Mexicanamerican War

Research papers on the Mexican-American War are custom written for any history course. The war can be studied from any historical perspective you need, as our history writers can help flush out the issues on each side of the war.

The Mexican-American War was fought from 1846 to 1848 between the United States and its southern neighbor, largely as the result of the U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845. Large sections of the southeastern United States were acquired as the result of this war, including California, New Mexico and Arizona.

In 1836, largely with the backing of the United States, Texas declared it independence. Mexico threatened war if the U.S. attempted to annex the territory, but President James K. Polk was an avowed expansionist, and the dispute over the southern border of Texas, combined with its admittance to the Union in 1845 led to war.

The Mexican-American War March

U.S forces, led by Zachary Taylor, marched south to the Rio Grande in order to stake U.S. claims. When Mexican soldiers attacked a small U.S. force, Polk asked Congress to declare war. In the United States, the war became a sectional partisan issue:

• Democrats (largely from the South) supporting
• Whigs (largely from the North) opposing

While Taylor's forces moved in from the North, in 1847 General Winfield Scott led an invasion of southern Mexico that landed at Vera Cruz. Scott was able to eventually capture Mexico City, and the decisive Battle of Chapultepec largely ended the war with a stunning U.S. victory. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave the U.S. control over vast territory that now comprises Nevada, California, Utah, Texas, Arizona, as well as parts of Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming.