Mexican-American War
Roxana Ascencio
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(1846-1848) Mexican American
War: This war started because of the
annexation of Texas and the dispute about where the border should be. Mexico
thought the border should be at the Nueces River but Texas thought it should be
at the Rio Grande. Then the American army crossed the Nueces River, which made
Mexico very angry and they considered it as an invasion.
This affected America socially because it increased the idea of Manifest
Destiny. It changed the way people thought about the West. People now wanted to
move west to California or Oregon. People thought about how they were superior
to other countries. This affected America politically because some political
parties were against the war such as the Whigs. It brought up debates in
congress if it was legal or moral to fight a war for expansion. President Polk
claimed that Mexico had shed American blood on American soil. It affected
America economically because it gave the country more land to settle in the West
and also a way to get to California. It would be much harder to get to
California if you couldn't go through Texas. This was especially important
before the Gold Rush.