War between the United States and Mexico

War between the United States and Mexico

            The history of the United States becoming the nation it is today contains thousands of heavily debated twists and turns. One big decision made in the 1800’s was the incorporation of Texas to the United States of America. Both Mexico and the U.S. debated long and hard together until Mexico finally agreed to accept the offer of annexation in 1845. Normally this would seem an extremely good thing for the nation, after all America was filled with ambitious settlers eager to explore the new land. However the events that followed this great day are also considered some of the lowest moments in American History. The following year, 1846, the United States went to war against Mexico over the dispute of where the new set boundaries would lay. Many question whether the goal of this war was focused more on gaining power and territory for the U.S. instead of clearing up disputes between the neighboring countries. To come to a conclusion whether or not the United States was justified for going to war with Mexico, an individual must decide what a just war entails and find out whether the actions America took abide by these rules.

            During Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the Texas debate already began to take place. Many people from the South were extremely fond of the possibility of the U.S. welcoming in another slave state. The one reason that Andrew Jackson always gave to avoid making deals with Mexico for Texas was because he didn’t want to start a war. It wasn’t until the very end of his presidency that Jackson finally gave Mexico the option to annex Texas to the United States. Many people were excited to gain the new land, however when James K. Polk became president some questioned whether it was really a good idea. Polk reasoned that he was attempting to protect from an attack from Mexico when he sent troops to cross the Nueces River. However the area between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande was heavily disputed territory. It wasn’t clear whether the land beyond the Nueces River was for the United States or Mexico. This strip of land between Mexico and the United States continued to be a topic of debate until 1846 when Polk first told Congress his decision to go to war with Mexico. To give reason to this war he stated to congress, “The Mexican Government not only refused to receive him or listen to his propositions, but after a long-continued series of menaces have at last invaded our territory and shed the blood of our fellow-citizens on our own soil.” These words suggest that Mexico had already made the first attempt at war by crossing the border and attacking Americans, thus making the war against Mexico a just one. Polk goes on to say that since the United States land and people has become threatened by Mexico, he must fight back with arms. As a result to the war against Mexico, the United States gained all of California, New Mexico, as well as claim land reaching to the Rio Grande in Texas, but was this attempt to gain land just?

            Although Polk might have sounded like his call to arms made a lot of sense, there was more to the picture than he proposed. Many citizens of the states were enraged by Polk’s decision about war. Titling it “Mr. Polk’s War,” many individuals from the Whig party protested against it. Years after the war, President Lincoln gave his opinion about it. He stated that Polk’s reasoning for war was full of lies and deceits. He argued that the land Polk considered soil of the U.S. likely never was. Polk stated that previous deals made, point to the Rio Grande as the border of this purchase. However, Lincoln wisely stated in response that “if I should claim your land, by word of mouth, that certainly would not make it mine.” The idea Polk had about this land belonging to the U.S. was not quite as simple as he made it sound. The debate of whose land this really was should have been debated with Mexico not decided by Polk in front of Congress. Because of this, many people considered Polk’s decision to go to war as more of an attempt to gain territory for the United States and not looking out for the U.S. citizens. The war took the lives of more than 12,000 Americans, and this fact infuriates all those who think Polk did all this to gain power.

            Weighing both the reasons that Polk gave for going to war, and the statements Lincoln gave to disagree, leads me to believe that the war against Mexico and the United States was not a just one. In my opinion there are a certain number of things necessary when declaring a just war. First off, the opposing country would have to make the first steps towards war. In my opinion the war would only be a just one had the U.S. been acting solely in self-defense. I don’t believe that Polk followed this, however, when he started the battle against Mexico. The original reason for conflict was Polk’s attempt to push the border. Secondly the war must be to gain a greater sense of peace between the two countries. The war between Mexico and the U.S. ended with a feeling very opposite to peace. Instead, people on both sides were enraged by the war that took place due to the border conflict. Thirdly I think it’s important for both sides to only come to war as a last resort. If the problem really was about finding who really owned the land between the U.S. and Mexico, debates would have been much more appropriate than starting a war to decide on the outcome.

Because the war against Mexico goes against all three of the requirements of a just war, I have concluded that Polk was wrong to call for arms. Many things suggest that Polk was so concerned about gaining territory for the United States under his name that he forgot about how important it is to only fight for justice. Although the United States ended up gaining a lot of land because of the war, they should have pursued it in ways other than force. I think that because of the war against Mexico, however, many leaders of future years have the opportunity to learn from Polk mistakes. Because of this war, America might become a better nation assuming that our society takes the time to consider what a just war really is. If America is able to learn from this war, in the future we hopefully won’t have to lose so many lives over an unjust war.