Was the Mexican War Imperialism
Despite the protestations of liberal Americans that the United Stateshas never been an imperialist power, its expansionist urge has alwayslurked just below the surface-ready to strike out at the first excuse. Aclassic example of such an "urge" was the US-Mexican war of 1846-48 throughwhich more than half of the then Mexican territory was "acquired." Was itimperialism' According to John L. O'Sullivan, a New York journalist of thetime, it was just a case of "our manifest destiny." It did not matter inthe least that all of Mexico did not think so and even Ulysses S. Grant-theAmerican general and himself a participant in the war-called it "one of themost unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation."[1] From theAmerican point of view, it was a war worth fighting because the UnitedStates gained valuable land[2] and in politics, the end always justifiesthe means; more so in international politics. Just after its independence in the Revolutionary War, the new Americannation was warned by its founding fathers (George Washington and ThomasJefferson) to keep strictly away from "foreign wars." Rather conveniently,foreign wars did not include wars in the territories located in the
All of the above reasonsmean that in this day and age, it is very difficult to sustain overtimperialism even if it is practiced by the sole super power of the world. The plan was abandoned to avoid a directconfrontation with Britain. Bush and the neo-cons are in power and they too believe in the Manifest Destiny. an continent just as the "natural rights" of man-so eloquentlyproclaimed in the Declaration of Independence-did not include the "rights"of the African Americans. [6] Fast forward to the early 21st century. Mexico, of course was neither a great power nor a "civilized" one. 30, 1803 with France, the United Statespurchased the Louisiana Territory (an area of more than 2 million sq kmextending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains for $ 15million. It is difficult tosustain a war nowadays in which young soldiers die everyday as was seen inthe Vietnam War. The over-riding philosophybehind the annexation of Mexican land was the concept of "manifestdestiny"-the self-righteous belief that territorial expansion by the UnitedStates was both "inevitable and divinely ordained. With enough patrioticvolunteers on hand to fulfill their Manifest Destiny, the result of theMexican War was a foregone conclusion. It is anotherversion of the domino theory: when one Middle Eastern dictatorship fallsbefore democracy, others will follow suit. Itwas part of the American continent, happened to possess territory that laybetween the US and the Pacific Ocean, and did not have a very strong army. [8] It is another matter that Saddam was just as bad a guy in the early1980s when he was provided massive US support since at that time he wasfighting a greater enemy of the US, i.
Common topics in this essay:
Louisiana Purchase3,
Bush Iraq,
Pacific Ocean,
Latin America,
Saddam Hussain,
Grant-the American,
Vietnam War,
Americans United,
Middle Eastern,
Thomas Jefferson,
american continent,
mexican war,
manifest destiny,
provided legitimate excuse,
legitimate excuse,
policy makers,
provided legitimate,
bad guy,
foreign wars,
difficult sustain,
|
Acceptance Essays
