Manifest Destiny: the Mexican-American War

International borders have constantly been centers of conflict, and the U.S.-Mexican border is no exception. With the European colonizing the New World, it was a matter of time before powers collided. The Spanish settled into what is now Mexico, while the English settled into what is now the United States. Ironically, when these two powers collided again, this time in the Southwest, it was not England and Spain. Instead, the two dominant powers were the United States and Mexico--both countries had broken off from their mother countries. The United States idea of westward expansion was known as "Manifest Destiny". Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States had the right to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean. Mexico was a newer country wanting to protect itself from outside powers. Evidence of U.S. expansion is seen with the independence of Texas from Mexico. The strongest evidence of U.S. expansion is seen with the Mexican-American War. From the beginning, the wa...