Siyona Shah Chapter 8: We Take Nothing By Conquest, Thank God Author’s Primary Thesis Even though the U.S. ultimately won the Mexican war and gained a large sum of land, there were many consequences that with this; many soldiers came back from war and ended up in a worse situation than before, there were increased tension in the U.S. due to the differing opinions over the war and slavery, and relations with Mexico and Indians were problematic after the war. Main Points ● President Polk was an expansionist who wanted to annex Texas and California. ● Mexicans had fired the first shot, but U.S. had lured them to. ● The support for the war was divided; part of the U.S the supported the Mexican war and part of it did not. Many commanders in the military and the volunteer soldiers did not want to fight in the war; however, once given orders they could not disobey. ● Many congressmen who were against slavery were opposed to the war. They saw the addition of another southern state as disrupting the balance of free and slave states. They did not want another slave state to be added to the U.S. ● As the war went on, more and more people started to criticize and oppose the war. ● The soldiers that survived and came back from the war ended up losing a lot of money. Many ended up owning very little and were forced to sell their land, so many people took advantage of their situation and bought the land cheaply. Siyona Shah Quotes + Explanation ● “I have said from the first that the United States are the aggressors. . . . We have not one particle of right to be here. ... It looks as if the government sent a small force on purpose to bring on a war, so as to have a pretext for taking California and as much of this country as it chooses, for, whatever becomes of this army, there is no doubt of a war between the United States and Mexico. . .. My heart is not in this business ... but, as a military man, I am bound to execute orders.” ○ This quote is from Colonel Hitchcock’s diary. It illustrates his viewpoint of the war. Hitchcock felt like the U.S.had brought the war upon themselves, and that a war between the U.S. and Mexico was destined to take place. Towards the end of the quote Hitchcock reveals his personal opinion of the war. Hitchcock states that he does not want to fight in the war, and he doesn't think that the Americans have a right to be there; however, he is a loyal officer and he will execute the orders given to him. ● “If it is cruel to drag black men from their homes, how much more cruel it is to drag white men from their homes under false inducements, and compelling them to leave their wives and children, without leaving a cent or any protection, in the coldest season of the year, to the in a foreign and sickly climate! ... Many enlisted for the sake of their families, having no employment, and having been offered "three months' advance", and were promised that they could leave part of their pay for their families to draw in their absence. ... I boldly pronounce, that the whole Regiment was got up by fraud-a fraud on the Siyona Shah soldier, a fraud on the City of New York, and a fraud on the Government of the United States. …” ○ I think that this quote is significant because it illustrates the position of the soldiers in the war. Many people did not support the war, but many people enlisted in the army because they were unemployed and had been offered many benefits. However, based on this quote one can tell that this was not what actually happened. Many of the soldiers in this war volunteered for the promise of money to support their families, and a better life after the war. After the war many did not receive what they were promised, and several ended up in a worse situation than they were in before the war. This addresses one of the many major consequences of the war. It also illustrates the degree of racism that was present at the time. ● “I stated ... that up to this time, as we knew, we had heard of no open act of aggression by the Mexican army, but that the danger was imminent that such acts would be committed. I said that in my opinion we had ample cause of war, and that it was impossible . . . that I could remain silent much longer .. . that the country was excited and impatient on the subject.. . .” ○ In this quote President Polk is stating his opinion on the war. He says that war was unavoidable and it was destined to occur. He also states “the country was excited and impatient on the subject.” However after the quote in the chapter it is stated that “the country was not ‘excited and impatient.’ But the President was.” This shows that President Polk was very keen on annexing Texas and California, contrary to the opinions of many at the time. Siyona Shah Author Questions ● What is your opinion on the war? Would you have supported or opposed it? ● What do you believe would have happened if the United States did not go to war with Mexico? ● What were the opinions of the Mexicans during the war? Were the majority of Mexicans supporting or opposing the war? Vocab Terms ● Rio Grande - river 1885 miles long in the southwestern U.S. forming the boundary between Mexico and Texas and flowing from the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico ● Reveille - a bugle call at about sunrise signaling the first military formation of the day ● Annexation - the act of annexing something or the state of being annexed: the addition of an area or region to a country, state, etc ● Provocation - action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately ● Brevet - a commision giving military officer higher nominal rank than that for which pay is received Siyona Shah Personal Reflection As I was reading this selection, I thought it was interesting how many soldiers and commanders fought in a war even though they didn’t support it. Personally, this comes as a shock to me because it is hard to believe that thousands of troops and civilians had lost their lives for a cause they weren’t even fully supportive of. Previously, I had thought that wars were declared based on the majority popular opinion, the government’s opinion, and what was best for the country. In this case, however, the U.S. had declared war on Mexico mainly because the President thought it was inevitable, he wanted to gain land, and some amount of the U.S. population supported it. Also, usually when we learn about war in class or from a source, it usually glosses over the “negative” effects of the war, portrays the U.S. as a glorious victor, and doesn’t include many quotes. This text fully portrayed the opinion of the President, commanders, and the soldiers, which allowed me to get an idea of the opinions of people during this time period. Overall, I believe that this was was very controversial. Discussion Questions ● Was the United States justified in declaring war with Mexico for territory at the time? ● Do you think it would have been possible for the U.S. to gain control of California and Texas with peaceful negotiation? ● Do you think that the war between the United States and Mexico deeply affected the relationship between the two countries? Is there still an effect today?
