In the early and middle 1800s expansionism was a popular view in the United States. The Louisiana Purchase, the claim to Oregon, and the purchase of Florida, were all made to expand the borders and power of the United States. From the Rio Grande to the United States southern border was gained during the Mexican American war. This raises the question if the Mexican American war was an exercise in american imperialism, a war purely for land and power. Rodolfo Acuña believed that The Mexican American war was an exercise in american imperialism. When americans were invited to settle in Northern mexico they had to follow the laws set by the mexican government, no slaves were allowed and all settlers must convert to Catholicism. The american settlers openly rejected these laws and continued to settle in what is now present day Texas. …show more content…
Acuña believes that this is an example of American imperialism. When the United states eventually went to war with Mexico, American troops were moved into disputed land and were attacked. James K. Polk immediately went to the senate for a declaration of war stating that “American blood has been shed on American soil.” Acuña believes that this was a way to get a reason to claim the land and go to war with Mexico. While Acuña believes that the Mexican War was an Exercise in American Imperialism, Norman A. Graebner believed that it
believed Mexico could not govern their territory properly, Mexico still owned and had authority over California. The U.S. was not justified in going to war with Mexico because they ignored Mexican authority by settling in California, Mexico’s territory, and established slavery in disputed territory when it was against Mexican law. According to John L. O’Sullivan’s “Annexation”, “The Angelo-Saxon foot is already on [California’s] borders...armed with the plough and the rifle…” (Doc A). The U.S. believed that Mexico “never can exert any real governmental authority over such a country” (Doc A), so they set up towns along the borders of California with armed soldiers in line. These actions were used to pressure Mexico into an attack, so the U.S. could annex California. Charles Sumner states in “Objections to the Mexican-American War”, “Slaveholders crossed the Sabine [river between Louisiana and Texas] with their slaves, in defiance of the Mexican Ordinance of freedom.” (Doc D). Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, and one of their founding laws was the ban of slavery. In spite of this, the U.S. broke Mexican law and established slavery in disputed territory.The U.S. used tactics such as angering and pressuring the Mexicans, which helped provoke a war that was
The war between the United States and Mexico was brutal, but yet very interesting.“Today, we stand as a united country and are much closer to the ideals set forth in our Constitution that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The first sentence of this quote is a perfect example of the Mexican American War, the we were supposed to be united. Manifest Destiny states that we as the United States are bound to have all the land, God wants them to. The war between Mexico and the United States started in 1846, should the United States go to war with Mexico. The United States was indeed justified to go to war with Mexico, because 16 Americans lost their lives in a battle with Mexico, second, Mexicans were mad about the revolution, and Mexico treated U.S. diplomats poorly.
In President James Polk’s War Message to Congress, he states that the Congress of Texas had declared the Rio Grande to be the official boundary between Mexico and Texas. James Polk said, “Sixty-three men and officers, were … dispatched from the American camp up the Rio del Norte, on its [North] bank, to ascertain whether the Mexican troops had crosse, or were preparing to cross, the river…. [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….” The invasion was almost like a ticket to declare war against Mexico for James Polk. He began to say that America had given its best efforts to mend the relationship between the countries, but even before the small battle, peace was not an option. “Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.” This evidence shows that the United States was justified in declaring war against Mexico because they were trying to protect their own country. In trying to protect their own country and its borders, they were engaged in an attack from Mexico. Mexico threatened America first, this gives a reason for America to declare war against
got their land from Mexico through war. The war with Mexico killed many people for the United States personal benefit of getting more land. At the beginning of the essay we had one question, was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico. The answer to this debatable question was that the United States did not have a good reason to go to war with Mexico, This was proven by the Manifest Destiny showed that “God’s” words told the U.S. to go out and take other people's land, which is totally wrong. Next border disputes occurred leading the U.S. to use it as an excuse to start the war with Mexico. And lastly the American viewpoint showed that the U.S. did not follow the laws of having Texas as a slave free place. These topics all show that the United States had to use something to make an excuse to start the war since they had no good reason to do
the land and yet it had such a weak economy and could use the money
During the years surrounding James K. Polk's presidency, the United States of America grew economically, socially, and most noticeably geographically. In this time period, the western boundaries of the Untied States would be expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Many Americans in the 19th century believed that the acquisition of this territory to the west was their right and embraced the concept of "Manifest Destiny". This concept was the belief that America should stretch from sea to shining sea and it was all but inevitable. Under the cover of "Manifest Destiny", President Polk imposed his views of an aggressive imperialistic nation. Imperialism is the practice of extending the power and dominion of a nation by direct territorial acquisitions over others, and clearly America took much of this land by force rather than peaceful negotiations with other nations. Polk acquired three huge areas of land to include: the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico under the Mexican Cession.
During the Spanish American war, many people were divided over the topic of imperialism. Ultimately, many benefits came with the US territory expanding. Not only did the US get bigger, but many aspects of our nation improved significantly. American expansion abroad was justified because it helped the military and economy advance greatly.
The years 1840 to 1890 were a period of great growth for the United States. It was during this time period that the United states came to the conclusion that it had a manifest destiny, that is, it was commanded by god to someday occupy the entire North American continent. One of the most ardent followers of this belief was President James K. Polk. He felt that the United States had the right to whatever amount of territory it chose to, and in doing this the United States was actually doing a favor for the land it seized, by introducing it to the highly advanced culture and way of life of Americans. Shortly after his election he annexed Texas. This added a great amount of land to the United States, but more was to follow. The Oregon Territory became a part of the United States is 1846, followed by the Mexican Cession in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. At this point the United States had accomplished its manifest destiny, it reached from east to west, from sea to shining sea. Now that the lands it so desired were finally there, the United States faced a new problem- how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. Realistically, it is great to have a lot of land, but if the land is unpopulated and undeveloped, it really isn't worth much. And the government of the United States knew this. One of the reasons that many did not choose to settle there immediately was that the lands were quite simply in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by mountains, inhabited by hostile Indians, and poor for farming. Because of these geographical conditions, the government was forced to intervene to coax its citizens into settling the new lands. Basically the lands were not settled because they were available, they were settled because of various schemes the government concocted to make them seem desirable.
As more Americans moved west and into Texas it became evident. that there was going to be a continued clash between Mexico and the white frontiersmen who quickly flooded. certain areas of the world. The American government wanted to purchase this valuable land but eventually it was taken by Americans. frontiersmen where it was declared its own realm.
From western expansion to foreign imperialism the United States has always been an expansionist country. Early America’s focus was to conquer the natives and obtain western land within North America, but in the latter of America’s history, specifically in the nineteenth and twentieth century, foreign imperialism became the new focus. America’s activity in foreign imperialism was a continuation and departure of the United States’ early expansionism. It was a continuation in terms of manifest destiny, the spread of Christianity, and by the concept of “the city on a hill” and a departure in terms of foreign involvement.
Immediately following the war with Spain, the United States had both the political will to pursue imperial policies and the geopolitical circumstances conducive to doing so. But the way in which these policies would manifest was an open question; was the impulse to actively remake the world in America’s Anglo-Saxon image justified? Hence, there were several models of American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century. In the Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Samoa, the United States asserted unwavering political control. In Cuba, and later throughout most of the Caribbean basin, the economic and political domination of customarily sovereign governments became the policy. Ultimately, the United States was able to expand its territory
After Texas’s annexation to the U.S., Texas thought that their troubles with Mexico would be over. Texas thought wrong. Shortly after Texas joined the U.S., the Mexican American War broke out. The war was fought over where Texas’s borders were. Mexico claimed that the borders were at the Nueces River, while the U.S. said that the border line was at the Rio Grande. From 1846 to 1848, the two nations fought over the area between the two rivers, with the U.S. victorious. They signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which marked the Rio Grande as the official borderline between the two countries, and in addition, also got new territory from Mexico known as the Mexican Cession. But did the U.S. deserve all of the land it got from Mexico? Did they have the right to go to war with Mexico? The U.S. was able to justify going to war with Mexico because of these reasons: their manifest destiny and the slaughter of American soldiers on American soil.
...media as much after the Mexican-American War it still showed that Americans could go anywhere and live there and help the US expand. With manifest destiny telling the population they could help build the west expansionism happened rapidly.
As shown, America’s rapid change as the 19th century came to a close was supported by a variety of imperialistic beliefs, motives, and incidents that almost jumpstarted the U.S. onto the world stage. Many of these incidents, such as the public’s thirst for expansion, the annexation of several faraway lands, and the build-up of U.S. military forces, would not have been possible without the Spanish American War. Moreover, the Spanish American war would not have been possible without the American people. Imperialism was a consequence of the American Democratic experiment, giving the people what they want. . Works Cited http://www.course-notes.org/us_history/notes/the_american_pageant_14th_edition_textbook_notes/chapter_27_empire_and_expansion_18
Under James Polk’s presidency, America wanted to continue the western expansion. They claimed that this was God’s plan and that the American’s were God’s new chosen people. The American government used this concept of “manifest destiny” to justify their intent. By saying that God intends for them to claim this land and continue the expansion they were able to gain the support of the American citizens. America would be gaining almost half of the territory of Mexico, for a price tag of thirty million dollars. Aside from monetary gain the agreement proposed by Polk offered no benefits for Mexico.