HIST 405N Week 3 Discussion: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War of 1846

Week 3 Discussion: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War of 1846 How did the ideology of Manifest Destiny contribute to the Mexican War of 1846? Why did the Mexican War of 1846 take place? Was the war necessary? Was it beneficial to the United States? What does this war tell us about this period of American history? Was it God’s plan that the United States extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific, or were imperialists looking for a way to defend what they planned to do anyway? Elaborate. The Manifest Destiny was “A term coined by editor and columnist John O’Sullivan to describe his belief in America’s divine right to expand westward” (Keen, Cornell, & O’Donnell, 2012, p. 338). This ideology was strongly supported by James Polk, who won the presidency in 1844 (Keen et al., 2012). James Polk was a strong supporter of slavery and expanding west as a “necessity and inevitability” (Keen et al., 2012, p. 328) which was a contributing factor to the Mexican War of 1846. After the annexation of Texas in 1845 into the Union, there was debate between the boundaries separating Mexican and Texas which was now United States territory. Mexico believed the southern border of Texas to be the Nueces River and not the Rio Grande which would give more land to Texas. Polk had sent John Slidell to Mexico to settle the dispute on the boundaries and debt owned by Mexico to America (Keen et al., 2012). Polk was also interested in acquiring California and New Mexico which was owned by Mexico. However, Mexico was not interested in this as they were still upset over losing Texas when they claimed independence from Mexico in 1836 (Keen et al., 2012). Schmidt (2004), also suggests that the annexation of Texas by the United States “… raised tensions between the United States and Mexico, and precluded diplomatic alternatives to war” (p. 565). Polk’s aggression and decision to send General Zachery Taylor and soldiers to the debated area between the two rivers, and Mexico’s response by attacking them on April 25, 1846 was the spark that lit the fuse. Keen et al. (2012) states “Congress formally declared war on Mexico on May 13” (p. 329) after Polk riled up congress. I don’t think the Mexican War was necessary as the United States had plenty of territory and were thriving economically on all the other land they acquired. War, in my opinion, is never necessary. However, I do believe that it was inevitable due to Polk’s strong determination on expanding westward. The United States benefited greatly from this war in the sense that they showed their dominance over Mexico and gained new territory as they “… had seized 55 percent of Mexico’s territory” (Keen et al., 2012, p. 330). However, looking forward in history and how the acquisition of all this new territory created conflict amongst the United States when it came to beliefs on slavery, this war may have not been beneficial at all. Some may say it was a contributing factor to the Civil War as there was much argument about the expansion of slavery to these other newly acquired territories which “…would alter the balance of free and slave states” (Bombay, 2012). The whole ideology of the Manifest Destiney fueled many American’s thoughts on what they felt were their God given right. This war shows just how greedy and pretentious a lot of these people were, and their feelings of entitlement and superiority over other countries and people during this period in American history. They definitely were “go getters” at all costs! This war and expansion were never part of God’s plan. This was the justification and belief that the imperialist wanted everyone to believe in. We’ve seen throughout our history how people do many atrocious things to other human beings in the name of God or their religion which they deem acceptable. The imperialist fit this statement. The ideal of expanding westward was forefront in their minds for new land and goods and they were willing to fight, kill and wage war for it. The demand for new land was great at more immigrants came to the United States for a better life. Bombay, S. (2012, May 16). The war that triggered the Civil War. Retrieved March 16, 2019, from Keene, J. D., Cornell, S., & O'Donnell, E. T. (2012). Visions of America: A History of the United States (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Schmidt, A. (2004). Dueling Eagles: Reinterpreting the U.S.-Mexican War, . (Book). Hispanic American Historical Review, 84(3), 564–56