Why Was The Mexican American War Important In American History?

The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the Mexican American war in 1848 was a very important decision in our history. We allowed the Mexican government to keep Mesilla Valley in place of them giving us the Santa Rita Mountains. We believed that we would profit off of this compromise due to the fact that we thought there was rich copper deposits, and some silver and gold which had not yet been mined. Little did we know that the Mesilla Valley was essential for the construction of a Southern Transcontinental Railroad. The reason it was important for the railroad was because it consisted of flat desert land about fifty miles north to south and 200 miles wide, east to west. There were two parcels of the land that President Pierce instructed Gadsden to try and buy. The Baja California Peninsula was the first for fifty million dollars or the thirty eight thousand square miles of dry arid desert. Santa Ana needed money badly to help build up his army to defend against the very people wanting to pay him, the United States. He thought the best solution was to sell as little land as possible for the most

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was a cruel and determined leader. He wanted to control everything he could. Before he was elected the public favored him, but after his promises had been broken the public no longer viewed him the same way and looked down on him with hate. Santa Anna is an important historical figure because without the struggles he caused us, Texas might not have become a part of the United States of America.

In 1821 Santa Anna switched sides and helped mexico gain its independance. Santa anna rose to power as agustin de iturbide was thrown out of office. Santa Anna was a ruthless dictator who would go on to be president 11 more times. During the alamo Santa anna ordered that a blood red flag be flown which meant they would all be butchered. This showed the monstrous personality of Santa

Santa Anna was a major contributor to the Texas Revolution. He joined the Spanish army then turned his allegiance to the Mexican army when that became the popular thing to do. He fought against Spain to make Mexico a free nation. He was elected President of Mexico in1833, just one year later he turned Mexico into a dictatorship. He wanted power and recognition. He did not seem to want the power for any specific purpose except to say that he had it. Santa Anna had been a general of 2000 men during the battle of the Alamo. He had surprised the soldiers at the Alamo. Santa Anna and his troops won at the Alamo. There had only been about 150 soldiers at the Alamo to defend it. They had sent for help but the help did not arrive in time. Santa Anna

In 1832 santa anna endorsed and admitted that a jalapa layer explained to him about republicanism. He remained a political illiterate all his life and was a rabid jacobin liberal and a monarchist. Santa anna served as president six times so he could run his army the way he wanted it to be runned. Santa anna tried to escape Sam houston because santa anna saw that they were losing the war. .Santa anna was captured by Sam houston when they were fighting in the war. Santa anna served many mexican governments as an officer first in Yucatan and later in Veracruz. When santa anna was is Tampico he had a small yellow fever and ridden spanish force from Cuba which had attempted to evade Mexico. Now santa anna was the hero of Tampico and he became an important figure in the chaotic world of mexican politics. The liberal congress made santa anna president and in 1833 santa anna was determined to make Valentin Gomez Farias his vice president. Santa Anna led an army into texas and after some successes santa anna’s forces were annihilated by Sam Houston at San

TO WHAT EXTENT DID THE BATTLE AT THE RIO GRANDE CAUSE THE MEXICAN AMERICAN WAR?

The Mexican-American War was a conflict between the United States and Mexico. It took place  on 25 April, 1846 and ended on 2 February, 1848. President Polk played a huge part in the United States government's involvement with the Mexican-American War. Not all of the American citizens supported the war. There were many individuals who were against it they just was not for it. Henry David Thoreau, an American writer and philosopher, strongly opposed the war by declaring the United States actions as unethical.

The Mexican-American war determined the destiny of the United States of America, it determined whether or not it would become a world power and it established the size of the United States of America. Perhaps the war was inevitable due to the idea of Manifest Destiny - Americans thought they had the divine right to extend their territory. The Mexican-American War started mainly because of the annexation of the Republic of Texas (established in 1836 after breaking away from Mexico). The United States and Mexico still had conflicts on what the borders of Texas was, the United States claimed that the Texas border with Mexico was the Rio Grande, but the Mexicans said that it was the Nueces River, so the land in between were disputed and

How the United States stretched from sea to shining sea by being fair and unfair sometimes. The Mexican war started on April 25, 1846 when Captain Seth Thornton of the United States Army and his 70 sailors were attacked by greater Mexican force. This happened in the disputed territory north of the Rio grande, reports say that 16 Americans were killed and the number of Mexican soldiers that were killed it unknown. Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico? The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because of manifest destiny, border distributes, and annexation of Texas.

The aftermath of the Mexican American warManifest Destiney, the annexation of Texas, and the actions of President John Polk are all factors leading up to the Mexican-american war. It is known that the annexation of Texas was what pushed Mexico leaders over the edge. In 1836 Texas gained independence from Mexico, after becoming an American State the relationship between Mexico and the U.S quickly came to an end. Polk not only had his eyes on Texas but also on California and New Mexico. Polk won the support of the american people by declaring he would complete Americas Manifest Destiny, to reach the West coast. Mexico denied Polk’s offer to buy these lands, leading America to send troops onto disputed territory. April 25, 1846 Mexican troops killed american soldiers on the disputed land, marking the beginning of the war, this was the battle of Palo Alto. The Mexican-American war had a major impact on both Mexico and U.S history. This essay will discuss the political, social, and economical effects between Mexico and the U.S after the Mexican American war.

Acuña points out that the two Mexican wars gave the U.S. commerce, industry, mining, agriculture,

Throughout American History, started from Jamestown Americans started to settle upon Native American land by wiping them out or forcing them to move west. By 1846 throughout 1848, Americans approach Mexican territory’s land which they were eager to conquer and Manifest Density that was unstoppable and a goal for the United States. The conflict was the Mexicans weren 't going to give up their land because of a selfish belief and were provoked to go to war against a stronger nation. A war broke out known as the Mexican-American War.

Mexican-American war is the war between the United States and Mexico that began in 1846 and ended in 1848. This war broke out because of the unresolved conflicts between the U.S. and Mexico about the borders of Texas. Before 1836, Texas was a part of Mexico, but later it gained independence and named itself the Republic of Texas. After that, Texas was annexed by the United States. The Western and Southern borders of the state remained unclear, and tension between the two countries was rising regarding the territories. The United States offered Mexico a trade; paying off Mexican debt to settlers, in exchange for the lands of Alta California and Nuevo Mexico, however this offer only raised the tensions and led to negotiations that would last for years. In addition to the dispute about the territories, there have been disagreements within the United States in regard to the necessity of the war. The Southern states supported this war, however the industrialized North opposed it. The war ended on February 2, 1868, and gave the United States full control over the following territories: Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, and last but not least, Texas. There were disagreements in the Congress as to who actually provoked the war, and which side first shed blood of the other, but despite the internal tensions, the entire country was pleased with the acquisition of new lands, and was in the state of euphoria. But this euphoria did not last long because

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.