The Break-Out Of War Between Texans And The Mexican Government

When American settlers started migrating into Texas in the early 1820’s they brought with them the same culture and political agendas that would be similar to the Confederates in the Civil War. Mexico had recently abolished slavery but the new settlers were committed to defy slavery and producing tension with the Mexican government over land claim and political rights (McPherson and Hogue, 2010). After the loss at the Alamo and eventual win at the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, Texas won their independence from Mexico (McPherson and Hogue, 2010). Much like the bickering of the Confederate south, the Polk administration was bent on acquiring land and expanding after the Mexican-American War. Congress, in 1847, eventually saw this acquiring of states as unconstitutional and that the Mexican-American

After the widespread immigration of Americans into the Texas territory, the Mexican government realized their colony was very sparsely Mexican-populated, and to decrease this overflow of immigration, slavery was banned. Many Texans were angered at this supposed limitation of rights because it seemed to them as if their way of life was being purposefully destroyed. Additionally, as the fight for independence was apparently “led by the slaveholders of this country…” it was quite possible that the ban on slavery was the primary reason for several Texans to seek independence (Doc D). However, it is much less feasible that this was so because of the supposed goal, “to open a vast and profitable SLAVEMARKET,” but more possibly because they felt they were being stripped of a God-given right (Doc D). If there were Texans who sought a slave market, the greatest one existed in the United States, and so it would have been senseless to go to Texas seeking it. Instead, the bitterness of many Texans was a result of the contrast in what was considered a right in the United States, and what was considered a right by the Mexican government. Thus, a primary incentive for Texas’s independence was Mexico’s outlaw of

The second basic cause of the war was the Texas War of Independence and the subsequent annexation of that area to the United States. Not all American westward migration was unwelcome. In the 1820's and 1830's, Mexico, newly independent from Spain, needed settlers in the underpopulated northern parts of the country. An invitation was issued for people who would take an oath of allegiance to Mexico and convert to Catholicism, the state religion. Thousands of Americans took up the offer and moved, often with slaves, to the Mexican province of Texas. Soon however, many of the new "Texicans" or "Texians" were unhappy with the way the government in Mexico City tried to run the province. In 1835, Texas revolted, and after several bloody battles, the Mexican President, Santa Anna, was forced to sign the Treaty of Velasco in 1836 . This treaty gave Texas its independence, but many Mexicans refused to accept the legality of this document, as Santa Anna was a prisoner of the Texans at the time. The Republic of Texas and Mexico continued to engage in border fights and many people in the United States openly sympathized with the U.S.-born Texans in this conflict. As a result of the savage frontier fighting, the American public developed a very negative stereotype against the Mexican people and government. Partly due to the continued hostilities with Mexico, Texas decided to join with the United States,

Mexico allowed Americans to come to Texas believing they would contribute to their economy and taxes. When it was obvious that Americans far outnumbered Mexicans in Texas and they weren’t as loyal as Mexico assumed they would become, Mexico tried to stop the immigration but eventually gave up. When factions started to form and it was obvious that unrest was evident, the new Mexican General enforced stricter rules and regulations that started a war over Texas that resulted in Texas’ Independence from Mexico. The Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico came with both positive and negative results for the new independent Texans, such as their joyful release from Mexican control and taxes to the United States’ continuous refusal to allow

When looking on these documents, it is obvious to note the similarities with the writing in the early textbooks on the topic of the Alamo and the Mexican-American War. When these events happened, America was still a pretty recent country and was trying it's hardest to make a name for themself amonst the other well known countries. In 1867, when the first passage about the Alamo was written, and in 1840, when the first passage about the Mexican-American War was written, it was quite apparent that the people writing these were not telling the full truth about the two events as it was shown that in the writing of the Alamo, the author only said that David (Davy) Crockette was probably killed. From the 1878 edition to the 1905 one, there was a

The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) was the first conflict of United States fought within foreign land. James K. Polk believed in “Manifest Destiny”, Colonist spread across the nation from coast to coast. Expanding western to the Pacific, Polk the President, came across a battle at them Border of Rio Grande. The battle began to expand and sooner or later U.S. soldiers were rushing the Mexico territory.

So when they started making laws and breaking them Texas was punished for it. So Texas was the spark of the American and Mexican war happening. They were stating statements that were not true and Texas was not listening to Mexico and all so that made America take Texas away from Mexico so they can have another slave state. And after they took Texas America declared independence there for war. They took territory from Mexico without permission.

The victory over Mexico intensified the political conflict over slavery because the victory added new land to the United States and reopened the question of slavery’s expansion. The land acquired from the victory over Mexico also ruined the loose balance the United States had of free and slave states.

“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,”1 said by United States President James K. Polk during the Mexican-American War. James K. Polk meaning behind this quote was the description of the event itself. The war caused tension within the United States over the newly acquired territory and fulfilled Manifest Destiny through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The Mexican-American War impacted the United States and Mexico’s relationship and influenced internal developments in the United States.

The Mexican citizen did not leave their land or country to go to the United States, the American citizens invaded their land through the American-Mexican war and took control of part of the Mexican territory. Mexicans were forced to became citizens of the U.S., the abolitionist Frederick Douglass stated : "They have succeeded in robbing Mexico of her territory, and are rejoicing over their success under the hypocritical pretense if a regard for peace." (Fraser 320). As a result of the American conquest in the Mexico City, New Mexico, and California, many of them lost their land and lives fighting against the Americans in the war, approximately 90,000 Mexican became a new citizens in the U.S.

New Mexico was just a dry desert owned by Mexico. The people in New Mexico were treated badly and not given the food, water, or money needed to survive. New Mexico was stopped from expanding and becoming something great. The, what is now a great state, used to just be a poorly populated desert. The Mexican-American War was hope for the people of New Mexico. The war could save them, the war could give New Mexico the freedom that it wanted and deserved. The Mexican American War gave hope to New Mexico and changed New Mexico forever.

The general argument made by Rodolfo Acuña in Legacy of Hate: The Conquest of Mexico’s Northwest is that the Mexican-American War was an exercise in American Imperialism. More specifically, Acuña argues that the Anglos took advantage of Mexico and started the war in order to make a profit. The general argument made by Norman A. Graebner in The Mexican War: A Study In Causation is that the Mexican-American War was not an exercise in American Imperialism. More specifically, Graebner argues that the United States did not want to go to war. Instead, they wanted to Mexico to recognize the annexation of Texas and buy New Mexico and California from them.

In 1846 to 1848, the United States and Mexico fought against each other in the Mexican-American War. Some of the major causes for the war was Mexico’s resentment over the loss of Texas, Americans belief of manifest destiny and conflict over slavery. The reason Americans desired westward expansion was because of manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was the belief that westward expansion which was supposedly part of God’s plan to extend the U.S. territory to the pacific (The Mexican War). The U.S. also annexed Texas without the agreement of Mexico. By the annexation of Texas it brought about the issue of slavery. Since the new conquered land they gained from the Mexican-American war, they had to decide whether they would be free or slave state. Both the north and south were trying to make sure neither side gained more political power than the other (The Mexican War). The war was fought in Mexico, which should have given the Mexican army an advantage, yet the Americans were the ones who won the war. The reasons why U.S. won the war against Mexico was because the U.S. army was better prepared. The U.S. generals were better educated in strategies and tactics. Also, during the war Mexico also had to fight against the Indians. The war was caused by the resentment over the loss of Texas, manifest destiny and conflict over slavery, though America won the war because they were well-prepared, had well-educated generals, and Mexico was also preoccupied with fighting indians.

The war with Mexico is long remembered as an episode, and by no means is it an unimportant one. With the events that led up to its happening, from the Manifest Destiny to the disputes on territory, it has severely marked the United States. American historians regard the Mexican-American war as “the foulest blot on our national honor”. (sfmuseum.org) Unethical actions were taken gain Mexican territory. Polk and his hunger for land drove him to find some devious way to fight a war with Mexico. His belligerent attitude in regard to this war was the “foulest blot on our national honor.” However, as one studies the events that led to it, was it an unprovoked act of aggression? Or did the US unjustifiably lure Mexico into one of the bloodiest wars on American soil?

The Mexican-American war was the dispute over the southern border of Texas, regarding if it was Mexican or American territory creating tensions between the North and South regarding whether it was free or slave territory. However, it did lead to controversial reforms such as the Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas- Nebraska Act. Therefore, the Mexican- American war was a key turning point for the slavery institution in the U.S.