FREE ESSAY ON WARS - MEXICO, SPAIN, UNITED STATES

WARS - MEXICO, SPAIN, UNITED STATES

Spanish settlement of the west
International borders have always been centers of conflict, and the U.S.-Mexican border
is no exception. With the European colonizing the New World, it was a matter of time
before the powers collided. The Spanish settled what is today Mexico, while the English
settled what is today the United States. When the two colonial powers did meet what is
now Southwestern America, it was not England and Spain, rather the two powers, which
consisted of the United States and Mexico. Both counties had broken off from their mother
countries. The conflict that erupted between the two countries where a direct result of
different nation policies. The United States had a policy of westward expansion, while
Mexico had a policy of protecting itself.
The Americans never had a written policy of expansion. What they had was the idea of the
Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States had the right to
expand westward to the Pacific Ocean. On the other hand, Mexico was a new country wanting
to protect itself from outside powers. Evidence of U.S. expansion is seen with the
independence of Texas from Mexico. The strongest evidence of U.S. expansion goals is with
the Mexican-American War. From the beginning, the war was conceived as an opportunity for
land expansion. Mexico feared the expansion of the United States.
During the 16th century, the Spanish began to settle the region. The Spanish had all
ready conquered and settled Central Mexico. Now they wanted to expand their land holdings
north. The first expedition into the region, which today is the American Southwest, was
with Coronado. Coronado reported a region rich in resources, soon after people started to
settle the region. The driving force behind the settlement was silver a valuable metal
alloy found in the region. 
The Spanish settled the region through three major corridors; central, western and
eastern. The first settlements were mainly through the central corridor. The Spanish went
through what is now the modern Mexican State of Chihuahua into the U.S. State of New
Mexico. Eventually the Spanish established the city of Santa Fe in 1689. The eastern
corridor was through modern day Texas and led to the establishment of San Antonio. The
eastern expansion was caused by the French expansion into modern day Louisiana. The
Spanish crown wanted a buffer between the French in Louisiana and central Mexico. The
last corridor of expansion was in the west, through the sea, which led to the
establishment of San Diego in 1769 and Los Angles in
1781. 
The Spanish were not the only European power to colonize the New World; French, English
and the Dutch also settled North and South America. The Spanish and the French settled
what is present day U.S.-Mexico border region. The French settled modern day U.S.
mid-west, while the Spanish settled present day Mexico and U.S. southwest. As time went
on, European influence in the region diminished. The French sold their claims to the
United States, in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. Mexico gained independence from Spain
in 1821. Once the United States bought the Louisiana Purchase, western expansion began.
This set the stage for major conflict in the region. 
The United States gained independence from England in 1775. After 1775, the Americans
started to expand west. By the time Mexico gained independence, the United States had
reached the Mexican frontier. Mexico needed to protect its northern borders. To protect
the border region, Mexico needed to populate the area. Mexico continued the policy
started by Spain of allowing Americans to settle Texas. The Americans had to follow
Mexican law, religion and customs. The settlement of Texas played into the United States'
expansion plans.
Eventually Mexico City closed Texas from more Americans from entering. This angered the
Americans wanting to enter and Americans already living in Texas. Texas revolted from
Mexico in 1833. Mexicans did live in Texas, and fought for the independence of Texas. The
majority of Texans were American sand fought for their independence. After the war the
Americans intentionally or non-intentionally forced most Mexicans out of Texas. The ones
that stayed faced racial tensions that continue to today. 
After gaining independence from Mexico, Texas wanted to join the United States
immediately. The U.S. Congress voted against Texas from joining the Union. Congress was
worried that annexation of Texas would anger Mexico. Mexico had never officially
recognized Texas as independent. Congress was concerned that annexation would start a war
with Mexico. Mexico's response to American annexation was not the only factor in deciding
against annexation. If Texas were to become a state, it would be a slave state. At the
time, the United States an even balance between slave and non-slave states. Texas
entering the Union would disrupt the balance, giving slave states an advantage in the
U.S. House and Senate. Since the United States was not ready to annex Texas, Texas
declared itself a sovereign country. In 1837 President Andrew Jackson formally recognized
Texas as a country. 
Texas wanted to be part of the United States. It needed the protection of the United
States. President Tyler could not get the 2/3 majority needed to admit Texas. Instead, he
changed the law to require only a simple majority. It was not until 1845 and two
Presidents later that Texas was annexed into the United States. Mexico protested the
admission of Texas into the United States. The United States saw Mexico's protest as an
excuse to send troops into Texas
The annexation of Texas was a represented the United States expansion goals. The United
States wanted to settle in Texas, but Mexico owned the land. That did not matter to the
United States, they settled in the region regardless. The Americans that settled the
region agreed to Mexican law and customs but still considered themselves Americans. After
the annexation of Texas, Texas also wanted to expand. Texas claimed that New Mexico and
California were part of Texas. 
The boundary with Mexico was also disputed. The United States claimed that the Texas
border was at the Rio Grande, Mexico disagreed, Mexico stated the border was at Nieces
River. The United States did try to settle matters diplomatically. The United States sent
in experienced diplomat John Slidell. Slidell tried to buy area known as the U.S.
Southwest. Slidell, being an inexperienced diplomat, was rejected. Not only was he not
successful in buying the land, he aroused Mexican fears. This set the stage for the
Mexican-American War.
The United States also had no written policy of expansion, but the government quietly
supported it. The United States has always had troops the region, even though they held
no land in the region. The United States kept ships off the coast of California. In 1842
the U.S. commander in the region, Commodore Thomas Jones, attacked and took the city of
Monterey in California. He falsely believed that Texas and Mexico were at war. Once he
realized his mistake he withdrew his forces and apologized to the Mexican government for
his action and claimed that he did not act with orders from the U.S. government. Although
Jones claimed that he did not act with orders from the U.S. government, clearly the
government did not stop the practice. 
Another example of the United State's expansion goals was the Mexican-American War. This
is the first time America has fought a war with land expansion as
its' main goal. The war started on April 25, 1846 with an attack from Mexican troops and
the counter attack from General Taylor of the U.S. Army. Taylor sent a message to
President Polk that hostilities have started. President Polk, with a pre-drafted
declaration of war, asked Congress to declare war against Mexico. President Polk knew
that Mexico would lose the war and would gain new lands in the end. 
The Mexican-American war lasted two years, and ended with the signing of the Treaty of
Guadeloupe on February 2 1848. The United States had succeeded in winning the war. With
the Treaty of Guadeloupe the United States had succeeded in completing its Manifest
Destiny. The Treaty itself represented the United States expansion goals. The United
States wanted to settle on were the international border was to be. Mexico wanted the
border to be north of the Rio Grande River, but finally decided upon the middle of the
Rio Grande River. Mexico having been bankrupt from the war, agreed to take the 15 million
as payment for the vast land. In addition, the United States agreed to pay off all
Mexican debts owed to the United States. This amount was small in comparison to what the
United States gained in territory. The United States took advantage of a weak country it
obtained in its' expansion goals.
Another example of the United States taking advantage of Mexico is the
Gasden Purchase. The Gasden Purchase was ratified in 1854 for the selling price of 10
million. Mexico was going through rough economical time and desperately needed the money.
The United States seeing an opportunity to build a railroad through the region brought
the land at a cheap price. The selling of the Gasden Purchase was the down fall of
President Santa Ana, and led to his replacement 
The conflicts along the border region were a direct result of U.S. expansion policies and
Mexican fear for the United States. The Americans saw Manifest Destiny, westward
expansion, as there God given right. The United States proved often that it supported
policy of expansion. With the Mexican-American war, the United States completed its'
Manifest Destiny.