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Mexican-American War Campaign
Analysis of Mexican-American War and Timeline of Events
The Mexican-American War, which resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, was caused by the annexation
and statehood of Texas by the United States. The Mexican War was "one
of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the
bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory."
Words of General of the Union Army and Eighteenth President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant
| Mexican-American War Timeline Map |
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| Mexican-American Timeline and Battlefield Map |
By simultaneously annexing and granting statehood to Texas on
December 29, 1845, the United States had intentionally provoked Mexico, a nation that had never recognized the existence of
the Republic of Texas, to war. After Texas entered into the Union as the 28th state, a state of war would exist between Mexico and the United
States in merely 117 days, resulting in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the largest land acquisition (including Texas)
in the history of the United States.
Once the Mexican Cession was signed, 55% of the vast territory of Mexico was signed over to the United States, thus extending
the borders of the U.S. from sea to shining sea. It also removed from its doorsteps the footprints of the global powers
of England, France, and Spain henceforth. Until the Mexican Cession in 1848, the lands that now formed the United States
had long been a struggle between many nations that had once staked their claims of ownership.
As
a result of the Battle of the Alamo and the Texas War of Independence, Mexico would soon succumb to political discord, civil strife, and finally
civil war. Following the Mexican War, Mexico was burdened with staggering debt, the loss of 55% of its territory, and
a collapsed economy. France would even make a grand effort to conquer what it referred to as a weakened Mexico in
1862, only to be repulsed at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, by a much smaller, yet determined Mexican force. To
commemorate the Mexican victory, it is celebrated annually as Cinco de Mayo.
Mexican-American War Timeline of Battles
| Palo Alto |
8 May 1846 |
| Resaca de la Palma |
9 May 1846 |
| Monterey |
21 September 1846 |
| Buena Vista |
22-23 February 1847 |
| Vera Cruz |
9-29 March 1847 |
| Cerro Gordo |
17 April 1847 |
| Contreras |
18-20 August 1847 |
| Churubusco |
20 August 1847 |
| Molino del Rey |
8 September 1847 |
| Chapultepec |
13 September 1847 |
| Battle Timeline Mexican-American War Map |
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| Mexican-American War Timeline of Battles Map |
The United States too would
pay a hefty price because of its acquisition of Mexican territory. With the Mexican Cession in 1848, formally the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the nation purchased territory that forms the present-day U.S. states of California, Nevada, Utah,
most of Arizona, about half of New Mexico, about a quarter of Colorado, and a small section of Wyoming. The Treaty also forced
Mexico to officially recognize Texas and its boundaries. Until 1850 the nation
had hosted 15 free and 15 slave states, creating a balance between proslavery and free states. When California was
admitted to the Union as a free state in 1850, the United States soon added three additional free states with Minnesota
in 1858, Oregon in 1859, and Kansas in 1861. The nation was now confronted with an imbalance of power and influence between slave
and free states, known as sectionalism, which served only to fuel existing
tensions between the North and South. The Mexican Cession of 1848 resulted in the Compromise of 1850 and a rapid shift in political power and influence that favored the North. While the Compromise of 1850 fanned
the flames of sectionalism, in just eleven years, 1861, the nation would be engaged in bloody Civil
War.
Advance to:
Mexican War and its Battles, Campaigns, and Leaders.
Subjects discussed: Mexican-American War Timeline, Mexican American
War Campaign, Mexican War Battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, Buena Vista, Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo,
Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec, Mexico and the US Aftermath.
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