The Political Significance of the US-Mexico War

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. 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 On the Right of Civil Disobedience, refusing to pay taxes and opposing 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.

1848, the democratic party proposed that the people of each state can decide whether slavery is allowed in that state through a 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 US-Mexico War: George Michael Lauren, Ambrose Bernsater, Si Tong Will Jackson, george meade, robert lee and later American President Jefferson Davis.