Position:Home>History> Why did the US fight for texas with the mexicans?

Ah, oil industry wasn't around until the end of the 1800's!. The Texas oil fields were not found until the 1920's!.

That aside, many Americans felt Texas was part of the Louisiana Purchase!. It was a thin claim!. There had been a brief French colony in East Texas around what is today Houston!. It didn't last long, and it was illegal!. The area was recognized Spanish territory at least to Europeans!. The Indians were not so convinced!. The colony was supposed to go Louisiana, got lost, and put down in the wrong place!.

also, it was land that was readily accessible!. Most of the area East of the Mississippi was more or less settled by the 1830's!. Cheap land was no longer easy to come by!. There was a huge surplus of people in the United States who wanted land!. We were still a farm economy, but they couldn't afford the land in the East!.

US territory West of the Mississippi was cheap to get, but hard to get too!. Until advances in plow technology that came latter, farming the great plains was near impossible!. So, the settlers had to go all the way to Washington and Oregon for land!. The trip was long, hard, and full of unpleasant Indians!.

Railroad technology was still primitive and most of the tracks were East of the Mississippi!. There would be no railroad all the way across the nation until the 1870's!.

Texas, however, had a coast line!. You could get on a boat in New Orleans and get to Galveston and other points pretty easily!. also, most of the Indians in the South of Texas had been conquered by the Spanish and Mexicans!. Only the Comanche remained a threat, and they lived where most people didn't want to settle, at least at the start!.

The latter Mexicans offered free land to Americans who were willing to settle in Texas so long as they became Mexican citizens, renounced loyalty to the United States, convert to Catholicism, and switch to Spanish!. The settlers did none of the things they promised and things went bad from there!. The American colonists revolted!.

You can understand some of the anxiety today over illegal immigrants!. It seems to many that the Mexicans are doing America what America did to the Mexicans!.

Last, there was Manifest Destiny!. America was very confident in its destiny back then!. There was a strong, patriotic feeling of invulnerability and purpose!. They felt it was America's destiny to totally take over the entirety of North America!. Mexico and Canada begged to differ!. As did the Kiowa, Sioux, Arapaho, Comanche, Apache, and others!.

The United States did not give official aid or recognition to the Texas settlers during the revolt!. Privately, Americans sent money and guns including two bronze cannons!. And just to be on the safe side, President Andrew Jackson placed 10,000 US troops on the Texas - Louisiana border!. Jackson's protege, Sam Houston, commanded the Texas settlers!. If things went from bad for his forces, Jackson would send in the troops, diplomacy be dammed!. He was crazy enough to do it!. To this day, Jackson is the only President to Violate an order of the Supreme Court!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Texas was a complicated issue at the time!. Texas was already independent by 1836, and the U!.S!. didn't really fight with Mexico about it!. The U!.S!. was afraid if they didn't act, imperial Great Britain would seize the state!. Texas was doing financially well after the independence (oil and other resources), and since so many Americans were inhabiting Texas, the U!.S!. assumed its seizure!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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There were two wars, ten years apart!.
In the first Texas fought for indepency from Mexico!. Texas won and then became a republic!.
In the second, Texas had been annexed into the United States as a territory!. Then war between U!.S!. and Mexico ensued!. The United States won and annexed California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Nevada!.
Both wars were all about land!.
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Iam a mexican, and I read a book about what really happen in this war!. Everything was a set-up so that Santa Ana could have colima as his own property and some money, too!. You can read more in a book call : "La historia de Mexico y las mentiras de mis maestros" I dont know if its available in english!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Texas fought for it's own independence!. The Mexican/American war was not all our fault, and it was not very bloody!. The Mexican government did not adequately represent it's people in the annexed states, which peacefully accepted the change!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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it was to protect the homesteaders, but it was for the land and then they lost their source of water, that is what they are missing right now!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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I guess we had to draw the line some were!. Or you would be asking the same question today, Why did the US fight for new mexico, Arizona, California!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Pride!. It probably went back to the English-Spanish rivalry from Europe!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Because it's a big chunk of land and it's called Manifest Destiny!!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Oil!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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