The causes of the US-Mexico War

The reason for the outbreak of the US-Mexico War is the unresolved border issue between Mexico and Texas and American expansionism. 1836 The newly established border between Texas and Mexico after the Texas Revolution is controversial. Mexico refused to recognize the independence of Texas, announced that Texas would be reintegrated into its territory, and warned that if the United States intervened, war would break out between the two countries. Texas maintains an independent position, emphasizing that the Rio Grande is its border. Britain tried to mediate the dispute, but failed because Mexico refused to recognize Texas. 1845, the United States announced that it would recognize the Rio Grande River as its border if Texas was willing to join the United States. In the same year, Texas joined the United States and became the 28th state. US President Barack james knox polk realized that if a war broke out between the United States and Mexico, Mexico could not defend its distant northern provinces of New Mexico and California, which coincided with the destiny of the American Democratic Party to expand American territory. On the contrary, American Whigs strongly opposed the territorial expansion of the United States and the war against Mexico.

Detailed process:

For Mexico, Texas joined the United States because the United States interfered in Mexico's internal affairs in order to support a rebellious province, and because the United States illegally occupied territory that was neither Texas nor the United States. Mexico has been threatening war for years. Britain has been trying to prevent Mexico, which is stronger than it, from declaring war on the United States, but Britain itself had some serious disputes with the United States in 1844.

After some skirmishes broke out between the two countries, Polk ordered Zachary Taylor to lead the army into Texas. Taylor ignored Mexico's request for his withdrawal, crossed the Niuyesi River and marched all the way to the Rio Grande, where he began to build Fort Browne.

The war officially broke out on April 24th. 1846. Mexican cavalry attacked and captured an American army near the Rio Grande. After the conflict broke out, Polk called for a declaration of war. He declared that Mexico "invaded our border and spilled American blood on American territory" to arouse the feelings of the American people. 13 in may, the us congress declared war on Mexico. The North and Whigs of the United States are basically opposed to this war, while the South and the Democratic Party are in favor of this war. On May 23rd, Mexico declared war on the United States.

Even after the United States declared war, many Whigs still didn't believe Polk's statement that "American blood was spilled on American territory". They think that the American army deliberately chose shirts when crossing the Rio Grande. Abraham lincoln, a newcomer to Whig Party, who had just been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives at that time, introduced a series of resolutions, asking Polk to give the specific location of American bloodshed. But because American soldiers were killed, these objections received little attention.

Mexico lost half of its territory in the war. Since then, there has been hatred against the United States in Mexico, but this war has also formed a nationalist view that has been lacking since the founding of the People's Republic of China (182 1).

The war also led to the emergence of a new generation of Mexican politicians, who finally got rid of Santa Anna's rule in Mexico and established a free Republic in 1857. One of the earliest measures of this free republic was to accelerate the colonization of the open area in northern Mexico, and the reason for taking this measure was to prevent the loss of territory in the future.

There are thousands of Mexican families living in the territory occupied by the United States. Some of these families returned to Mexico, while others stayed in the United States. They were protected by the peace treaty between the two countries. Most of the history of these families is recorded. They are the earliest mexican american.

From 65438 to 0889, the United States and Mexico established the International Boundary and Water Resources Commission to resolve other outstanding border disputes. The victory of the war triggered a patriotic wave in the United States, and the United States gained new territory in the west and south. Taylor was called a war hero and was elected president of the United States in 1848.

But this patriotic wave didn't last long. The northern States of the United States opposed the war, while the southern States supported it. The reason for this difference lies in the different views on slavery and the expectation of the influence of war and territorial expansion on slavery. At that time, Texas recognized slavery, while Mexico banned slavery. Many anti-slavery people in the north believe that this war is an attempt by slave owners in the south to expand slavery and strengthen their influence on the federal government. Henry david thoreau wrote about the right of civil disobedience and refused to pay taxes to support the war.

Anti-slavery people are most concerned about slavery entering the federal domain. The Missouri Peace Treaty of 1820 stipulates that slavery is prohibited in the federal territory north of latitude 36 30', but it is not clear whether slavery will be allowed in the new state in the future. If these states allow slavery, the balance of power in the Senate will be upset. Therefore, many southerners support war to expand their power. At that time, it was suggested that Texas be divided into several States (its territory was the largest of all States in the United States at that time), but this plan was not supported.

In the first year of the war, Congressman David Weimot put forward a draft legislation prohibiting slavery in any territory newly occupied from Mexico. The draft was immediately opposed by the south. It is obvious to South Korea that North Korea will upset the balance of the Senate. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives, but failed in the Senate. The voting results of the two houses clearly reflect the contradiction between North and South.

In 848, the Democratic Party suggested that the people of each state could decide whether slavery was allowed in that state by referendum. Kansas-nebraska act made this proposal into American law. In the same year, anti-slavery people formed the American Republican Party.

Taylor, as a war hero, won the presidential election in June 1848+0 1, but he had no political experience and could not solve the dispute between the north and the south at all. After his death in 1850, the Whigs elected Mildred Fillmore as president. Fillmore decided to solve this problem, and finally he proposed "1850 compromise". However, this proposal caused more controversy, and the Whig Party split internally and no longer became a national party. Whigs finally tried to recommend another war hero, Scott, as the presidential candidate to overcome the differences within the party, but failed.

Hiram grant, who served under Scott, later described the American-Mexican War as a conquest to expand slavery, so it was a prelude to the American Civil War. Later, many generals in the Civil War, including Grant, took part in the American-Mexican War: George McClaren, Ambrose Burnsett, Si Tong Will Jackson, george meade, robert lee and later American President Jefferson Davis.