Essay Sample on Mexican American War

Introduction

The Mexican American War, which took place between 1846 and 1848, profoundly changed the fate of the two countries. At the beginning of the 1840s, the expansionist sentiment of the United States entered a phase of greater aggressiveness. Since they openly stated their desire to annex Texas to its territory, Mexican government did not leave to consider this region as part of its territory and to buy or conquer the significant portion of the northern boundary of the Mexican Republic.

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Mexico had challenges in achieving national cohesion due to the irreconcilable differences that arose between monarchists and republicans, centralists and federalists and conservatives and liberals. Coupled with this and supported by the isolation granted by the rugged Mexican topography, the caudillos imposed their political power over many of the regions, frustrating the dream of achieving national unity. These internal conflicts added to the threats of Spain, which sought to re-conquer its former colony, and of France, which had financial claims against Mexico, and made it difficult to build a strong and unified national state.

The extensive historiography on the war has registered different causes of the conflict, among them, the slave interests of the South of the United States; the commercial interests of the Northeast; the greed for more lands of those who inhabited the West; the Manifest Destiny; and the intrigues of President James K. Polk. For those who hold Mexico responsible, its internal divisions, its inability to populate and govern the northern territories and its arrogant militarism are frequently mentioned. It is clear that the problem of Texas was at the center of the conflict, but we must recognize that Texas was part of a broader movement: the expansion to the West.

After gaining independence, Mexico looked north and realized the need to populate the country to protect it from the growing incursion of North Americans. The government established colonization programs, but there was not enough population or interest in Mexico, so it decided to allow the entry of American colonists who accepted the Catholic religion and live under the laws of the country. With the Law of April 6, 1830, the Mexican government tried to reverse this situation by prohibiting the entry of new immigrants to Texas but failed. He also worked other measures such as the imposition of customs taxes but this only increased the disagreement of the Texans who now demanded their separation from Coahuila, of which they were apart. The atmosphere, already tense, was aggravated by the continuous flow of adventurers and seekers of fortunes demanding land, supported by the government of Andrew Jackson and determined to wrest Texas from the Mexican arms.

To face this challenge, General Antonio Lopez headed north in front of an army and tried to crush the movement in the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. The massacre of Americans in the Alamo, and days later in Goliad, he enraged the insurgents and, commanded by Sam Houston, on April 21 they won a decisive triumph in the green fields of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured shortly after and in the treaties of Velasco, agreed to grant Texas its independence in exchange for his freedom. The Mexican government would never accept this arrangement. Texas would become the main problem between the two nations since Mexico had declared that its annexation to the United States would be equivalent to a declaration of war. The annexation was carried out in 1845, and this action was the prelude to the conflict.

The problem of Texas and the conflict between the two countries in the broader context of the American expansion was also a cause to the war. It is clear that the movement to the west was like a mighty wind that swept everything that was put in front. No force on the continent could have slowed it down. This process has little to do with good or evil, or with guilt or innocence. The American impetus to build an empire is evident, but at the center of this process was the demographic factor. The United States doubled its population every 25 years, and by 1860 it was the fourth largest country in the world. The vigorous European migration produced an explosive growth of the North American population, and this caused the territorial expansion because more people demanded more and more land. The increase led to war.

The war had several benefits to the American government. It led to advancements in transport and communication technologies. The battle opened doors to the Americans to explore the foreign land where they acquired alien customs and attitudes. The United States purchased large pieces of land from Mexico which presently forms the southwest part. Through the acquisition, United States of America was able to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Through the expansion of the territories, it got California, which later became a major field for the mega gold rush of 1949.

The addition of the new land sparked the issue of balance between slaves and Free states in the western territories. The Great Compromise of 1850 allowed setting up of new slave states; it also enabled the placement of legal demands that were aimed at recapturing of the fugitives.

References

Foos, P. (2003). A short, offhand, killing affair: Soldiers and social conflict during the Mexican-American War. Univ of North Carolina Press.

Bauer, K. J. (1992). The Mexican War, 1846-1848. U of Nebraska Press.