The U.S. - Mexico Border

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The U.S. – Mexico Border is the area of 62 miles on either side of the political border. It stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,951 miles. Its region contains sparse amounts of water, is flat and desert-like (Hively 1). The U.S.-Mexico Border should be abolished because it was the result of war and mistrust, it affected and still affects many people, and doing so would improve life in both the United States and Mexico.
The U.S. - Mexico Border was a product of war and mistrust. It was formed due to the Mexican - American War of 1848. It was a war over territory that cost many their lives. Before, the area was controlled by Native Americans, Mexico, and (for some time) Texas. Mexico got its independence from Spain in 1821, promptly turning the U.S. and Mexico frontier line into a national boundary to separate the two. Mexico asked for people to live on their land and tend to it since there was a shortage in population. Most settled in the areas now known as California and Texas. The foreign settlers established their own communities, finally detaching from the Mexican Republic, inevitably leading into a war where Mexico lost Texas (Davenport 15-17).Texas came into union with the United States in 1845. However, the U.S.’s thirst for land was not sated, and they craved California and the Rio Grande. The war between United States and Mexico was declared by the U.S. Congress on May 13th, 1846. After many bloody battles and lives lost, the U.S. captured Mexico’s capital on September 14th. Once Mexico was defeated, new boundary lines were drawn (Davenport 34-44). The United States and Mexico signed a treaty in January, 1848 to establish the international boundary. It laid out the land according to th...

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...e border where Mexican workers provide cheap labor to produce goods for the United States (Hively 1-4). Mexico is a land of poverty. They come over to the U.S. to find work and in turn, are exploited. They are even exploited in their own country. The U.S. Border encourages the abuse of Mexican low-paid workers. They take advantage of the illegal workers’ inability to protest the unfair conditions they are submitted to. Opening the border would result in a decrease in illegal immigration, since it would become less trouble to enter legally. This would make it harder for companies and factories to take advantage of their workers and would instead raise the wages they worked hard for.
The U.S. - Mexico Border ought to be abolished due to its negative background, the undesirable effects it caused, and for the chance of overall improvement of the United States and Mexico.

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