Was the United States Justified in Going to War With Mexico? Texas declared itself an Independent Nation in 1836. In 1845 the United States annexed Texas. There was a war between the U.S and Mexico in 1846-1848, Texas and Mexico got into a disagreement over which border would be Texas’s, the U.S wanted the Rio Grande and Mexico wanted the Nueces River. In order to determine which border would be the U.S they had a war known as the “Mexican War”. The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because the U.S and President Polk believed in Manifest Destiny. Document B is a message sent to Congress by President James Polk on May 11,1846. According to Doc B James Polk said, “Mexico has passed the boundary of the of the United States,
Abraham Lincoln, a Whig congressman lashed out against the Mexican War, he called it immoral and a threat to the the nation's values. Lincoln’s main argument against the war was that it was unconstitutional and uncalled for, stating that the Act War was unnecessary. Acts leading up to the declaration of the war made him suspicious about President Polk’s intentions of going into Mexico. Lincoln used major evidence to support his anti-war argument by examining each piece of the President's war message of May 1846 and six propositions. Lincoln presented a speech in which he explained that Mexicans had made no acts towards the United States and were attacked in an area which was theirs.
What is Justification? According to Merriam Webster justification is “the action of showing something to be right or reasonable.” I do not believe that the United States decision to wage war with Mexico was either right or reasonable. My reasons are that Mexico was provoked by the Americans because they didn’t respect the border, my second reason is that Mexico had a larger claim over the land according to Document C, and my third is that the United States didn’t engage in war for the right reasons, the United States engaged in war for the fulfillment of the Manifest Destiny.
Therefor, the U.S. was not justified in going to war with Mexico. U.S. historians refer to this event in particular as “ The Mexican War”; while in Mexico, the refer to it as “ the U.S. Invasion.” (Doc.C, Par.1) Troops commanded by General Zachary Taylor arrived at the Rio Grande across from the city of Matamoros President Polk’s orders in early 1846. Thus, occupying the territory in dispute and increasing the possibilities of battle. In the eyes of the Mexican Government,the mobilization of the U.S. Army was an outright attack on Mexico.
This is a controversial issue that will be discussed in this essay. The war started in 1846, just like every war, it had its strong supporters and critics. Compared to other wars, the Mexican War seems very small, but in fact, it was not. Thousands of Mexicans and Americans died and half of Mexico was taken by the US as a war prize. So the question is: Was the US justified in going to war with Mexico?
The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico. In Document A John L. O’Sullivan said, “..our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence (God)...” During this time period America was
Many Americans believed that it was their Manifest Destiny to obtain a portion of Mexico. Other Americans wanted more land to protect themselves from other nations invading their land. Some Americans opposed the idea because it would add another slave state. Slidell went to Mexico to buy California and New Mexico for 3 million dollars and was willing to give 2 million dollars for the damages caused. His offer was denied.
The War with Mexico The War was fought between The United states and Mexico from April 1846 to February 1848. According to (www.History.com) Texas Got its Independence from Mexico in 1836, the United States had declined to incorporate it into the Union, Mainly because the Northern Political interests were against the new addition of the new Slave state. The Mexican Government had also said that any attempt towards annexation would lead to war.
In my opinion, yes, the United States was justified in going to war against Mexico. I say this because in 1884 Mexico started the war when they attacked the Army (led by General Zachary Taylor) that was stationed to defend U.S. Claimed territory on the Rio Grande, that they had claimed after Texas became independent from Mexico. The United States had attempted to be peaceable and negotiate the territory by sending John Slidell to Mexico City to offer large sums of Money for the territory. If the United States had started the war then the people in certain regions of Texas and California actually would have been better off under the control of the U.S. than under the control of Mexico, because while this was all happening, the Mexican government
and Mexican forces had taken place in U.S. territory.” “Further, legislators were at odds over whether Polk had the right to unilaterally declare that a state of war
This war happened mainly because the U.S. wanted to expand to the Pacific Ocean to fulfill their Manifest Destiny, trying to take away Mexico’s land. Mexico refused to to give land to the U.S. The big question is whether the U.S. was justified in fighting Mexico in the Mexican-American War. The United States was justified in going to war with Mexico because Manifest Destiny, too much Mexican interference, and Texas was invaded. One reason the Mexican War was justified was Manifest Destiny. In Document A, John O’Sullivan writes: “Texas is now ours...Let their reception into the “family be frank, kindly, and cheerful….”
Was the United States Justified in Going to War With Mexico? Who started the Mexican-American War? Firstly, The United States went to Mexico in 1846. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836. Certainly, Americans were being extremely greedy and wanted more and more land.
God wanted the US to expand. On the contrary, some individuals claim the US was not justified in going to war with Mexico. This point of view makes sense because Texas was Mexico’s to begin with. Despite that, Texas was independent when the US annexed it. Therefore, the united states was justified in going to war with Mexico.
Historical History #3: William Ellery Channing and John O’Sullivan Ashleyann Mabatid Azusa Pacific University College William Ellery Channing and John O’Sullivan Annexation of Texas in 1845 was about adding Texas to be a part of the United States. It would be the 28th state and it was on December 29, 1845.
Although the United States war against Mexico resulted in the gaining of America’s most valuable land, the war itself wasn’t legitimate because of the revolution in Texas, motivation for superiority, and the U.S. government’s actions. To begin, the Texans began an unreasonable war because they didn’t follow Mexico’s laws and conditions. When Mexico started selling cheap land, they set conditions for the people moving in. The people had to convert to Catholicism, learn Spanish, become a Mexican citizen, and have no slaves. Many Americans didn’t like being told what to do, and disobeyed the rules and laws.
Mexican Culture: Customs and Traditions The Mexican culture is very diverse which has undergone many transformations over several decades and the culture varies widely throughout Mexico and the United States. I will be more focused on the other side of the border and express my findings about the Mexican culture in Mexico. According to woldatlas an online database, the majority of Mexicans live in cities like Mexico City with a population of 12 million Mexicans.