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What are the causes of the spanish-american war
Causes of the spanish american war
Causes of the spanish american war
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The Mexican-American war of 1846-1848, a contentious checkpoint in history, was the bloodshed of both the Mexican and American army over the Texas revolution and annexation. In spite of all of America’s debatable actions, the decision to wage war with Mexico was to the fullest degree, justifiable. Mexico’s inadequate government, violence and mistreatment of settlers prove America’s steps to provide for the common defense and declaration of war as worthwhile.
First and foremost, the Mexican-American war was completely rational due to the fact that it derived from Mexico’s incompetent government. In context, Mexico had difficulty handling foreign and domestic affairs. As stated in James K. Polk’s Address to Congress for a Declaration of War
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on May 11, 1846, “...The Mexican Government refused all negotiation, and have made no proposition of any kind.” In other words, during the Texas Revolution, Mexico did not arrange any diplomatic mediation with America. As a result, neither countries knew their boundaries and what land belonged to who. America had believed that their land extended out to the Rio Grande river, however the Mexicans believed they had all land leading up the the Nueces. Mexico’s shortcoming of communication birthed the misunderstanding that ultimately contributed to the hostility between the two countries. Aside from that, Mexico had internal troubles. John L. O’Sullivan wrote in the Democratic Review XVII, “Imbecile and distracted, Mexico never can exert any real governmental authority over such a country...Already the advance guard of the irresistible army of Anglo-American emigration has begun to pour down upon it…” Just as stated, Mexico was unable to enforce laws properly on the Anglo-American settlers. This would result in the settlers going about their lives the same way they did before simply out of the unawareness of what laws were in place. For Instance, Mexico had put in place a law that required the new settlers to not practice slavery, however, because of Mexico’s lack of communication with its citizens, the law was not properly enforced. Although the dispute between the Mexican government and Texas seems to often be portrayed as Texas’s fault for not abiding by the laws and regulations, it is the exact opposite. When a country is incapable of regulating the actions of its citizens appropriately, it is no fault other than that country’s. It solidifies the image of a ineffective government and cultivates an insubordinate following, making warfare inevitable. This ensures Texas and America’s reasons for declaring war as valid. Followed by that, Mexico also denied the rights and liberties of the Texans, further justifying the United States’s reason for going to war. According to the Texas Declaration of Independence of March 2, 1836, “It denies us the right of worshipping the Almighty as we want to..It has demanded that we give up our arms which are essential to our defense…” By doing this, Mexico strips away the very fundamentals Americans are grounded off of from Americans settlers. The Anglo-Americans were forced to convert to Catholicism and get rid of their firearms and self defense. That essentially, is like playing with fire. Removing such simple rights is primarily inhumane and ultimately oppressive, therefore it is obviously logical for Texan-Americans to want to break away. Americans and the lack of liberty do not go together. Referring to the Declaration, “It has invaded our country both by sea and by land, with intent to lay waste our territory, and drive us from our homes…” The Texas Revolution mirrors the American Revolution. Mexican soldiers invade the lands of the settlers to monitor every action and mistreat the regular citizens just as Britain did to the patriots. Mexico’s Tyrannical rule brought bloodshed upon itself. The United States’s judgement to engage in combat with Mexico were legitimate as it is freedom is worth fighting for at any expense. In direct correlation to the lack of liberty in Mexico, the rationale behind America’s declaration was, without omission, defensible, for the United States needed to provide for Texas and defend itself from Mexico.
The North-Carolina Standard, a newspaper published the 14th of April 1836 states, “On the 6th of March about midnight, the Alamo was assaulted by the whole Mexican army commanded by Santa Anna in person. The Battle was desperate until daylight, when only 7 men belonging to the Texan garrison were found alive, who called for quarter, but were told that there was none for them. They then continued fighting until the whole were butchered. One woman (Mrs. Dickinson) a negro of Colonel Travis, were the only persons whose lives were spared.” It is never right to condone the slaughter of innocents and those who are gasping for freedom. Mexico’s merciless attack on the Texas rebellion singlehandedly legitimize going to war with Mexico. It is America’s purpose as a world superpower then and even now to defend those who cannot support themselves. Texas was violently attacked by Santa Anna’s soldiers for its request for freedom from Mexico. In more current times, America is seen helping other countries and lands hold their grounds. These instances include America rebuilding Japan’s economy after World War II, sending in United States-led coalition forces to aid Kuwait in the Gulf Wars, and much more. While safeguarding Texas, the Americans also needed to secure its own people. Conforming to Polk’s Declaration of War, “But now, after reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon the American soil.” Polk refers to when 16 American soldiers lost their lives to Mexican soldiers in the Texas area. The display of pure hostility towards the American government, rather than negotiation is the true start of war. It was an offense on American grounds meaning that as a government, the United
States had the right to protect itself. On the contrary to the Mexican-American war being justifiable, many will argue that it was an offense against Mexico, for America annexed Texas without Mexico’s permission. This however would not make sense because Texas itself, wanted to become a free, sovereign land. If it was by the consent of Texas, and Texas had already declared itself independent from Mexico, the annexation of the sovereign land is not a crime. The annexation of Texas is considered the spark of the conflict between the two countries, as it lead to Mexico’s deployment of troops. That was a misstep by the Mexican government simply because it had been settled that their own settlers did not want to be a part of their country any longer. The Mexican-American war is justifiable on very obvious, simple, surface level terms.
This book by Otis A. Singletary deals with different aspects of the Mexican war. It is a compelling description and concise history of the first successful offensive war in United States military history. The work examines two countries that were unprepared for war. The political intrigues and quarrels in appointing the military commanders, as well as the military operations of the war, are presented and analyzed in detail. The author also analyzes the role that the Mexican War played in bringing on the U.S. Civil War.
Although many Americans did not take the war seriously, the Mexican-American War of 1846 was responsible for the thousands of both Mexican and American deaths, and permanently left a scar on the the U.S’ relationship with Mexico. In 1846, the U.S declared war on Mexico after shots were fired at American soldiers on the “Texas side” of the Rio Grande, which the Americans believed was the border between Mexico and the U.S. The war was very controversial, and many Americans vigorously opposed President Polk’s decision to declare war. However after winning the war, the U.S gained most of Mexico’s territory in the West, completing the Manifest Destiny (BGE). Was the U.S. right to go to war with Mexico? The United States were unjustified in going
One reason the Mexican War was justified was the United States Manifest Destiny beliefs. Evidence supporting this reason is that, according to Document A, John O'Sullivan said it was God’s choice if the United States will grow by taking or buying territory. Also, the annexation of Texas helped grow the United States which gave the
This caused conflict between the two countries. Is it right for the United States to declare war against Mexico? America was justified in going to war with Mexico because they could gain economic benefits, Mexico threatened America first, and citizens and James K. Polk wanted to fulfill their manifest destiny. Another reason that the Mexican War was justified was because Mexico had already threatened the United States by advancing past the boundary of the United States.
Through Manifest Destiny, the U.S. conquered many new territories. Ever since the U.S. became its own country, they always wanted more land. They thought that the Manifest Destiny gave them the right to expand and conquer more land. The United States were offered a deal known as the Louisiana Purchase which doubled their size. Even after they received this land, they were thirsty for more. They wanted to have Texas as their own. After Texas got their independence from Mexico, President Polk annexed it. Polk had his eye set on California next. But before he could get California, he had to deal with border dispute in Texas, leading to the war with Mexico. So, did the United States have a good reason to go to war with Mexico? The answer is simple, the U.S. was not justified into going to war with Mexico. This is proven through the Manifest Destiny, border disputes, and an American viewpoint on the war.
The United States was unjustified to go to war with Mexico because the U.S provokes the war and starts the war, the only reason they had the Mexican war was to gain land and lastly Texas was stolen from Mexico by southern slave owners. The U.S. definitely had an advantage, they were stronger and better. So they could easily go to war with Mexico and
Today we live in a world where war never sleeps. War is a term used to explain conflict between two nations, or within a nation. This particular war was between two nations, Mexico and the United States. About a century and a half ago in 1846, on what was thought to be the Mexican-American border, many American and Mexican soldiers lost their lives. The war was an on-going feud, that had and still has many pros and cons. The U.S. was unjustified in going to war with Mexico because many U.S. citizens disagreed and sided with Mexico. Mexico owned and took care of the land first, and the United States deliberately caused this war to occur. As awesome as a
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, the Invasion of Mexico, the U.S. Intervention, or the United States War Against Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States and the Centralist Republic of Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Riot. Through this time, supply ships from San Blas continued to be unpredictable and the missions—with their native workers—were worried to provide for the population. When the native groups began to resist the bigger demands, they were placed under firmer military control. Also, additional tribes were gathered, mixed, and combined into dense groups in order to serve the payment. Under these conditions, new diseases quickly spread and native cultures were further disrupted.
Rodolfo Acuña and Norman A. Graebner take opposing standpoints on this topic. Acuña takes the standpoint that the Americans took advantage of the Mexican government, which was young and unstable at the time. He argued that the United States waged an unjust war solely for the acquisition of new lands. His excerpt from Occupied America: A History of Chicanos, 3rd Edition provided the basis for his argument. On the other hand, Graebner took the standpoint that President James Polk pushed a policy, enforced by a stronger nation, to force Mexico to sell New Mexico and California and recognize the annexation of Texas to the United States without starting a war. His argument was taken from his article “The Mexican War: A Study in Causation”. Both sides of the American Imperialism argument contain their own strengths. However, after the examination of the articles, Graebner proposes a more convincing
Rosales, F. Arturo. Lecture 2/14 Film The US-Mexican War Prelude. Weber, David J. - "The 'Path of the World'" Foreigners in Their Native Land: The Historical Roots of Mexican Americans.
The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because America came in and broke the laws, there were no borders for Texas, and America stole Mexico's land. Tejanos(Mexicans) invited Americans in to settle in Texas. Americans also known as Anglos Broke most of the few laws Mexico made. There was a war for the independence of Texas. A couple years later, President Polk went to go ask Mexico for some of their land because of their belief called Manifest destiny.
United States started the war with Mexico due to its imperial ambitions and need for territorial expansion. America was modernizing itself and getting ready to engage in competition with Europe. Capitalism and modernization fueled the competition for resources to feed the industries, and the markets to sell the manufactured goods. A country in this world was either an exploiter or the exploited by that order of things. Being neither one of those was the hardest to achieve. Americans decided to be exploiters; therefore, they needed to engage in competition with Europe, a group of empires dominating the world. To successfully compete with Europe, America needed the natural resources and advantage over trading routes Asia to engage profitable in business with Asian territories. Another reason Americans engaged in war with Mexico was to avoid domestic instability and chaos that would slow down its imperial progress. Issues of economic crisis and slavery were vital to solve. The U.S needed to justify their actions; thus, they put the blame on Mexico for starting the war. The War with Mexico was a significant event since it was the largest U.S military expansion for the reasons of modernization covered up as an act of self-defense.
A Texan, William B. Travis and a small group of Texans attacked a squad of Mexican troops in Anahuac with the motive that “taxes should not thus be collected from them to support a standing army in their own country” (SOS 1) and soon drove them back. Travis retreated to San Felipe and were assisted to Bexar. Skirmishes and the threat of war with Mexico soon followed.
Beginning in 1845 and ending in 1850 a series of events took place that would come to be known as the Mexican war and the Texas Revolution. This paper will give an overview on not only the events that occurred (battles, treaties, negotiations, ect.) But also the politics and reasoning behind it all. This was a war that involved America and Mexico fighting over Texas. That was the base for the entire ordeal. This series of events contained some of the most dramatic war strategy that has ever been implemented.
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 claimed by both the United States and Mexico.