A Brief History of the Mexican American War
Document A
President Polk (1846)
The grievous wrong perpetrated by Mexico upon our citizens throughout a long period of years remain undressed, and solemn [claims] treaties pledging her public faith for his redress have been disregarded. A government either unable or unwilling to inforce the execution of such treaties fails to perform one of its plainest duties. Instead of this, however, we have been exerting our best efforts to propitiate her good will. Upon the pretext that Texas, a nation as independent as herself, thought proper to unite its destinies with our own, she has affected to believe that we have severed her rightful territory, and in official proclamations and manifestos has repeatedly threatened to make war upon us for the purpose of reconquering Texas. In the meantime, we have tried every effort at reconciliation. The cup of forbearance had been exhausted even before the recent information from the frontier of the [Rio Grande] Del Norte. But now, after reintegrated menaces. Mexico has passed the boundary of the US, has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon American soil. She has proclaimed the hostilities have commenced, and that the two nations are now at war.
Document B
Miguel Barragan, Dispatch on Texas Colonists (October 31, 1835)
For a long time the ungrateful Texas colonists have made fun of the national laws of Mexico; disregarding the fact that Mexico gave them a generous welcome and kept them close to our bosom; dispensing to them the same-and even more-benefits than to our sons. Everytime we have had internal agitation they have thought the Republic weak and impotent to control their excesses. These have multiplied intensely, producing insults again and again against the whole of our National Arms. To the Texas colonists, the word MEXICAN is, and has been, an execrable word. There has been no insult or violation that our countrymen have not suffered, including being jailed as “foreigners” in their
President Polk (1846)
The grievous wrong perpetrated by Mexico upon our citizens throughout a long period of years remain undressed, and solemn [claims] treaties pledging her public faith for his redress have been disregarded. A government either unable or unwilling to inforce the execution of such treaties fails to perform one of its plainest duties. Instead of this, however, we have been exerting our best efforts to propitiate her good will. Upon the pretext that Texas, a nation as independent as herself, thought proper to unite its destinies with our own, she has affected to believe that we have severed her rightful territory, and in official proclamations and manifestos has repeatedly threatened to make war upon us for the purpose of reconquering Texas. In the meantime, we have tried every effort at reconciliation. The cup of forbearance had been exhausted even before the recent information from the frontier of the [Rio Grande] Del Norte. But now, after reintegrated menaces. Mexico has passed the boundary of the US, has invaded our territory, and shed American blood upon American soil. She has proclaimed the hostilities have commenced, and that the two nations are now at war.
Document B
Miguel Barragan, Dispatch on Texas Colonists (October 31, 1835)
For a long time the ungrateful Texas colonists have made fun of the national laws of Mexico; disregarding the fact that Mexico gave them a generous welcome and kept them close to our bosom; dispensing to them the same-and even more-benefits than to our sons. Everytime we have had internal agitation they have thought the Republic weak and impotent to control their excesses. These have multiplied intensely, producing insults again and again against the whole of our National Arms. To the Texas colonists, the word MEXICAN is, and has been, an execrable word. There has been no insult or violation that our countrymen have not suffered, including being jailed as “foreigners” in their