The Mexican War: The Justification Of Mexico

Did you know that the United States took half of Mexico’s country as a reward for winning the Mexican War? After Texas won its independence in 1836 it tried to get annexed to the US however Congressmen didn’t want to anger Mexico who still considered Texas a part of their country so they said no both times. Later in 1844, James K. Polk was elected and everything changed and the Manifest Destiny was ruling. Polk didn’t just want to annex texas but also California. Congress voted for Texas and polk sent troops, with John Slidell into the disputed area of southern texas to Mexico City to try to buy California. However the attempt to buy a huge part of their country angered Mexican government. Polk felt that America’ honor was challenged so when

mobilization as an attack toward Mexico. According to Jesus Velasco-Marquez from a Mexican Viewpoint, he states that “In the eyes of the Mexican government the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico...As a consequence, the Mexican government reaffirmed the instruction to protect the border,....an order which led to the battles of palo Alto and Reseca de la Palma.” Another thing he stated was that “ From Mexico’s point of view, the annexation of Texas to the US was inadmissible for legal and security reasons.” This evidence shows the US was not justified in going to war with Mexico because the US army was advancing on Mexican land which in Mexico’s eyes was a front on attack and they also saw saw the annexation of Texas not valid because even after Texas had won its independence, Mexico still saw it as a part of its

According Charles Sumner from “Objections to the Mexican-American War”, he states that “..decreed the abolition of human slavery within her dominion, embracing the province of Texas..” He also states that “..with disgraceful robbery, while, in seeking extension of slavery, our own citizens denied the great truths of American freedom..” And according to Jesus in the paragraph above , he states that “The American government acted like a bandit who came upon a traveler.” This evidence shows the US was not justified in going to war with Mexico because in the first and second quotes it is shown that Mexico was turning anti-slavery like the northeast of the US and they thought that if the US got most of Mexico, the country would turn from half antislavery to like one-fourth antislavery and the rest of the country full of slavery. In the last quote it shows that America was robbing from Mexico. The US robbed Texas from Mexico and now it wants to rob California