Page 84 - All About History - Issue 186-19
P. 84
What happened from 1846 to 1848? been very interesting if the Mexicans had
Antonio López de Santa
Anna originally opposed The United States and Mexico fought held on to California, because of course
Mexican independence on a number of fronts. American troops we know that gold was discovered there.
from Spain, but then
supported it invaded what we now think of as modern The United States acquired California
Mexico [through Texas]. Other American in 1848 in the Treaty of Guadalupe
troops went west to California. And then, Hidalgo and then almost immediately
in probably the big campaign of the war, gold was discovered. The Gold Rush of
General Winfield Scott landed at Veracruz 1849 was set off. So if that territory had
and actually went inland through the remained Mexican, and the gold had been
heart of Mexico, capturing Mexico City, in Mexico instead of a newly acquired
which the Duke of Wellington called territory of the United States, that might
the greatest campaign in history. So the have been an important turning point.
Americans invaded Mexico, or seized
Mexican territory, on three fronts. What would a Mexican victory have
meant for the expansion of the US?
Was this a one-sided fight in favour If Mexico had been victorious and
of the Americans? blocked the expansion of United States
That’s how it’s often portrayed, in part to the south and west, there were two
because of the subsequent history possible outcomes. One is that American
about the wealth and strength of the settlers would’ve continued going into
two countries. But actually, it was much Mexican territory to settle, because
more equal than people often say, in the population was doubling every
the sense that Mexico had had its own generation. The United States had an
© Getty Images revolution in the 1820s and actually had incredibly rapidly growing population,
both through an actual increase and
pretty sophisticated military forces, while
“Mexico had a sophisticated the American army wasn’t that good. It through immigration. [Or] maybe United
became better in the course of the war,
States and American settlers would
but it was largely a volunteer force and
not have gone to the west but into the
military, while the American there were a lot of state militias involved. northwest and Canada instead.
So there was a lot of pretty bloody
army wasn’t that good” fighting. It was a relatively brief conflict, What would victory have meant
for Mexico ?
and the outcome appeared to be so one-
President James Polk sought sided because we see the power disparity They were fighting to maintain their
to expand US territory historically between the United States and territorial integrity, [and] they were also
Mexico since. There’s a tendency to kind concerned about the fate of their citizens.
of read that back, but it was a slightly Mexico was a republic, too, and sought
closer thing than people often realize. to protect the rights of its citizens in the
territory that the United States coveted,
What were the outcomes of the war? especially in Texas, but then latterly in
For the United States, the main outcome California and New Mexico. Mexico’s
was that they acquired what’s called the claims to that territory were pretty good.
Mexican Cession, which was this massive
amount of territory in the western part of Would Mexico have abolished
North America. In 1848, with the Treaty slavery in the American south?
of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States It wouldn’t have been able to abolish
acquired most of the territory that’s now it across the American south. [But] it
in the western United States. I’m talking prohibited slavery in the province of
about Texas, of course, but [also] the Texas. There had been slavery in Mexico
states of New Mexico, Arizona, California, before independence, but one of the
Nevada, Utah and so forth. This [set in legacies of the Mexican Revolution in
motion] the chain of events that led to the 1820s was the abolition of slavery
the American Civil War, because of the throughout Mexico. That was confirmed
dispute between the North and South in Texas in the 1830s. The American
about whether the newly acquired settlers in Texas were bringing their
territory should be slave territory or not. slaves into their province, and that was
one of the things that prompted the Texas
Was there a turning point where the
Revolution, which eventually prompted
Image source: wiki/Mathew B. Brady war could have swung the other way? the Mexican War. Ironically this westward
expansion was going to end the debate
In some of the early battles that were
fairly close, if Mexico had won those,
over western expansionism. It was going
to be a catalyst of the American Civil War,
maybe the United States wouldn’t have
which of course, is about slavery.
pursued the campaign. It would have
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