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Mexican-American War Dbq

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The Mexican-American War occurred from 1846 to 1848, and was extremely beneficial to the United States. It marked the first conflict that America was involved in on foreign soil, and had numerous causes and effects. However, the Americans had opposing views on the Mexican War. For example, some Whigs and northerners were very critical, but the majority of Americans favored it. Abraham Lincoln, being an Illinois Congressman at the time, argued against the president to find out the exact spot on the U.S. where American blood was being shed. If this place was on U.S. territory, he would support the war. If not, he would oppose it. (Boyer. “American Expansionism.”). The Mexican War was inspired by the idea of “Manifest Destiny”. This is “the belief that America had a God-given right, or destiny, to expand the country's borders from ‘sea to shining sea’.” ("The History Guy: The U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848)." This idea caused suffering for Mexicans and Native Americans in the near future, due to the Americans seizing their …show more content…

The President had a desire for the United States to control more land. Also, Polk was a strong supporter of manifest destiny and believed that it was America’s right to conquer all of North America to the Pacific Ocean. (“Mexican-American War”). To the Americans, it was okay for them to take over the Native Americans land without feeling guilty. This desire to expand the U.S. to make it a larger and a more powerful country helped influence the Mexican War. Ever since the Louisiana Purchase, American citizens have been inching their way westward for settlement. They made homes on land that was not theirs in the first place, which angered many people, such as the Mexicans and the Native Americans. ("The History Guy: The U.S.-Mexican War (1846-1848).". Nevertheless, these actions did not benefit the U.S. for having a good relationship with these

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