In 1846 the United States declared war against Mexico. The U.S wanted to spread west and follow Manifest Destiny but in doing that they took Texas away from Mexico. After annexing Texas, slavery was brought into the U.S. The United States under the leadership of President Polk clearly provoked Mexico into attacking US troops on the disputed border. These are all reasons that the U.S had no business starting a war with Mexico for territory that was legally theirs.
The Texians became quite displeased with Mexico’s shift towards centralism and their abolition of slavery in 1831. The Mexicans were also becoming quite peeved, as America had already tried to procure Texas for some time. The Mexican authorities mainly blamed the Texain disturbance on American immigrants since the majority of them didn't even try to acclimate themselves to Mexican culture. The Texians cracked first. They engaged Mexican troops in October of 1836, starting the first official battle pf the Texas Revolution.
Although President Polk’s message was ratified by the Senate and House, the United States reason for war wasn’t good enough for them go to war with Mexico. The U.S. was not justified for three reasons: There was a territorial dispute, the U.S. provoked the war, and it was used to expand slavery. My first reason why the U.S. was not justified is that there was a territorial dispute between America and Mexico on where the border was. According to Document Hook, General Zachary Taylor and his troops purposely moved across the known border into the disputed border, as if they were trying to get a reason to start a war with Mexico. According to Documents C and Background, Polk ordered the troops to enter the disputed area, and after they were attacked by the Mexicans, he used them to get America fired up and give them a reason to go to war.
For many reasons, the South did not like what the constitution said. There were many conflicts with the compromise of 1850, map shown in (Document A) and the fugitive slave act. Certain northerners were so against slavery and the fugitive slave act that they even posted warnings for the slaves. Kidnappers were being sent after the slaves, and how Northern abolitionists were revolting against the South's rules and regulations this fugitive slave act also helped drive the tension deeper into the Un-United States. (Document C) A frees soiler did not want to spread slavery, but he is okay with keeping it in a state it is already in.
* Among the issues leading to the war was the British impressments of American sailors into the Royal Navy * Federalists - The political party of Alexander Hamilton, which advocated a strong central government and loose interpretation of the Constitution. * Democratic-Republicans - Party of Jefferson, opposed to the Federalists and their program of strong central government and loose interpretation of the Constitution. 1814 Seize of Spanish Florida * General Andrew Jackson took Pensacola and drove out the British force 1846–48 Mexican-American War * United States recognized the existence of a state of war with Mexico. * After the annexation of Texas in 1845, the United States and Mexico failed to resolve a boundary dispute and President Polk said that it was necessary to deploy forces in Mexico to meet a threatened invasion. 1857–58 Utah
Meanwhile, President Polk had not been successful in his negotiations with Mexico to acquire California, so he began looking for a way to start a war without being seen as the aggressor. In 1846 he sent a unit of American soldiers into the disputed territory, which Mexico interpreted an invasion, and the bloodshed that followed resulted in a declaration of war by congress. Mr. Polk had gotten his war. The
The root of this decision lies in the pirate activity of the four African Barbary states (Document D). When Tripoli demanded the US buy protection in order to stop the naval harassment, Jefferson refused, negating the views of other Federalists who would have done differently. Tripoli declared war on the United States, and Jefferson was forced to augment the size of the navy in order to defeat the Barbary pirates. The Louisiana Purchase is another course of action taken by Jefferson known for contradicting his strict constructionist views. Neglecting the fact that there is no clause in the Constitution permitting him to purchase land, Jefferson used Napoleon’s European conquest to help him get rid of New World worries.
Because in my perspective, this contradictory proclamation seems to be a political propaganda to support only the whites. Today I stand, as a runaway slave who escaped the grasp of slave owners and harsh Fugitive Slave Laws presented in the Compromise of 1850. However, tension has finally reached a peak between the North and the South due to the secession in 1860. I believe that several key events from 1845-1861 caused all this turmoil and crashed the regional differences between the Union and the Confederacy together. Eventually leading to the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861.
It said that there is free states, the North, and there are slave states, the South. It also deled with territory issues. Texas became its own union and was called Republic of Texas. The North was all against the Fugitive Slave Act, they thought it was unfair and unjust. They did not like the idea of the slaves being treated as property.
This transition caused American settler's living in Texas to seize several of Santa Anna's garrisons, including the Alamo. The author states though that the questionable historical inaccuracies occur when historians and directors try and find out why the Americans decided to stay and fight for the Alamo when there was no clear chance of winning the battle. The 1960's movie suggests it was a fight for freedom for Americans, and therefore could be why the director left out the fact that the fight for defending the Alamo was led by four groups of people, including one group of Mexicans seeking to restore the Mexican Republic. In addition, the author