Manifest Destiny the Mexican-American War Essay

Discuss the motivations from both sides for the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848? Was Manifest Destiny the driving factor or was it something else? The Mexican-American war fought between 1846 and 1848 remains a topic of much contention amongst modern historians. Differing accounts and conclusions of the war are often presented and one must remain pragmatic when analysing both primary and secondary sources regarding the war. There is a clear time line of events that led to the outbreak of the war, but there is one major event, and one minor action, which directly resulted in the declarations of war on both sides of the conflict between Mexico and the United States. Most scholars agree that the annexation of the Republic of Texas by†¦show more content†¦It is worth noting here that the Americans were concerned about appearances, and that they did their best to provoke Mexico into a war, without having to bear the responsibility of actually starting the war. In his Personal Memoirs, Grant explained the mission of the U.S. Army in south Texas, We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that Mexico should com mence it. The plan worked. The U.S. annexed Texas in February of 1846, and Polk immediately ordered Taylor to proceed to the Rio Grande. One of Taylors patrols skirmished with a Mexican detachment and lost over twenty soldiers, including eleven dead, five wounded, and several captured. Polk immediately called for war. In his bellicose message to the U.S. Congress, the President announced that, American blood had been shed upon American soil. He got his declaration of war. It was the first U.S. war of aggression against a sovereign nation and to this day a defining event in Mexican-American relations. The ruthlessness of the U.S. invasion shocked even the European nations that had been at war with their neighbours for centuries. Ulysses S. Grant, who served in Mexico under both Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, commanded the Union forces in the American Civil War, and later became the eighteenth President of the UnitedShow MoreRelatedManifest Destiny Essay1269 Words   |  6 PagesBecause of the desire and belief of Americans that the United States’ purpose to expand west to the Pacific Ocean, Manifest Destiny would become one of the most influential ideologies in American history (Greenberg 3). This belief of the settlers aided in the westward expansion of the nation’s boundaries through the removal of the Native Americans who had inhabited the western lands for generations and in some cases centuries; and with a war with Mexi co in which we gained territory in Texas, theRead MoreManifest Destiny Essay735 Words   |  3 PagesManifest Destiny affect on Modern United States During the mid 1800’s America was at a peak of nationalism, which involved their religious beliefs. 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