Exercise: Debating the War with Mexico

Instructions: Navigate your browser to the documents page of “The U.S.-Mexican War, 1846-1848” website, maintained by the Descendents of Mexican War Veterans (DMWV), at the first URL below. Then read both documents and answer the following questions.

Visit URLS:

The U.S.-Mexican War, 1846-1848
Proclamation of Gen. Francisco Mejía, March 18, 1846
Speech of President James Polk, May 11, 1846

Question 1:  What arguments do these documents make about the reason for hostilities between the U.S. and Mexico? What specific differences are there in between these accounts of how the war began? Using these documents, what do you think seem to have been the most serious areas of disagreement between the United States and Mexico?

Question 2:  How does General Mejía characterize the American government and its motivations? Are his characterizations accurate ones? Why or why not?

Question 3:  How does James K. Polk characterize the Mexican government and its motivations? Are his characterizations accurate ones? Why or why not?

Question 4:  After your careful reading of these documents, to whom would you assign blame for provoking the war? In your assessment, why is the issue of causation such an important matter for an understanding of the war between the U.S. and Mexico?

Question 5:  Can you think of any other examples from U.S. history where there has been this type of debate over causation and responsibility for the outbreak of war? What, if any, are they?