The Mexican American War Briefing

The Mexican American War occurred from 1846 to 1848 during the U.S. presidency of President Polk and was the one of the first wars geared by the idea called “manifest destiny.” Manifest Destiny was the idea that it was America’s God-given right to bring all of North America under a civilized, Protestant, English-speaking rule. Westward migration and settling encouraged this among most Americans. America began buying land from Spain in order to achieve this goal peacefully but when Mexico refused to sell some of its territory to the United States which would have put the two countries on bad terms with each other. During the Texas War of Independence, both countries claimed the region. The brutal fighting at the border made many Americans sympathize for the Texans. Texas became a U.S. state on July 4, 1845 which made the Mexicans furious. Both countries sent troops to stake their claims and after a long standoff, the troops attacked each other on April 25, 1846. The Americans sought to end the war quickly by taking control of Mexican territory in California and in Northern Mexico. At first, both sides engaged in traditional European style battles but the Mexicans soon resorted to guerilla tactics which still proved ineffective against the superior American cannons, officers, and soldiers. The Mexicans refused to give up and only a major victory would bring peace. The Americans launched one of the largest amphibious assaults of the time period on Mexico City and successfully captured it. Mexican president Santa Anna resigned and gave the U.S. Mexico’s northern territories and the U.S. gave them $15 million dollars in return on February 2, 1848.