread causing more conflict between America and Mexico, which was one of the major causes of the Mexican War.
The United States was unjustified to go to war with Mexico because the U.S provokes the war and starts 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 U.S. definitely had an advantage, they were stronger and better. So they could easily go to war with Mexico and
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, the Invasion of Mexico, the U.S. Intervention, or the United States War Against Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States and the Centralist Republic of Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Riot. Through this time, supply ships from San Blas continued to be unpredictable and the missions—with their native workers—were worried to provide for the population. When the native groups began to resist the bigger demands, they were placed under firmer military control. Also, additional tribes were gathered, mixed, and combined into dense groups in order to serve the payment. Under these conditions, new diseases quickly spread and native cultures were further disrupted.
“largely ignored Mexican authority”(roden,317). The Texans(Mexicans) let in the Americans in without having to pay for land and they still broke the laws.“ Certainly (Mexico)... might just charge be citizen”(summers,329).The Anglos came in and disobeyed the only laws they had to follow. They made slavery illegal, then the anglos brought 38000 slaves(summers, 329). They knew slavery was illegal, but they brought them anyway. Texas welcomed them in if the Americans followed the laws(alamo, Background). They broke most of the laws. This evidence shows the U.S. was not justified in going to war because they disrespected the authority of Mexico. America was allowed to settle in Texas and they ignored everything they
There were however, some that believed the war to be justified. Many believed that the United States was fulfilling their Manifest Destiny by extending their Democratic ideals and to extend the boundaries of the area of freedom. Many also feared, like President Polk, that Great Britain and France would take control of territory—such as that of California—if the United States did not. In addition to this, many believed it to be completely justified due to the fact that Mexican soldiers were the first to fire upon U.S. soldiers initiating the
James K. Polk was elected President in 1844, taking office in March of 1845 as the youngest president in history at the time. His presidency was filled with much controversy, as he proved himself a vehement supporter of the manifest destiny ideology and constantly sought to increase the land controlled by the United States. His expansionist exploits were regarded in both positive and negative lights by Americans and foreigners alike, and many of these opinions were solidified in the minds of thousands when war was declared on Mexico in 1845 based on a claim President Polk could not prove. We may have entrusted President Polk with the highest position of leadership in our country, as well as the power to declare war which comes with the office, but does his ends justify his means, and was war truly the most favorable course of action for the United
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.
While women in Mexico and the United States were both fighting for their rights, their choices and actions were shaped by the world around them. Between the years of 1846 and 1848, the United States and Mexico had been at war with one another. The United States attacked Mexico because they believed themselves to be entitled to their land. They called this entitlement Manifest Destiny. The United States was ultimately victorious, this was an enormous defeat to the Mexican people and they were forced to give up approximately half of their territory. This defeat came shortly after Mexico had declared its independence.
America was not justified in declaring war against Mexico. It is very evident that President Polk provoked the conflict that took place. When he ordered the US army to occupy the land between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande River, he knew that this area technically belonged to Mexico still. Polk had intentions of purchasing these lands, as well as California, New Mexico, and other southwestern areas, but Mexico declined the offer. His willingness to engage in conflict was spurred by his want for more land. Manifest destiny was a big concept back then and most American’s jumped at the chance to expand further westward. He could have gone about the situation more diplomatically, but instead chose to fight once he could not buy his way out.
As defined by John L. O'Sullivan, Manifest Destiny was the doctrine that America had been divinely apportioned land on the North American continent as a result of the country's rapid population growth. This population multiplication could be attributed directly to the American values of God-given rights, liberties, and its representative republican form of government. Expansion west would give breathing room to Americans in exchange for extending a free government to those who were willing to accept it. Inevitably, expansion caused conflict with existing nations, notably Mexico. In 1846, Mexico attacked U.S. forces in a disputed zone in Texas and America declared war. By 1848, the U.S. controlled western lands all the way to the Pacific coast.
In the discussion about the Mexican American War being justified, it is reasonable to choose this perspective that America was justified because the U.S. went west to protect the post the Mexicans attacked and the U.S. was merely fighting back in self-defense. In Corwin’s speech, it says “At last the president was told that Mexico was willing to have a low-level U.S. government official come to negotiate a quiet settlement about the Texan boundary.” When the U.S went to talk they “ambushed” the U.S. soldiers. So yes, the U.S. fighting in the Mexican American War was