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The Mexican-American war of 1848
Between 1846 and 1848, two neighbors, the United States
and Mexico, went to war. It was a defining event for both nations, transforming
a continent and forging a new identity for its peoples. By the war's end,
Mexico lost nearly half of its territory, the present American Southwest
from Texas to California , and the United States became a continental
power. The issues raised during the U.S.-Mexican War are ones we still
grapple with today: the contradiction between stated ideals and actual
practice; the distinction between a "just" and an "unjust"
war; the ways we define citizenship and identity in a multicultural society;
and the challenges in building progressive and democratic nations.
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