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Causes Of The Mexican War Essay Research

Causes Of The Mexican War Essay, Research Paper


Causes of the Mexican War


The Mexican War lasted from 1846-1848 in the area now known as Texas.


What began as several small disputes eventually led into an armed conflict


between the considerably new nations of Mexico and the United States. The


geographical and political disputes are the most likely causes of the war. These


causes of this war became significant, when the outcome gave the United


States a platform to become one of the most powerful countries in the world.


The first sign of problems between the two countries began when the


United States bordered Mexico after the Louisiana Purchase. “With these areas


now available, American settlers began to move into them, and from there, they


began to enter illegally the sparsely inhabited Mexican territories of California ”


Nardo pg 21. Mexico was unable to deal with these invaders at the time because


they were still dealing with their revolution, but after the Mexican Republic was


established Mexico realized that the United States expansion could be a threat.


Mexico had recently acquired its independence from Spain in the


1820’s and America in the later half of the 1700’s. These new nations had were


unfamiliar with solving their disputes without war. “Although the new


country had established democratic form of government, most of the former class


differences among its citizens still remained. Like Mexico the United States had


extremes of wealth and poverty ” Nardo pg 12. Mexico believed in equality for all


people even though they had differences in their social class. The United States


also believed in equality for all people, even though slavery was practiced by


American citizens. The differences in which each country ran itself caused a small


sense of tension.


To try and help situation between Mexico and the United States, a law


student named Steve Austin developed a proposal for the American settlers in


Texas problem. “Austin promised that the settlers would give up allegiance to the


United States and become Mexican citizens. They would convert to Catholicism


and obey Mexican laws ” Nardo pg 17. This idea backfired when the settlers in


Texas disobeyed Mexican laws. They were too used to having free religion in the


United States and refused to become Catholic. There were several armed revolts


in Texas to any enforcement of the Mexican law. These uprisings by the United


States settlers intensified their feelings toward each other.


The possibility of the annexation of Texas by the United States further


irritated the developing situation. The Mexican Army clearly outnumbered the


Texan Defense and slowly but surely Mexico would end the revolts in Texas.


Though with the help of the United States, Texas would be able to fight the


Mexicans. “Subsequently in the minds of those who believed that the United


States forced war on Mexico as part of preconceived plan forces had in time of


peace encamped in and marched across the territory below the Nueces claimed by


Mexico-though, for that matter, all Texas to the Sabine was so claimed, and


Mexico had announced more than once that entry of Texas into the Union was in


and of itself to be regarded as equivalent to a declaration of war ” Henry pg 28.


Similar feelings were also shared on the other side of the border. “President


Jackson, nearing the end of office, feared that to annex would mean war with


Mexico and an upheaval in domestic politics. Not until the day before he left the


White House would he even recognize the Republic of Texas” Meltzer pg 41.


Though the other reason that Texas wasn’t immediately annexed was a slavery


issue. The North knew that Texas would enter as a slave state. Even though this


was not want the North wanted eventually Texas was annexed. “For several years


the politicians, not yet ready to meet the slavery issue head-on, dodged any debate


on annexation. Texas did not stand still meanwhile. She attracted thousands of


settlers with more liberal offers of land than the United States would make.


Within a decade the Texan population had jumped to 142,000. And by now,


across the border, Americans were ready to act on annexation” Meltzer pg 40.


The annexation of Texas by the United States caused more dispute between


the two countries. The Sabine was established as the boundary between United


States Louisiana and Texas, but when Texas became part of the United States the


dispute over where the Texas and Mexico boundary would be. “While continuing


to deny the existence of Texas as an independent state and its power to annex itself


to the United States, and in no way abating the Mexican claim to everything up to


the Sabine, Mexico also asserted subsequently a lesser claim to the Nueces River


as a boundary line between the states of Tamaulipas and Texas ” Henry pg 18.


With this border set up the United States wanted to send troops to protect them


from the bordering Mexico. General Taylor was instructed to go

on or near the


Rio Grande, while making sure not to cause annoyance with the Mexicans on the


east side of the river. “So doing, Taylor placed himself on the right, or south bank


of the Nueces ” Henry pg 20.


Now that Texas was a part of the United States, it would be increasingly


harder for them to defeat Texas. Though the Mexicans had some advantages.


“The United States was far wealthier and more highly populated, there were more


trained soldiers in the Mexican army than in the American. Mexican cavalry was


rated better than that of the United States by European observers, and cavalry


would be important in the theater of warfare across the border” Downey pg 64.


Eventually the United States would get fed up with the antics of Mexico. “United


States ships, visiting Mexican ports on legitimate errands, were delayed and their


officers insulted. In April, 1840 numbers of Americans and other foreigners living


in California were suddenly arrested, beaten, and thrown into prison” Downey


pg 79. The constant harassment of Americans led the United States to defend their


people and show that these action would not go unpunished.


The slave interest at the time could be an additional reason for the Mexican


War. The southern slave states had good reason to support the war. “This


interpretation maintains that the slave interest sought more territory for cotton


cultivation and for additional slave states to balance the northern free states in the


national legislature” Rappaport pg 35. The United States involving themselves in


the war would allow them to acquire Texas. Texas would be another place for


agricultural support. Furthermore, Texas would most likely join the United States


as a slave state. This would make the number of free and slave states equal.


Another possible reason for the Mexican War is to complete manifest


destiny and for freedom. By involving themselves in the war they were able to


obtain land and power. The idea in America was that the more land, the more


places to prosper. This idea caused America to expand at rapid rates. “No other


nation ever expanded so far and so fast in one generation as the United States.


The national frontier leaped from the banks of the Mississippi to the shores of the


Pacific” Meltzer pg 10 . It was also highly supported. “Many Americans,


Northerners and Southerners supported the war because they believed it was


America’s destiny to cover the whole northern if not southern continent”


Rappaport pg 44. America was bent on controlling New Mexico and California


one way or another to complete their manifest destiny dream. “An attempt at a


peaceful settlement was made by Polk in November, 1845, when he sent John


Slidell to Mexico City to try to buy California and New Mexico for thirty million


dollars. His mission failed” Downey pg 69. Several months later the United


States took action achieve manifest destiny and declared war on Mexico on May


13,1846.


No matter what the cause of the Mexican War was, this event helped to


secure America as a major power. Now that the United States stretched from


ocean to ocean his country would begin to thrive for centuries. It is believed that


the causes of the Mexican war were geographical due to the yearning of manifest


destiny. The idea of stretching across a continent would enough to cause the


United States involvement with Mexico. To annex Texas and gain all its


resources and power is another reason for the Mexican war. At the time the views


on reasons for becoming involved were of all sorts. “Some believed Mexico


deserved chastisement for not honoring valid American claims, rejecting John


Slidell, and for the mistreating of Americans living in Texas. Some thought


Mexico would so greatly benefit by an American military victory followed by


democratization of that country as to warrant war. Some were convinced that


American acquisition of Mexican territory would help to fulfill the divine plan that


fertile soil be in the hands of a superior people for its “beneficent utilization”.


Some were outraged by the Mexican attack on American troops on “American


soil” on May 9,1846” Rappaport pg 11. Issues like New Mexico, California,


slavery, and other less important reasons were all apart of causing the Mexican


War. The results of the Mexican War led America to gaining a few territories, but


the long term affect that it had on America can still be seen today.


Bibliography


Citation Page


Downey, Fairfax.Texas and the War with Mexico. New York: American Heritage


Publishing Co., Inc. 1961.


Henry, Robert. The Story of the Mexican War. New York: Fredrick Ungar Publishing


Co. 1961.


Meltzer, Milton. Bound for the Rio Grande; The Mexican Struggle, 1845 1850. New


York: Random House, 1974.


Nardo,Don. The Mexican-American War. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1991.


Rappaport, Armin. The War With Mexico: Why did it happen?. New York: Harper and


Row Publishers, Inc., 1974.

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