The Causes for the Mexican War

The Mexican-American war was caused by three main factors namely manifest destiny, Texas crisis that incorporated slavery, and the westward American expansion. The primary reason for the Mexican-American war was California and Texas. In 1836, when Texas broke away from Mexico, it was regarded as a corrupted territory, and Mexico refused to recognize it as an independent state. This is because; Mexico still regarded it as a part of its territory. However, the war began when the president John Tyler viewed it differently, and had massive support to annex Texas from Mexico (Goldfield 315). Furthermore, the war was heightened by the fact that Texas entered the union as the 28^th state of America.

The westward movement of citizens from the United States advancing to the Mexican territory was also a fundamental reason for the Mexican-American war. During the period when Mexico was undergoing economic hardships, Americans began advancing into the Mexican territory in search for farming lands, and market for their products. These incorporated incidents of slavery where most southerners travelled to Texas in a bid to secure one more state to the union. Connor and Faulk observe “the war was aggravated because the Mexican government felt undermined by U.S citizens” (112). For instance, there were many cases where the U.S citizens disobeyed and undermined Mexican laws, thus leading to disapproval by the Mexican government.

The third pertinent reason for the Mexican-American war was the manifest of destiny. This was described as a situation where the United States stretched miles and extended its oceans inside Mexico in an attempt to expand its territory. Besides, there was an upsurge of migrants from America into Mexico in search for economic gains. A perfect example that augmented the Mexican war was seen in the way America expanded to acquire California so that it could establish its markets and diversify its economic base (Connor, Faulk 155).

The Outcomes of the Mexican War

The end of the Mexican-American war led to significant outcomes that affected both countries. Although the outcomes varied in scope, the histories of both countries took a significant turn. First, the U.S witnessed a lot of territorial gains since it acquired massive blocks of new territory. For instance, the U.S acquired over 500,000 square miles after Mexico ceded California after signing the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Bauer 305). However, the bitter rivalry between the U.S and Mexico continued and led to greater conflicts over other territories annexed from Mexico.

Another significant outcome of the Mexican war was a period of political recrimination by Mexico after the loss of 50% of its territories. According to Bauer (95) this also led to instability and negative internal affairs in the Mexican government since they felt humiliated and provoked in regard to their sovereignty. On a more severe magnitude, the U.S suffered a lot since the war led to loss of life of nearly 15,000 people while numerous succumbed to various diseases.

The effects of the war also led to sweeping disruptions of the congress and heightened the tension between the southerners and the northerners. America was forced to make vital changes to ensure the congress was working to accommodate the interests of the people. In addition to losing a vast territory of land, Mexico also suffered significant uprisings during and after the war, and various leaders were overthrown. Furthermore, America continued to interfere in the internal affairs of Mexico resulting to serious conflicts. In conclusion, the Mexican-American war had massive ramifications for both countries that changed their political, economical and socio-cultural landscapes. 

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