The Civil War, "Mexico's Revenge"
The Civil War: “Mexico’s Revenge”?
The Mexican – American War was the first major conflict embedded in the idea of “Manifest Destiny”, the belief that Americans had a God given right to extent the United States borders from ‘sea to shining sea’. This belief would lead to a great deal of suffering for many Mexicans. As a result of winning the Mexican War, the United States acquired the northern half of Mexico; which became California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah (Meed 13). As the states joined the Union, the slavery debates became heated and the states found themselves at war with one another. The American Civil War has been called “Mexico’s Revenge” for the American victory in the Mexican War. My goal is to review the Mexican War, Pre Civil War Era, and the Civil War to establish that the Civil War can be interpreted as “Mexico’s Revenge” for the nations defeat during the Mexican War.
MEXICAN – AMERICIAN WAR (1846 – 1848)
The events leading to the Mexican – American War were two fold. First, President Jefferson’s acquisition of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 began the migration of American settlers westward. Many times the settlers were moving into land which did not belong to the United Sates. When President Polk came to office in 1845, the idea of "Manifest Destiny" had taken root among the American people, and Polk firmly believed in expansion. The fact that most of those areas were already settled was usually ignored. The Americans had the attitude that democratic English-speaking America, with its high ideals and Protestant Christian ethics, would do a better job of settling the land than the Native Americans or Spanish-speaking Catholic Mexicans. In both 1835 and 1845, the United States offered to purchase California from Mexico, for $5 million and $25 million, respectively. The Mexican government refused the opportunity to sell half of its country. (Swogger, “Causes of the Civil War: The Mexican War and the Wilmot Proviso”).
The Mexican – American War was the first major conflict embedded in the idea of “Manifest Destiny”, the belief that Americans had a God given right to extent the United States borders from ‘sea to shining sea’. This belief would lead to a great deal of suffering for many Mexicans. As a result of winning the Mexican War, the United States acquired the northern half of Mexico; which became California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah (Meed 13). As the states joined the Union, the slavery debates became heated and the states found themselves at war with one another. The American Civil War has been called “Mexico’s Revenge” for the American victory in the Mexican War. My goal is to review the Mexican War, Pre Civil War Era, and the Civil War to establish that the Civil War can be interpreted as “Mexico’s Revenge” for the nations defeat during the Mexican War.
MEXICAN – AMERICIAN WAR (1846 – 1848)
The events leading to the Mexican – American War were two fold. First, President Jefferson’s acquisition of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 began the migration of American settlers westward. Many times the settlers were moving into land which did not belong to the United Sates. When President Polk came to office in 1845, the idea of "Manifest Destiny" had taken root among the American people, and Polk firmly believed in expansion. The fact that most of those areas were already settled was usually ignored. The Americans had the attitude that democratic English-speaking America, with its high ideals and Protestant Christian ethics, would do a better job of settling the land than the Native Americans or Spanish-speaking Catholic Mexicans. In both 1835 and 1845, the United States offered to purchase California from Mexico, for $5 million and $25 million, respectively. The Mexican government refused the opportunity to sell half of its country. (Swogger, “Causes of the Civil War: The Mexican War and the Wilmot Proviso”).
Cited: McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1988. Print. Meed, Douglas V. Essential Histories The Mexican War 1846 - 1848. New York: Taylor & Francis Routledge, 2003. Print. Nofi, Al. “Statistics on the War’s Cost”. Web. 13 June 2001 Spark Notes Editors. “Spark Note on Reconstruction 1865–1877”. SparkNotes.com. Spark Notes LLC. 2005. Web. 9 Feb. 2010. Spark Notes Editors. “Spark Note on The Civil War 1850–1865”. SparkNotes.com. Spark Notes LLC. 2005. Web. 9 Feb. 2010. Swogger, Michael J. “Causes of the Civil War: The Mexican War and the Wilmot Proviso”. Suite101.com, Inc. Web. 23 November 2006. Tindall, George Brown and David Emory Shi, America A Narrative History, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2007. Print.