The Mexican-American War: A Short History America’s Fulfillment of Manifest Destiny

When Texas was annexed by the United States in 1845 Mexico’s foreign minister in Washington, D.C. angrily left the country and returned to Mexico. Mexico had warned the United States that if Texas became a U.S. state it would be cause for war. By April of the next year a shooting skirmish had broken out along the contested border between Mexico and the state of Texas. General Zachary Taylor, who was in charge of the U.S. forces along the border alerted President James K. Polk with the message “Hostilities may now be considered as commenced.” President Polk wasted no time, alerting Congress in protest that the Mexican soldiers had “…shed American blood upon American soil.” With this news, Congress quickly brought the United States to a war footing. Both nations were ill prepared for war. Mexico with a much larger army seemingly had the advantage, however, the Americans were better trained, had state-of-the-art artillery, and possessed a navy that could move troops quickly as well as shell a coastal city into submission.

For nearly two years the Americans pushed deeper into Mexico, winning every major battle. Mexico finally admitted defeat when General Winfield Scott marched his men across Mexico to capture Mexico City. General Scott, or “old fuss and feathers” as he was known, was a master tactician and with a much smaller army was able to defeat the Mexican soldiers led by General Santa Anna. It was not until February 1848 when the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed that the war came to an official end. The Americans gained much from the treaty, including the modern-day states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. For this vast territory the U.S. compensated Mexico with a little over $18 million.

Though this war is seldom mentioned today, the Mexican-American War had a profound and lasting impact on both nations. The book “The Mexican-American War: A Short History” gives a concise look at the factors leading up to the war, the details of the battles, and reveals the impact the war had on both countries. To illustrate the story there are over a dozen pictures of the people, places, and events that were part of the war. In addition, a list of reference books for further reading is included. A timeline of the war puts the events in sequence and there is a section that contains short biographical sketches of the key individuals in the book.

30-Minute Book Series
This is the 41st book in the 30-Minute Book Series. Books in this series are fast-paced, accurate, and cover the story in as much detail as a short book possibly can. Most people complete each book in less than an hour, which makes the books in the series a perfect companion for your lunch hour or a little down time.

About the Author
Doug West is a retired engineer and an experienced non-fiction writer with several books to his credit. His writing interests are general, with special expertise in history, science, and biographies. Doug has a Ph.D. in General Engineering from Oklahoma State University.