...Nobody likes a robber.Especially when they live right next door. You see, the Americans had just gotten the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 which gave them lots of land. Then later Mexico gained its independence in 1821. After that in 1836 Texas decided to be independent too.(Background Essay) The Texans decided to sign a treaty with the U. S. and then the Americans got greedy again. They wanted the land from the Nueces River down to the Rio Grande. They wanted it so bad that they decided to go to war over it with Mexico. The United States might have been justified in going to war. No, the U. S. was not justified in going to war with Mexico because America was being disrespectful, America was stealing land, and America wanted a war. The first...
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...Mexico's Drug War There is a saying in Mexico that states “Mejor vivir como un rey por cinco años que vivir como laborador por cincuenta” which translates to “better to live as a king for five years than as an Ox for fifty.” This is particularly a famous saying between the poor youth because their opportunities are so limited they believe it is better to be part of the “narcos” and be a “narco king” for a short period than to live a long time as a laborer, worker, or slave. Consequently, throughout the years, drug cartels (the most famous being Sinaloa) have developed across Mexico with the intent of making money by selling drugs; this has caused many encounters with the law, corruption, and death. In addition, Fund for Peace (FFP), a research and educational institution, defines a failed state as a state or country whose politics, authority and economic system is weakened to the point that it is no longer in charge. Although this term has received criticism, it is a term given to define a state that has lost control over its territory, is unable to provide basic public services, and whose government is unlawful at time of making a decision consented by large groups. Mexico is currently under “warning” of becoming a failed state, primarily because of the strong roots that have grown within authorities and the government. It takes a stable country to help a failed state recover from its crisis; a prime example is the current relationship between Mexico and the U.S....
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...Mexico’s Drug War Drug trafficking has become an increasingly growing problem in the world today. Illegal drug trade is a worldwide black market consisting of production, distribution, packaging, and sale of illegal substances. Although today’s "War on Drugs" is a modern phenomenon, drug problems have been a common problem throughout history. The market for illegal drugs is massive, when we consider the estimated global drug trade value is worth $321 billion (Vulliamy). The most drug trafficking happens on the border between Mexico and the United States. Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon said, “Our neighbor is the largest consumer of drugs in the world. And everybody wants to sell him drugs through our door and our window” (Catholic Online). Mexico is the main foreign supplier of marijuana and a major supplier of methamphetamine to the United States. Mexico is responsible for 90% of drugs that comes from the southern border of the United States. Mexico has been a producer and distributer of illegal drugs for generations; the country now finds itself in a battle with powerful and well-financed drug cartels. The corruption in the Mexico, the trafficking of weapons and the violence has made it possible for cartels to keep operating. Since 2006, when president Calderon declared the war on drug cartels, violence in Mexico has increased dramatically. The country has certainly seen a big rise in drug violence, with cartels fighting for control of major shipment routes. Mexican...
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...April 20, 2017 Unjustified War with Mexico An incident occurred in the disputed territory north of the Rio Grande. Reports suggest 16 Americans were killed. The number of Mexican soldiers killed is unknown. 70 soldiers were attacked by a much larger Mexican force. The United States was not justified in going to War with Mexico because tensions were high, derision, and upsetting Mexico. “In Texas at the Alamo, Texans won their independence from Mexico in 1836.” (p.317 ph. 4). “In late 1844, James K. Polk was elected president of the United States.” (p.317 ph. 6). “In 1821, Mexico declared itself free its mother country, Spain.” (p.317 ph. 2). “The War of 1812 caused New England...
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...The American Revolutionary War and the Mexican Revolutionary War There are many similarities dealing with these Revolutionary Wars such as fighting for independence, fighting against a European power, and the achievements from the fighting. No one ever wants to fight battles, lose love ones, and be away from ones family for months on end. These particular wars involved both the 13 colonies of America and the citizens of Mexico They thought their fighting was for a good cause and most were willing to die for their belief of that cause. A revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favor of a new system (Webster, Merriam). These wars had similarities and differences, which the similarities out weighted the differences. The Americans and the Mexicans both fought European powers over freedom. The king or president, at that time, is one of the major parts as to the beginning of the revolutionary wars. The king just looked at the English colonies as a way to make extra money. The Colonies felt they, the Americans, deserved all the rights of Englishmen (“Causes of the American Revolution”). The Mexicans were under a dictator, which let money and power be his demise. During...
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...World War 11 Insight in Mexico and United States Name Course Instructor Date of submission World War 11 Insight The Second World War occurred between the years 1939 to 1945. Second World War was a sharp reversal for the history of Chicano. It was a new dawn where there was desperation. The depression had left population decline, hopeless communities, broken dreams, the war brought high population, rejuvenated hopes and uprising society. There was a great labor shortage due to the war and great industrial expansion. The Chicanos could get entry into jobs due to the increased demand for the military officers. The move opened ways for the Chicanos; they left their traditional economic activities and were employed in the army and the industries that had been closed up to them previously. Due to labor shortage experienced, it caused the US to turn to Mexico; there was a great need for laborers who would work for the Americans. This was the cause for the formulation of the bracero program. On august 4 1942, the US and Mexicans instituted a bracero program. The bracero program is believed to have the development of rich American agricultural industry. More than four million Mexican laborers came to work in the field of this nation. The bracero converted the American agricultural fields into the most productive in America. These farmers were experienced and very hardworking despite two million of them dying during the Mexican revolution...
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...pen, the Mexican-American War officially came to an end. The signing of the treaty ended the territorial disputes that caused the conflict between both countries. In the treaty, the United States government was obligated to pay Mexico fifteen-million dollars. In return for the compensation, The United States expanded its territory. The territory that was obtained via the treaty eventually became New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, and some of Utah.[1] This treaty, especially in the long run, benefited both the United States and Mexico, but there are many arguments about why the war started. Some argue that the United States was power hungry and was continuing its “bulling” of the continent to fulfill their belief that it was God’s will for the United States to control the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This has now become to be known as Manifest Destiny.[2] Then there are the counter arguments that the dictatorship of Mexico sent troops to invade the United States and killed Americans. In a message to congress on May 11, 1846, President James Polk said, “Mexico invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil.”[3] There are many arguments that say the United States is a racist nation and that this war, like many others, was because of white racism. Whether the battles were all racially motivated will never be known. It is impossible to know what was in the hearts of the Americans who fought in the war. What is know is that during...
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...Professor Saul Panski April 22, 2013 To Justify War or Not to Justify War? That is the Question On May 11, 1846, James K. Polk delivered his address to Congress requesting a Declaration of War on the Republic of Mexico. President Polk justified his war by saying in his message that Mexico had attacked American troops and invaded the United States. He also brought up the issue that initially brought about all of the tensions between the U.S. and Mexico, which was the Mexican government had not been cooperative in negotiations over the Texas boundary. Polk, as well as most of the rest of Americans at this time, saw the declaration of war as a legitimate and natural expression of America’s Manifest Destiny, which will be later explained. The question remains, however, was Polk’s declaration of war on Mexico really necessary, let alone justified? Was peace what he really wanted, or was his true intention just to acquire more land and expand the U.S. westward as fast as he could? President Polk did appear to have taken several steps to try to avoid an armed conflict with Mexico. First, Polk tried to reopen diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Mexico by sending an envoy, Mr. John Slidell of Louisiana, invested with full powers to make adjustments to the current state of affairs between the two countries. He sent this envoy, seemingly, as evidence that he did not want war, but peace and harmonious engagements between the U.S. and Mexico from there on forth. At first, Mexico’s minister...
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...erk's reinterpretation of the Mexican War justified the actions that were committed in pursuit of Manifest Destiny. He recognized Polk’s aggression as a retaliation to Mexico’s uncooperative nature. By continuously commenting on the unreasonable reactions of Mexicans, he implies that the War could have been avoided; but, due to the stubbornness of Mexicans, the war was inevitable. Recent historians, like Amy S. Greenberg, have challenged this argument. Greenberg, like Merk, does not fully examine the Mexican perspective in her analysis; however, her research reveals the unjust nature of the war instead of justifying the war. In A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 US invasion of Mexico, Amy S. Greenberg emphasizes Polk’s territorial goals, to expand shore to shore, as a major cause of the war. Before Polk was elected as president, the Whig party predicted Polk’s election would lead to war. Polk pursued the...
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...Mexican American War 1846-1848 Some wars fall between the cracks. That appears to be what happened with Polk’s War. James K. Polk was our eleventh president. He is often listed as the worst president we’ve ever had. Polk’s War was actually the Mexican War of 1846-48. Before and during that war, most Americans including congress were not in favor of a war with Mexico. The war was launched on questionable pretexts. Why invade a smaller, poorer neighbor just for land? Mexico’s border with the Republic of Texas was the Nueces River near Corpus Christi. New Mexico, Arizona, California along with other territory belonged to Mexico, having won them from Spain some 25 years earlier. There were debates in Congress that the invasion of Mexico was unconstitutional. America had never invaded others (except the American Indians). A young congressman, Abraham Lincoln, began his move into the national limelight as an avowed opponent to the war. Polk saw America as having a manifest destiny to control the entire continent. The great American attitude of “can do” was increasing in strength. Arrogance was never been in short supply in our brief history. President James K. Polk sent troops to Corpus Christi to move the border to the Rio Grande. This was not something the Mexicans wanted. They responded with some strength and were not the push-over Polk and the war hawks thought they would be. For such a...
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...going to war?” This was the question that many Americans asked themselves in the year of 1846. The Mexican American War began in April of 1846, the cause being disputed territory. Mexico claimed the Nueces River as its northeastern border, while the United States claimed the Rio Grande River. The disputed territory, which is now Texas, was originally a part of Mexico, but Texas was annexed into the United States in 1845. Mexico deemed this annexation as illegal and ignored it, causing the territory dispute to begin. This caused a lot of trouble with the two countries, including many battles and the start to a new war. The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because Polk provoked it, the United States...
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...The Mexican Drug War: Is It Their War or Ours? A common news headline in any newspaper or on any news channel these days mentions the “Mexican drug war”. It has become common along the U. S./Mexico border to hear people talking about it at schools, work places and in their own neighborhoods - coworkers, classmates and neighbors whom are involved in some way or know someone that is. Violence is seen and heard of on the U.S. side of the border quite frequently, which raises the questions, is it their war or ours? This war may have started on Mexican soil; however, it is, most definitely, the United States’ war as well. How did this all begin? What does the U.S. have to do with it? “For years, Mexico’s domestic supply of psychoactive...
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...Mexican-American War Many wars are started for a fake reason, but the world leaders never reveal the real reason. The United States started war over some land. They also started war because according to them Mexico killed some of their people on U.S. land. The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because Polk provoked Mexico for the land, the Mexican Army never crossed a border, and the U.S. did not respect Mexican laws. In 1846 the war with Mexico started over the disputed territory between Mexico and the U.S, The U.S. wanted more land that they started to revolt against Mexico so that they could get land. Before this happened the Texans got their independence. Protestants are people who were pro slavery. Annexation...
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...Mexican-American War Samuel Lebron HIST/110CA June 18, 2015 Dr. J. Randall III Introduction The Mexican-American war according to many has a lot of controversy behind it. Many believe that the war was really initiated and provoked by the United States, and President at the time, James K. Polk. Polk envisioned a much larger America (territory) that would one day reach from the east all the way to the west (Pacific Ocean). Amid the controversy of whether it was Mexico or the United States that started this conflict, one thing is for certain, the end result of this war would help shape the U.S. in more than one ways than one. It is believed by many that newspaper editor John O’ Sullivan came up with the term Manifest Destiny, which really was a time when American families started looking west in search of new lands and opportunity, and while many were motivated by religious beliefs and the movement of the second awakening, thinking they could reach the natives and convert them to Christianity, others were simply motivated by the economic potential (e.g. fur trade) the west had. Unfortunately many Americans, mostly from the south also sought new lands but for the wrong reasons, reasons such as acquiring more lands for the expansion of cotton cultivation, thus also spreading more slavery. One of the main events that lead to the war was the dispute of boundaries between Mexico and the United States and the union of Texas with the U.S. Mexico did not like the...
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...(Goodman, 2011) Mexico. Poor wretch. A PUT-UP JOB Barbara Wigman How to write a paper 9/20/13 LECTURER: W.G. GOLDMAN UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES OF ARNHEM AND NIJMEGEN MEXICO. POOR WRETCH. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 Part I: Origins of the war ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Part II: Government versus government ................................................................................................................. 3 Part III: A put-up job? .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Part IV: enclosure .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 1 HOW TO WRITE A PAPER. BARBARA WIGMAN MEXICO. POOR WRETCH. INTRODUCTION The war-on-drugs is a widely known phenomena all over the world. When pinpointing the war-on-drugs, Mexico is mostly the first country which comes to mind. Poor wretch, or not? It is no...
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