Mexican-American war is the war between the United States and Mexico that began in 1846 and

ended in 1848. This war broke out because of the unresolved conflicts between the U.S. and
Mexico about the borders of Texas. Before 1836, Texas was a part of Mexico, but later it gained
independence and named itself the Republic of Texas. After that, Texas was annexed by the
United States. The Western and Southern borders of the state remained unclear, and tension
between the two countries was rising regarding the territories. The United States offered Mexico
a trade; paying off Mexican debt to settlers, in exchange for the lands of Alta California and
Nuevo Mexico, however this offer only raised the tensions and led to negotiations that would last
for years.

In addition to the dispute about the territories, there have been disagreements within the United
States in regard to the necessity of the war. The Southern states supported this war, however the
industrialized North opposed it. The war ended on February 2, 1868, and gave the United States
full control over the following territories: Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Utah,
Nevada, California, and last but not least, Texas. There were disagreements in the Congress as to
who actually provoked the war, and which side first shed blood of the other, but despite the
internal tensions, the entire country was pleased with the acquisition of new lands, and was in the
state of euphoria. But this euphoria did not last long because another internal conflict was
approaching.

The Southerners supported the war because they saw it as an opportunity to keep and expand
slavery across the nearby territories. Slavery was important for the agricultural South, because
rich farmers and slave-owners required very much labor force to cope with the vast plantation

areas. Some plantations were very labor-intensive, and so owners would have to pay very big
money to workers. Slavery was the best option, which was an economic tool that made such
industries as cotton and tobacco extremely profitable. Thus, Southerners, particularly dwellers of
Texas, were very pleased with the official institution of slavery within the United States.

Mexico, on the other hand, at those times did not recognize the institution of slavery. As some of
the Northerners viewed it, this difference in views on slavery in Mexico was one of the reasons
why Southerners were so pleased with the outburst of war and supported it. After the war, there
have been much territorial disputes and disagreements regarding slavery in the South, Texas in
particular. Thus one way to look at American-Mexican War is to view it as a conquest of land in
order to expand slavery. With such a point of view in mind, American-Mexican war was a
prelude to the Civil War in the United States. (Wiki, 2005).

As we know, the primary cause of the Civil War was the disagreement of South vs. North on
such issues as slavery, citizenship, and democracy. Slavery was the primary out of the three.
From a particular point of view, the South go so used to cheap labor in form of slavery that they
did not want to give it away for free. The Mexican war only bolstered their perception of slavery
being morally right; as the entire nation was fighting against a Southern neighbor for the
expansion of slavery, the perception of those interested in slavery financially was shifting and
thus the Southerners then took slavery for granted. Therefore, Mexican-American war has
fostered this attitude toward slavery, which the nation itself could not stand a decade later. In
some sense, if Mexican-American war had not happened, maybe the Civil war would not have
happened either, because slave-owners in the South would more easily accept the abolishment of

slavery and slave trade.

Ultimately, Mexican-American war and American Civil war are interconnected; MexicanAmerican war can be looked at as one of the causes of Civil war. To state for sure that Mexican
war is a cause would be wrong, because there is not enough sufficient evidence so state so, plus
it remains unknown what would have happened should the Mexican war not burst out. Thus, it is
one of the unproven theories that Mexican war actually entailed Civil War. There are facts that
point to the direct connection between the wars, but these facts are insufficient. Mexico did not
recognize institution of slavery while the United States did; Southerners were mainly farmers
and slave owners who very much depended financially on slavery as means of cheap labor;
sectional problems stemming from the war, - all these are factors that support the theory that
Civil War was the nations punishment for the morally wrong Mexican war, and that these wars
are closely connected.

The territorial dispute between the United States and Mexico in 1846 led to direct invasion of the
U.S. troops into Mexican territories. (Wiki, 2005). In reality, though, the war can be viewed as
the conquest of vast lands in an attempt to expand slavery. The war ended in 1848 with the
victory of the United States, but some 13 years later the U.S. suffered the results of Mexican war,
- the American Civil war.

1. "American Civil War." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Dec 2005, 21:33 UTC. 12 Dec
2005, 13:57 .

2. "Mexican-American War." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 12 Dec 2005, 02:28 UTC. 12
Dec 2005, 13:57 .