Mexican American War Research Paper

Words: 1000
Pages: 4

The Mexican American War was a conflict between the United States and Mexico over disputed territory, lasting from 1846 to 1848. This essay will analyze the effects of the war by covering what started the war, the war itself, and how this it changed the relationship between Mexico and the United States. The chain of events that started this war happened a decade before the first shots fired. On April 21, 1836, Texas gained its independence from Mexico. On March 2, 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos, the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed which formally granted Texas its independence. Like the United State’s Declaration of Independence, this document granted citizens living in the Republic of Texas life, liberty and emphasized a citizens’ …show more content…
In 1846, only 75,000 Mexican citizens lived in northern territory of the Rio Grande ("Mexican-American War." History). American troops led by Col. Stephen W. Kearny and Commodore Robert F. Stockton easily conquered these territories with little resistance. The Mexican army suffered major losses. General Zachary Taylor and his troops successfully occupied American fortresses along the Rio Grande. In the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, General Santa Anna had to retreat due to mass casualties. ("Mexican-American War." Citizendium) Buena Vista demoralized the Mexican army which led to future …show more content…
Besides the casualties in battle including military and civilian deaths, the war left tens of thousands of orphans, widows and cripples. Since the majority of the war was fought in Mexico, public buildings and roads were damaged in the crossfire, leading to higher taxes and eventually a mass-economic plummet. The war disrupted the Mexican government immensely. During the two-year period of the war, there were seven presidents and 10 different ministers of foreign relations. The political instability during and immediately after the war led to a new tyrannical government and eventually to another Mexican civil