The Mexican War of 1812 - Essay Example

Britain was engaged in war with France and wanted to curtail the trading capability of its enemies thus cutting trading channels (Wait, 42). At the same time, Britain had implemented forced recruitment of US seamen into Royal Navy and started assisting Native American Indians who were engaged in forced resistance to the expansion of the US frontier to the North West. The other immediate cause of the war was the desire of the United States to annex Canadian territory and expand its frontier Northwest by conquering the Indians (Norton, et al, 627). Over several decades, Americans developed the feeling that the Mexicans had very little respect for the young United States. Besides, Mexicans prompted arrogant attacks on the United States and this created a lot of hostility between both nations. Even though the war got officially, declared in June 1812, preparations for engagement in such kind of an attack were already in place with the government congress inviting more volunteers to join the military and the number was rapidly increasing (Black, 118).

American Indians had cordial relations with the British as a way of building up power to fight against a common enemy. This led to military support since Britain offered weapons to the red Indians to suppress the United States military from invading the northwest region that had fertile soil and natural resources (Wait, 42). The possible resistance to the invasion of the territory from both sides was an imminent factor to stage the war later named the Mexican war.  There was anxiety because the United States had a composition of two major armies. The first one termed the United States Amy seconded by the one authorized by congress. Therefore, the congress army was set up with an agenda to wage wars to restore dignity and honor from the nations as one of the strongest forces in the world and it was through this, that the Mexican war came into place as a solid test to determine the strength of such an existence (Hanson, 31).

Despite objections by the abolitionists, the United States gained a recommendable boost in military confidence and mighty since volunteers joined the forces to help fight enemies. Their military populations remained the same even after the war had technically ended and the US was considered a military power.  In addition, the Indians having been supported by the British with sophisticated weapons finally agreed to sign treaties to allow for the United States frontier expansion in the Northwest. The United States asserted its trade independence under international law and the need for neutral rights of the countries engaged in the war. Later, the Mexican government accepted a fine charge for having assaulted the United States and agreed to pay a debt amounting to more than three million United States dollars (Wait, 42).

I believe that the United States attained high military confidence by defeating a force that was large and superior in terms of military equipment to the United States and President Jackson demonstrated to the entire world that the US was a powerful military force. Although the signing of the treaty after the British defeat at New Orleans technically ended the war, the United States attained nationalism and was capable of signing treaties in the Northwest thus opening the Native Indian lands for American expansion. Accordingly, the US asserted its trade independence and stop Britain from interfering with its frontier settlements. Irrespective of heated themes and national debate concerning the issues of increased racism, civil wars, and slavery, it enabled America to have extensive coastline inversion proceeding to the immigration of the Mexicans to the far west infertile regions of America. After the war had succeeded, Americans were in a position to produce their goods contrary to the previous decades when they relied on the importation of certain commodities from Britain and leather materials from Mexico.