DBQ Mexican War
Saad Qureshi
Mr. Ward
AP US History 2
29 September, 2014
Was the Mexican War a “Justifiable” War? The Mexican War has been an issue of contention ever since the war was formally declared. As a result of James K. Polk getting the go ahead from Congress and then authorizing American troops to begin attacking the much weaker force just for the self betterment of America, the war earned itself the nickname “The most unjust war”. However, there were certain actions the United States government did implement before authorizing an entire war. Polk did send John Slidell with an offer to Mexico to purchase California, New Mexico, and Texas for a total of 27 million dollars (Doc 3). The Mexicans were in grave need of the money yet, they still entirely rejected the offer leaving Polk no other choice but to declare war. There were many factors that led to the Mexican War; nevertheless, it would be considered biased if we were not to address all the issues pertaining to, before, and after the war. One of the major reasons why Polk was destined to the annexation of California as well as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas was because of his strong tenet in manifest destiny (Doc 1). During his presidential campaign Polk made a promise to the people of America that he would attempt to the best of his abilities to gain the land beyond the Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, he referred to the annexation of Oregon as “clear and unquestionable” assuaging the nerves of the people (Doc 4). Unlike other presidents, James K. Polk was keen to staying faithful to his promises and he worked around the clock to carry them out. As a result, when one of Polk’s promises seemed to be having an issue with becoming true, his poise and appearance would suffer because he became aggressive and combative. Due to his nature Polk was eager and ardent towards getting that land from Mexico. However, it was proving to be difficult with Mexico turning down the offer which Polk delivered. This was the last
Mr. Ward
AP US History 2
29 September, 2014
Was the Mexican War a “Justifiable” War? The Mexican War has been an issue of contention ever since the war was formally declared. As a result of James K. Polk getting the go ahead from Congress and then authorizing American troops to begin attacking the much weaker force just for the self betterment of America, the war earned itself the nickname “The most unjust war”. However, there were certain actions the United States government did implement before authorizing an entire war. Polk did send John Slidell with an offer to Mexico to purchase California, New Mexico, and Texas for a total of 27 million dollars (Doc 3). The Mexicans were in grave need of the money yet, they still entirely rejected the offer leaving Polk no other choice but to declare war. There were many factors that led to the Mexican War; nevertheless, it would be considered biased if we were not to address all the issues pertaining to, before, and after the war. One of the major reasons why Polk was destined to the annexation of California as well as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas was because of his strong tenet in manifest destiny (Doc 1). During his presidential campaign Polk made a promise to the people of America that he would attempt to the best of his abilities to gain the land beyond the Rocky Mountains. Furthermore, he referred to the annexation of Oregon as “clear and unquestionable” assuaging the nerves of the people (Doc 4). Unlike other presidents, James K. Polk was keen to staying faithful to his promises and he worked around the clock to carry them out. As a result, when one of Polk’s promises seemed to be having an issue with becoming true, his poise and appearance would suffer because he became aggressive and combative. Due to his nature Polk was eager and ardent towards getting that land from Mexico. However, it was proving to be difficult with Mexico turning down the offer which Polk delivered. This was the last