However the real question here is, whether the United States was justified in going to war with Mexico at all. In our opinion, the U.S was not. The United States wanted to take advantage of a new nation on the verge of success, which in the end all it did was cause many causalities. The U.S for three reasons had no right to go to war. Their greed for more land, Polk as their president and the Americans interest in the expansion of slavery, were all factors on this ongoing controversial disagreement still rampant today.
Battle of San Jacinto The battle of San Jacinto was a major turning point in Texas history because Santa Anna’s defeat ended the Texas Revolution, Texas gained its independence form Mexico, and it later led to the annexation of Texas to the United States. In early 1835, Mexican president Santa Anna began centralizing power and operating as a dictatorship that is why Texas wanted to gain its independence from Mexico because Texas wanted more freedom, they wanted to be there own state that is why Texans had to defeat Santa Anna in order to become and independent state and to have freedom. That is how the Texas Revolution began Texas did not want to be under the control of a dictator that is why many battles were fought during the Texas Revolution which led to the last battle of the Texas Revolution which was known as the Battle of San Jacinto. Since the Battle of San Jacinto was the last battle the only remaining Texan troops were retreating with Sam Houston, then after learning that Santa Anna had divided his forces Houston got and idea. He thought it was the right time to attack and defeat Santa Anna because the Mexican troops did not expect it.
After reading the Texas Declaration of Independence and the rebuttal to it, I feel that Texas has presented the more convincing arguments. Texas provides a variety of supportive arguments on why they want to become independent from Mexico. Texas gives many examples of different ways Mexico is trying to take over their land. Texas refers to themselves as “an instrument in the hands of evil rulers.” (117) Texas and Mexico both sworn to support the federal republican constitution of their country, but it no longer had a important existence, due to the Mexican nation forcibly changing the whole nature of their government without giving Texas any consent. Texas argues that the Mexican General Santa Anna made late changes in the government and overturned the constitution that both states originally had agreed upon.
The Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise was one of the first signs of political controversy between souther states and northern states over power struggle. It resulted with congress making a cutoff at the 36 60 parallels and saying no one north will enter into the union as a slave state. This was done with the help of two men, Tallmadge and Thomas. The Missouri Compromise started as a dispute between whether or not Missouri should come into the Union as a slave state or a non-slave state. At this time there was a struggle between northern states(anti-slave states) and southern states(slave states).
This expansion, pushed by economic desires and feelings of American cultural superiority, led directly to the emergence of the divisive issue of slavery as the dominant issue in national politics.” Polk’s deliberate expansion on antislavery grounds reopened the issue of slavery in the territories. Northern Whig congressmen voted for military appropriation despite the misgivings they encountered. The door to sectional controversy was opened over the issue of expansion. David Wilmot, Democratic congressmen from Pennsylvania, proposed an amendment to a military appropriations bill in August 1846 during the time of the Mexican-American War. This bill suggested that slavery be banned in all territories acquired from Mexico.
The United States government did not know if slaves should or should not be allowed in the new land. Some members of the congress like, David Wilmot, believed that slaves should not be allowed on the new territory that was won from the Mexican War. This belief made Wilmot plan the “Wilmot Provision”, which said that slavery was not allowed in any of the land annexed from Mexico and the Mexican War (Doc. H). This historical context on this
Political issue was one of the main causes of the Civil War. The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise in 1854, which proposed that the Nebraska territory be divided into the Kansas territory and Nebraska territory and that the settlers there ruled with popular sovereignty (Doc.7). Dred Scott sued for his freedom, since he argued his residency on a free soil land made him a free citizen. The court decided against him because slaves are property and had no right to sue (Doc.9). Another cause of the civil war was the actions of John Brown, who attacked on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
Manifest Destiny was the belief widely held by Americans in the 19th century that the United States was destined to expand across the continent. Manifest destiny provided the dogma and tone for the largest acquisition of U.S. territory. It was used by Democrats in the 1840s to justify the war with Mexico and it was also used to acquire portions of Oregon from the British Empire. But Manifest Destiny always limped along because of its internal limitations and the issue of slavery, says Merk, and never became a national priority. By 1843 John Quincy Adams, a major supporter, had changed his mind and repudiated Manifest Destiny because it meant the expansion of slavery in Texas.
However they are all talking about how the war goes step by step. The U.S- Mexican War declared on 1846 and ended on February 2 1848 by signing a treaty in a small village of Guadelupe Hidalgo. Looking back of the beginning, how did the U.S-Mexican War start and why it started? According to the book, there are couples of reason for United States to declare the war. ” After repeated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil…” This is a quote from chapter one, also it’s a war message that wrote by President Polk.
However not all Americans believed the U.S should become an imperialist country. The Filipinos wanted freedom and annexation violated consent of the governed. Fighting broke out Emilio Aguinaldo appointed himself president of the Philippine Republic. The Filipinos did not fight conventionally; they were not skilled enough in battle, so they engaged in guerrilla warfare.it became a longer and costlier conflict than the one in Spain. The U.S is not justified in annexing the Philippines and fighting a war to keep it because it was just a chance to exploit people and land to earn power and prestige.