Takaki’s seventh chapter “Foreigners
in their native land” describes how manifest destiny contributed to Mexicans
becoming foreigners in their own land. In this chapter we will see how people’s
ideology on expanding territory through the West will face to future conflicts.
Takaki states different policies and laws that were outlawed to exemplify
concrete situations that literally changed the course U.S expansion through the
whole continent.
Manifest destiny, the belief that
U.S. was destined to expand across the continent to just justify the war
against Mexico. This contributed on how the American intruders were growing in
number and defying Mexican laws. Some Mexican opposition was provoked when the
Mexican government prohibited further American immigration into Texas. Mexican
elites from the council of San Antonio favored keeping the border open to
Americans. American foreigners in Texas were furious. This contributed to the increasing
tension and Stephen Austin urged to “Americanize” Texas and to annex the
territory. American rebels started an armed insurrection against the Mexican
authority until they barricaded themselves in the Alamo where they killed the
most of the rebels. This included the conflict between Mexicans. After this
incident, Houston surprised Santa Anna’s forces that killed 630 Mexicans and forced
Santa Anna to cede Texas. Even though Mexico did not agree to the treaty,
Houston still declared Texas an independent republic and subsequently elected
its president. Houston stated “their struggle was against Mexican tyranny and
for American democracy”. This is an example of how manifest destiny forced U.S
to annex Texas to redeem it from the wilderness and to settle it with an
intelligent honorable and enterprising people, which Americans and some Mexican
elites agreed to “Americanize” Texas.
U.S
annexed the Lone Star Republic in 1845 and Mexico broke off diplomatic
relations. U.S. claimed that the southern border of Texas was Rio Grande River,
but Mexico insisted that it was 150 miles to the north at Nueces River. President
James K. Polk knew that if he started a war, U.S would won it and to claim that
the border is at Rio Grande River. That’s the reason why he wanted General
Taylor to take his troops into the disputed territory. The geographical
conflict, made the Mexican’s the one who started the war because supposedly
they were in the American territory where Polk stated “Mexican troops had
passed the boundary of the U.S…invaded our territory and shed American blood
upon American soil.”
Takaki’s
theme in this chapter is that the belief of “manifest identity” influenced
people to expand through the West. This meant that the conflicts will be
inevitable. U.S expansion was really an obsession that they will do anything to
reach their goals such as the annexation of Texas and California.
Was "manifest destiny" morally correct? Feel free to comment and what do you think about U.S ideology by the 19th century.
Was "manifest destiny" morally correct? Feel free to comment and what do you think about U.S ideology by the 19th century.
