How does Manifest Destiny cause a war with Mexico?

Answer 1

~Look at a map, read your assignment, read a little history - in and out of your text - and consider Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

"Manifest destiny" was the feeling that the spread westward of the United States to the Pacific was inevitable.

The first major expansion was the Louisiana Purchase from France.

Then, when gold was found in California, thousands of people flooded the state to make it rich.

Similarly American settlers moved into what is now Texas but was at that time part of Mexico. It was not very populated, and the Mexicans did not object to anybody settling the area.

But then the Americans sought independence for Texas. Texas did win its independence, but soon sought to join the United States.

The dispute began over what the southern border of Texas should be - with the U.S. claiming the further south Rio Grande as the full extent of the territory. Mexico did not want to lose that much land and claimed it was further north.

President Polk ordered Zachary Taylor to move his troops close to the disputed border, where unsurprisingly, hostilities were provoked. Generals Scott and Taylor waged very successful campaigns and the war was easily won.

The U.S. got all the Texan territory it wanted as well as what later became Arizona and New Mexico. They even paid Mexico, despite having won the war.

But there were many people at the time - including Congressman Abraham Lincoln - who thought the war was unfair. They thought that President Polk had provoked the war with little real cause just to acquire more territory.

Answer 4

in what context?california annexation?we felt we deserved a contigous country and mexico was in the way.gimme=manifest destiny