Mexican American War Analysis

Evaluating the Mexican-American War

The relationship between the United States and Mexico has made a remarkable impact on society throughout our history. Did you know that the Mexican-American War cost more than $75 million dollars in 1848 (Miller, 2006)? One question that gets brought up when talking about the Mexican-American War is if the war was just or an unjust war? Regardless if the war was just or not, the war between the two countries has greatly impacted the regions of land and the close ties we still have with Mexico today.

Morality will to be debated any time a country decides to go to war. During Polk’s presidency, many Americans debated intensely about going to war with Mexico. There are Americans who debated the war’s morality and there are Americans who supported it. (Pletcher, 2006). One of the reasons why Polk supported the idea of going to war was due to Mexico invading Texas and killing Americans on our own grounds

(Pletcher, 2006). Polk was also looking to expand the territory of the United States. The war between the United States and Mexico formed the area of land claimed by the two countries. The United States would gain a vast area of land such as present-day Texas and a border line extending past New Mexico, Arizona, and ending in southern California (Weber, 2006).
Polk was looking to expand the territory of the United States. During the time period of the war, the United States was looking to expand their territory. One reason was because of the advancement of transportation and communicating with people across geographic regions (Johannsen, 2016). People became fascinated with traveling and one reason for that was the gold rush in California. The railroad system played an important role with transporting people from one side of the coast to another. Without this war, the entire landscape of the United States would be different. We may have never even discovered the concept of transportation people from one side of the country to another. The discovery of gold and silver in California and other western states helped contribute to the United States economy and the movement of people migrating west (Miller, 2006).
The subject of Morality concerning the Mexican-American War is one of the most debated topics when reviewing the past and determining whether the war was just or unjust. The reason why people saw the war as unjust is because of violence such as the land taken away from the people who were originally from that area and families being split apart (Castaneda, 2006). Another reason why many saw the war as unjust is because of racism, slavery, and access to land with more cotton, which would result in more slave labor (Castaneda, 2006). The Mexican-American War was immorally violent. It was about making profit off slavery and proclaiming ownership to rich lands such as California and gold (Castaneda, 2006). Many innocent people in Mexico were killed and didn’t have a superior army like the United States. The Mexican army did not have a large officer corps and majority of their troops are from the poorest parts of society (Krauze, 2013). The United States’ artillery and gunfire caused widespread destruction to buildings, roads and ports (Miller, 2006). This was seen as unjust to many people. From the beginning of time, there has always been a sense of immorality. Immorality is still one of the major factors in any debate taken place today and will continue to shape the future.
The United States and Mexico have been closely associated with one another throughout history.

The war between the United States and Mexico provides a deeper understanding of the conflicts the two countries face today. Was the Mexican-American War a just or unjust war? Yes, the Mexican-American War was unjust because the war was not seen as being moral or fair. The war was unjust to the people who had their homes and families destroyed. It was unjust making a profit off slave labor while conquering the land of people who were originally there. Although immorality ultimately shaped many people’s views on the war, there are also positive events that came from the war. We advanced the concept transportation and discovered new parts of the world that were never seen before. We learned how to communicate with people all across the country and eventually these territories would see a major impact in population and boosting the economy of the government. Just or unjust, there was a great deal learned from the Mexican-American

War.

References
Castañeda, A. I. (2006, March 14). A War of Violence and Violations: The Consequences of Conquest. Retrieved March 08, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/violence.html
Johannsen, R. W. (2006, March 14). Vast New Territories. Retrieved March 08, 2017,http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/vast_new_territories.html
Krauze, E. (2013). Border Battle: The Ugly Legacy of the Mexican-American War: Review Essay. Foreign Affairs, 92(6), 155-161.
Miller, R. R. (2006, March 14). The War Between the United States and Mexico. Retrieved March 08, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/war.html
Pletcher, D. M. (2006, March 14). A Hypothetical Question: Was the U.S.-Mexican War Necessary? Retrieved March 08, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/was_the_war_necessary.htm
Weber, D. J. (2006, March 14). Many Truths Constitute the Past: The Legacy of the U.S.-Mexican War. Retrieved March 08, 2017, from http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/aftermath/many_truths.html