Mexican American Wars (apr 21, 1846 – jan 8, 1852)
Description:
Consisting of two conflicts with a short peace between them. Due to the almost immediate continuation of war, many consider the two wars to be the same conflict.
The First Mexican America War was over the disputed Texas border with Mexico, which had been adopted when the United States annexed the Republic of Texas. The Treaty defined the border as the Rio Grande, though exactly which river was the Rio Grande was debated.
To Enforce their claims, the United States occupied the disputed territory and when the Mexican army fired on the army, the United States declared war on Mexico in April. While initially hoping for a quick victory, logistics proved to make the war long and after two years, President Meyer made good on his promised to make peace before the end of his term. Mediated by the British, the United States and Mexico met in Quebec to sign the Treaty of Montréal in 1848.
Even after the Treaty, the rebellions in Southern Alta California would prove deadly to the Mexicans as federalist rebellions began to pop up in the Northwest states such as Sonora and Chihuahua, taking control of the California and New Mexico Territories. A few months after the signing of Treaty of Montreal, the United States had yet to retreat from the Yucatan Peninsula. Additionally, the United states had continued to support rebels in Mexico, violating the Treaty of Montréal. The Mexicans saw Yucatan as a rebellious state of Mexico and claimed the Treaty of Montréal demanded the US leave the region.
Mexico again sent a representative to the United States to give them an ultimatum to retreat from the Yucatan. The United States refused and the Mexican Empire replied by declaring war, sparking the Second Mexican-American War. Mexico sent diplomats to Britain hoping to receive support from the United Kingdom over the violation. However, the British did not support their claim, saying that the Yucatan was a legitimate nation that had already been annexed by the United States as of the signing of the Treaty of Belize.
Starting on November 2, the War was longer [about twice as long] and bloodier than the first conflict, with Mexico militarizing almost 20% of their total population. It is believed that the bloodiness of the war is what lead to the harsh terms of the Treaty of Ciudad de Mexico in 1852.
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The Lion, The Eagle, and the Rooster
An Alternate History of the War of 1812 in which the United ...
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