Factors That Led to Mexico’s Loss of Territories to the US
Relations between the United States and Mexico deteriorated in the 1820s and 1830s when American settlers settled in rich Mexican Texas and declared it an independent republic. The region was withdrawn from the country, and in 1845, it became part of the United States. The former Spanish colony, Mexico, became heavily dependent on British financial loans in the 1830s (Anderson, 2019). The rustic country did not have a developed industry, suffered from political instability, and abused the Catholic Church’s power (Anderson, 2019). At that time, Mexico was territorially more than twice its current size, but the vast lands were sparsely populated, and only about seven million people lived in the country.
Having acquired Texas, the American government wanted to buy California, but the neighbors refused to sell. Therefore, it was decided to take the precious land by force. US President James Polk tried to force the Mexicans to go to war (Anderson, 2019). His troops staged provocations, occupying disputed territories on the border in January 1846. Mexico was unprepared for conflict and did not attack first.
Mexico had no chance against a superior enemy in all respects. The army was almost half the size and suffered from incompetent leadership. The state had to confiscate the money of the Catholic Church for the conduct of the war. In February-March 1847, internal strife began, provoked by the corrupt clergy (Anderson, 2019). Political instability made it easier for the interventionists. Mexico had to accept the terms of the peace treaty on February 2, 1848.
The United States left behind huge territories – New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California, as well as part of the future American states of Colorado and Wyoming (Anderson, 2019). The United States paid $15 million in compensation (Anderson, 2019). Although the United States formally won the war, the conflict over exploiting the territories gained escalated within the country.
Impact of the Mexican War on US Policy
The Mexican-American War raised the question of the expansion of slavery into new territories or the enforcement of popular sovereignty, which is not explicitly for or against slavery. While the Compromise of 1850 in California decided not to include popular sovereignty, and the territory was recognized as a free state, this reappeared in 1854 in the Kansas-Nebraska conflict (Anderson, 2019). According to this, Kansas and Nebraska were to be organized based on popular sovereignty (Anderson, 2019). The issue raised sparked bloody infighting within the state, with pro-slavery and anti-slavery Americans pitted against each other for the purpose of promoting slavery or establishing a free government in the state.
The Mexican War and the vast territory gained due to the victory caused a renewed debate over slavery. This led to a decrease in party alliances and an increase in group alliances: followers of the southern traditions of slavery and their opponents in the form of democrats. This slavery debate ultimately led to the end of the Second Party System and led to the rise of Republicanism (Anderson, 2019).
The tension was never greater, and as the 1850s progressed, there were open discussions about the division of the states. All these tensions and problems came to a head with the election of 1860 and eventually led to the Civil War (Anderson, 2019). Thus, the outcome of the Mexican War had a strong influence not only on the life of Mexico but also on the further development of the United States.
References
Anderson, G. C. (2019). The conquest of Texas: Ethnic cleansing in the promised land 1820-1875. University of Oklahoma Press.