The 1846-1848 Mexico-American War was the first invasion of a foreign land by the United States. It was a one-sided victorious fight where a militarily and politically divided and unprepared Mexico was defeated by the American expansionists. Further, the conflict led to the US taking new territories: the west in Alta California, Texas, and New Mexico. While the invasion was based on the expansionists’ belief to be a divinely chosen country to spread capitalism across North America in “Manifest Destiny”, they wanted to acquire new land (Vigil, 154). This paper highlights the causes and results of the War and the 19th-century losses incurred by the Mexicans.
Following the advancement of expansionists into Mexico, there was violence at the frontier. As such, it was marked by armed bandits or outlaws who made the lives of early settlers miserable as they seized their properties and murdered other travelers (Vigil, 161). Moreover, the acknowledgment by President Polk of the Rio Grande as the boundary between Mexico and independent Texas prompted the start of the war. Further, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, who had crushed the rebels in 1836 at the Alamo, was later forced to acknowledge and support Texas’ independence and withdrew his forces from the Rio Grande (Vigil, 157).
As the uniting factor and fatherly figure in the US, the president’s remarks led to the declaration of war. As such, Polk’s address to Congress in May 1846 stressed that the blood of Americans had been shed on their soil, hence the start of the war between the two countries (Vigil, 158). As a result, many Mexican territories were acquired, stretching beyond the mountains.
In conclusion, during the treaty, the indigenous cultural customs, such as the Catholic religion and Spanish language, were to be treated equally with the American traditions, but the Mexican-Americans were prejudiced and discriminated against. Furthermore, Congress ratified the Treaty of Guadalupe to achieve two objectives- the cession of Mexico and minimal guarantee of citizenship and property rights for the inhabitants (Vigil, 165). However, the Mexican-Americans faced many challenges as some chose to be assimilated by learning Anglo customs and English while others resisted and were killed or jailed. Lastly, many Mexicans in the US lost their freedom and ways of life in the 19th century.
Work Cited
Vigil, James D. From Indians to Chicanos: The Dynamics of Mexican-American Culture. 3rd Ed., Waveland P, 2011.