Was the United States Justified in Going to War with Mexico? Essay

Karina Salas
U.S History I

Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico?
The dispute between the United States and Mexico about the war of 1846 has been raging amongst each other for many years now. Tension had risen and as a result, had greatly strained their relationship as nations. Many people have questioned which nation was the first to prompt the start of the war. 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.
(Background Essay) In the late 1840s, James K. Polk was elected president. He was a strong supporter of Manifest Destiny believing it was God’s plan to extend American territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Polk wanted to annex Texas and California; therefore he sent General Taylor and John Slidell into the disputed area, to try to buy California. The boundary between Mexico and Texas was undecided, however Mexico said it was the Nueces River and the U.S said it was Rio Grande. At this point it was clear that the United Stated was provoking the Mexican army into fighting. As Polk’s Army entered Mexican territory they were attacked and 16 were killed. (Background Essay) President Polk used this as an excuse to persuade Congress to declare war against Mexico. However, according to Jesus Velasco-Marquez, in the eyes of Mexicans, the American troops were trespassing and therefore the Mexican government was bound to protect their borders.
To continue with, Americans interest in the expansion of slavery is another reason why they weren’t justified into going to...