[Danger Mouse]

Christ... do any one you study history at all? Nick, before you start your bitching and complaining about anything, learn some proper English and grammar, please!

To start with, technically, the "Texians" (which yes where white settlers but, after taking an oath of allegiance to Mexico, where NOW Mexicans in a sense), got pissed at Mexico and tried to form their own government. What ensued was the battle for Texas Independence and after killing everyone inside of the Alamo and losing a couple key battles, Santa Anna (Mexico's leader) was running back to Mexico in defeat. After being captured alive on his way back, in exchange for his freedom and life Santa Anna, "GAVE UP" Texas to the Texans, fair and square! Shortly after that, Texas was folded into the Union in July of 1845. After this happened, Mexico was a little pissed and in 1846, and President Polk declared war after an incident at the border and the US-Mexican War began. At the height of the conflict in September of 1846, America seized control of Mexico City (the Capital, for those of us who didn't take history). After gaining control of Mexico City, the Mexican government agreed to a Peace Treaty with the Americans and as part of the treaty, the Northern Sections of Mexico where "GIVEN" (annexed) to America (New Mexico, Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah) and in exchange where paid close to $15 million for the occupied lands.

So technically, we America didn't steal crap from anyone. You are ALL wrong!

About Bush assigning one of his cronies to an office of power, that's what Presidents DO! Besides that, would you want to live in Mexico when America is just a fence away? I wouldn't! There are more and better opportunities here in the states compared to Mexico. Of course people are going to want to live here than there. But, any of you how start to bitch and complain about foreigners, need to stop and think for about two seconds. What is your family history? Where are they from? My family is made up mostly of "Native American's", "American Indian", so as far as I am concerned, YOU ARE ALL ILLEGAL IMMAGRANTS AND THIEVES!

HAHA!

[silverdevil]

The Texians were Anglo-Americans, meaning they were descendent of the British, just like most U.S. Americans.

Yes, Santa Ana was captured after trying to take back the lands he had lost in Texas. However, the battles in Texas came mostly because those Anglos living there didn't like the fact that Mexico had abolished slavery and they were slave owners from the South. So, in essense, it was slavery that caused this war. After that, a border dispute ensued because Texas claimed more land than they had prior to becoming independent. Consequently, the U.S. claimed the same land even though it belonged to Mexico. The U.S. was well-aware of this and did so wanting to provoke the Mexicans (It's called Polk's war for a reason). He was trying to fulfill the Manifest Destiny and knew that the American forces were superior to the Mexicans.

Because of this, he ordered his troops to the border, led by Zack Taylor, trying to further provoke the Mexicans. He actually had forces on both sides of the border, so he actually invaded Mexico first. Then the war ensued and America forced Mexico to give them the western territories. The U.S. then paid Mexico for the cost of the war, not for the territories. They didn't buy them, they took them.

[Danger Mouse]

I think you are trying to argue semantics and personal oppinion as opposed to generally accepted history here.

Here is a couple of things I found in just a matter of seconds.

The charge that the war with Mexico was a plot to steal land from Mexico was first put forward by Whig politicians in an effort to discredit Democratic President James K. Polk and his administration. Although there is absolutely no proof to substantiate this accusation, some historians have also sought to promote this view simply because Polk had hoped to buy California from Mexico.

While it is true that the United States acquired a large amount of territory from Mexico as one of the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, it is often forgotten that the U.S. paid Mexico $15 million for this land, that the land held less than 1% of Mexico's population, that Mexico exercised very little actual control over it, and that some of its citizens were actually in favor of either British or American rule.

After the war, Mexico's treasury was depleted. There was no money to pay the millions of dollars in debts Mexico had owed private U.S. citizens for decades but Mexico had plenty of mostly unoccupied land. The territory that was acquired from Mexico constituted an indemnity for the cost of a war the United States had not sought and in return for the United States government's agreement to pay Mexico's long unpaid debts to U.S. citizens.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the unsatisfactory result of Nicholas Trist's unauthorized negotiations. It was reluctantly approved by the U.S. Senate on Mar. 10, 1848, and ratified by the Mexican Congress on May 25. Mexico's cession of California and New Mexico and its recognition of U.S. sovereignty over all Texas north of the Rio Grande formalized the addition of 3.1 million sq km (1.2 million sq mi) of territory to the United States. In return the United States agreed to pay $15 million and assumed the claims of its citizens against Mexico. A final territorial adjustment between Mexico and the United States was made by the Gadsden Purchase in 1853

[silverdevil]

I guess it just depends on who's view of history you take. Nobody can say for sure why Polk did what he did. We just have to infer from the hard facts we do know. Just as there are people who think like I do, there are those who think such as you've quoted.

[jackburton]

We stole most of the country from the natives. We literally conquered Florida, thanks to jackson I believe.
Texas took itself and then they joined with the US cause it was the most intelligent thing to do, power equals security.

[Danger Mouse]

Originally Posted by jackburton

We stole most of the country from the natives. We literally conquered Florida, thanks to jackson I believe.

I don't think conguered is the word your looking for here. Slaughtered may be a better word for it. And yes it was Jackson who did it, later became Seventh President of the United States.

[silverdevil]

Originally Posted by Danger Mouse

I don't think conguered is the word your looking for here. Slaughtered may be a better word for it. And yes it was Jackson who did it, later became Seventh President of the United States.

I just finished reading 1491 by Charles Mann. It is an extensively researched book about the aboriginal population prior to the arrival of the Europeans and what happened just after. According to his research, about 97% of the aboriginal population died in the first 100 years of the arrival of the Europeans. However, the overwhelming majority of these died due to diseases such as mumps, measles, cow pox, the plague, and others that they had never been exposed to before. Most of the deaths were due to the belief that you could not pass sickness along to another human just as you could not pass bad luck onto someone else. Therefore, someone would fall ill and the whole tribe would come and pray by their side and get infected rather than quaranteen the sick as the Europeans had learned to do.

So, not all the Indians were slaughtered. Those that survived could be considered as slaughtered, but most of them, about 75% of those that died (according to the book) died due to diseases they had no immunity against.

[Danger Mouse]

Originally Posted by silverdevil

I just finished reading 1491 by Charles Mann. It is an extensively researched book about the aboriginal population prior to the arrival of the Europeans and what happened just after. According to his research, about 97% of the aboriginal population died in the first 100 years of the arrival of the Europeans. However, the overwhelming majority of these died due to diseases such as mumps, measles, cow pox, the plague, and others that they had never been exposed to before. Most of the deaths were due to the belief that you could not pass sickness along to another human just as you could not pass bad luck onto someone else. Therefore, someone would fall ill and the whole tribe would come and pray by their side and get infected rather than quaranteen the sick as the Europeans had learned to do.

So, not all the Indians were slaughtered. Those that survived could be considered as slaughtered, but most of them, about 75% of those that died (according to the book) died due to diseases they had no immunity against.

My bad... I was thinking of Georgia.. not Florida...but do not doubt for one second that Florida was taken w/o resistance or the complete decimation of the Creek and Seminole Indians.