Annexing Texas Dbq Analysis

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

In 1844, James K. Polk, who favored annexation, was elected president of the United States. Following his choice, Mexico once again reminded America that the annexation of Texas would be perceived as an act of war. However, the Americans were more focused on the land they would be in control of if Texas were annexed. On March 1, 1845 Congress passed the proposal for Texas’ annexation, making it officially part of the United States. Though it was official, Mexico still didn’t recognize Texas as part of the U.S. The Mexican ambassador claimed that the U.S had illegally taken control of Mexican land. Polk then sent his negotiator, John Slidell, to Mexico to offer them five million dollars for New Mexico and twenty-five million dollars for California.

The Mexicans had become furious when Texas had been annexed by the United States. The Mexicans were also worried that the annexation of Texas would cause Americans in New Mexico and California to rebel. President Polk offered $30 million to Mexico for California and New Mexico, but Mexico turned down the offer since they protested losing any more territory. On January 1846, President Polk commanded General Zachary Taylor to set up posts across the Rio Grande. Since Mexico claimed Rio Grande, Polk new that this move might cause war.

Majority of wars in the United States were controversial, and the war with Mexico was no exception. After Mexico became a free nation, The Mexican leaders wanted to grow their populations. To do so they invited Americans to Texas. This did not turn out well for Mexico since Mexico was against slavery and the Americans that immigrated to Texas were from the south and proslavery. Later when Texas wanted to annex into the united states, but the Congress did not want this because they knew it would cause problems with Mexico and they did not want to risk a War with them. Also, they did not want to add another pro-slavery state to the union. After John K Polk was elected he wanted Texas and California into the union because he was a strong believer in manifest destiny. He believed that if Texas was admitted as a state then it would support manifest destiny. Then

As Texans began demanding freedom, they deciding to away from Mexico, causing tensions between the United States and Mexico. In 1845, tensions began to lead to threats between the two countries when the United States decided to annex Texas into their country and ultimately led to the Mexican-American war. The U.S. was not justified in going to war with Mexico. A reason is that James K. Polk, president at the time, decided to send American soldiers onto disputed territory which Mexico thought was theirs. Doc C is an article written by Jesus Velasco-Marquez discussing the Mexicans viewpoint on the war with the United States in 1846. According to Doc C,¨In the eyes of the Mexican government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack

“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

“The invasion was threatened solely because Texas had determined… to annex herself to our Union; and, under these circumstances, it was plainly our duty to extend our protection over her citizens and soil.”(Polk 325)Texas and the United States believed that the Rio Grande was considered as the border between Mexico and Texas. But the river that Mexico believed as the border was the Nueces River. The two countries didn’t have the same perspective of the borders. In 1821, Mexico declared itself free from its mother country, Spain. The Texans won their independence from Mexico in 1836.The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because of the Manifest Destiny, Texas wanted

[During the year of 1846, president Polk from the United States had gone to war with Mexico. The two countries went to war after Texas had declared itself an independent republic and the U.S had annexed it. This stained the relationship between the United States and Mexico. Also, on top of that, Mexico and the United States could not agree on a border. The U.S believed that the Rio Grande was the border, but Mexico thought the Nueces River was the border. Eventually, Mexican soldiers fired on the American troops that were patrolling along the Rio Grande and that marked the beginning of the Mexican War. When the war was over, the U.S had gained about half of Mexico’s land.]

It is worth noting here that the Americans were concerned about appearances, and that they did their best to provoke Mexico into a war, without having to bear the responsibility of actually starting the war. In his Personal Memoirs, Grant explained the mission of the U.S. Army in south Texas, "We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that Mexico should commence it." The plan worked. The U.S. annexed Texas in February of 1846, and Polk immediately ordered Taylor to proceed to the Rio Grande. One of Taylor's patrols skirmished with a Mexican detachment and lost over twenty soldiers, including eleven dead, five wounded, and several captured. Polk immediately called for war. In his bellicose message to the U.S. Congress, the President announced that, "American blood had been shed upon American soil." He got his declaration of war.

In fact, they themselves requested that the Republic of Texas be annexed (Document 6). The acceptance of Texas as a state would be the ultimate insult to Mexico, as they still had some claim to the land despite its recent independence (Document 5). To accept Texas was a declaration of war in the eyes of Mexico as shown in the Mexican call to arms following the announcement of annexation (Document 1). The official reason cited by the American government can be traced simply to the request by James K. Polk to Congress for a formal declaration of war. He claimed that since Texas would be part of the United States then it justified Congress to declare war in order to protect those Americans in the region who already followed American economic values, and certainly those values that aligned with the general American beliefs at the time which weren’t mentioned in the document, such as noncompliance with the mandatory catholicism formerly required of Texians as a part of Mexico (Document

During the 1800s the phrase “Manifest Destiny,” meaning obvious fate, was the belief that it was America’s right and duty to spread across the North American continent. This was a cause for Americans to start expanding their land ownership throughout the continent by settling in areas which they knew had many valuable resources. During the time that America had decided to annex Texas, many problems started to rise between Mexico and the United States. In the eyes of Mexico, the annexation of Texas was an act of war. Furthermore, both countries were having a hard time trying to agree on a border, because both wanted control of the Rio Grande, but it was unfortunate that only one of them would be able to claim the river. So, in 1846, Mexican soldiers started firing at American troops who were patrolling along the Rio Grande, which lead to sixteen Americans being killed and wounded. Polk used this as a cause for war, and stated that Mexico, “has invaded our territory and shed American blood on American soil.” All in all, the United states was clearly justified in going to war with Mexico, because Mexico had invaded American territory, shed American blood upon American soil, had come within American power, and the United states was able to offer them a position above any that they have previously occupied.

Texas and the United States believed that the proper borderline between Texas and Mexico was the Rio Grande, but for Mexico it believed that the border between them and Texas is the Nueces River.”(Hook) As you can see the United States and Mexico had different beliefs. This evidence shows the US was justified in going to war with Mexico because the US believed that Mexico had a smaller amount of land they what they think they have. But Mexico believes that it has more land. Mexico and the United States were fighting over the disputed territory which was between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, which made the tension between Mexico and the US more negative. “ on April 24th of April a party…..of sixty three men and officers, were… dispatched from the American camp up the Rio del Norte.(Doc B)” This evidence shows that Mexico had went against its boundary and fought with American men in the striped area where Mexico and the United states were already fighting for. This Made thing more difficult to handle because the Us and Mexico were already fighting for land and the probably made things worse between the two

“Imbecile and distracted, Mexico never can exert any real governmental authority over such a country’’ (Sullivan 323). That America Really thought that this was for the greater=good and will be better all around if there was just America. “Polk was a strong supporter of Manifest destiny.” (Roden 317). This can help understand the new president's reasons for including Texas. America was growing in population with the “yearly millions”(Sullivan 323). This information shows: America needed the space, and Texas already wanted to become one. manifest destiny is a term used to describe a belief that iu is God’s will to expand America. ( Roden 317). This Information shows: this what some of the people who elected Polk for president voted for, this is what the belief for America was. It was in the best interest of the U.S and the Manifest Destiny belief to expand. When in the process expansion the United Stated were very passion it to it due to Manifest

In 1845 Texas was annexed as a state, however disputes between America and Mexico remained concerning where the border would be located. President Polk at the time had no choice but to send troops due south to defend Texas and the Thornton affair, won by the Mexicans, would force congress to declare war on Mexico.

James K. Polk was the 11th presidents of the United states of America. His name is perhaps most closely associated with Manifest Destiny, because a year before he became the president, the Manifest destiny started the embody the governing philosophy of the Polk administration and its ardently expansionist aims. Polk’s campaigning methods is the leading cause to his victory of becoming the president of America. He campaigned on an expansionist platform, and vowed to not agree with the British on the dispute over the Oregon Territory's northern border. After Polk took office, the tension with Mexico over the annex of Texas continued to grow. In May 1846, Polk got his cabinet to approve of him to send a message of war against Mexico to Congress. In May 1847, president Polk had Nicholas P. Trist, the chief clerk in the state department, to Mexico with Gen. In spite of Polk's wish, Trist signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in early February 1848. This was the Treaty that ended the Mexican American War. Polk still was unhappy with the land he had just ceased- but polk had to settle with what the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had got him: California, Nevada, Utah, most of New Mexico and Arizona, and the disputed