Pancho Villa was around in 1911 - 1912. More than 65 years after the war with Mexico and more than 55 years after Gadsden. By the time Pancho was around those territories were all states.

sorry for the screwup on that one. wrong timing and wrong war. wow im out of it today.

In 1845 the United States authorized an agent to offer almost$25 for the lands that we wound up with after the war was concluded. Whilewe occupied Mexico we negotiated a treaty that would enable the United States to keep these territories while leaving Mexico, of which we did not control the entire country and were not prepared to occupy. The payments were a nicety which put a civil face on something which could not have beendone otherwise. Mexicowould certainly not sold those territories at almost any price because of national pride and the U.S. sense of Manifest Destiny dictated a policy which left little choices. At any rate, that is my feeling.

There were far too few Mexicans to productively occupy the huge amount of land and America was growing fast. There was also some meddling in American affairs such as an attempt to ambush the Lewis and Clark expedition by the Spanish. I think it became evident that the border was going to have to be located farther South instead of cutting deeply into the Southwest for safety.

The US was more concerned with the Plains indians than mexico at the time. So any war with mexico would need a very good cause, or a very alluring prize. If it was a border skirmish, then we wouldn't have invaded their country to their capital would've we?

In reality the Plains Tribes were not much of a problem for the US at the Time of the war. Settlers outside of parts of Texas had yet started to settle in the Buffalo Country they were only passing thru in route to Oregon. The Texicans were having problems with the Comanche and Kiowa but on a smaller scale than they would see in 10 years.

The problem with Natives was greater for Mexico. They were fighting a running war with the Apache in Sonora and Durango that would continue until the late 1880's and raids by the Comanche and Kiowa in Chihuahua ,Tamipluas and Nuevo Leon that would continue into the 1870'S.

Originally Posted by 03USMC

Well in a way that hits pretty close to what some people in Mexico think. Certain factions in Mexico and in the US see the Mexican War as stealing of the Southwest by a US goverment bent on manifest destiny. However these people seldom take into account General Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana's saber rattling over Texas and illegal incursions into Texas.

On the other side people tend to forget that the US baited Mexico into confrontation by troop movements and diplomatoc means.

hey now santa anna invaded TEXAS not the USA the USA eventually annexed Texas and declared war on mexico. Why? because The United States felt they had an obligation after The Alamo when the volunteers came from all over the USA; however; the Texan forces still defeated santa anna. Then Old Fuss and Feathers swept down and took a tour of the halls of montezuma.

Originally Posted by Charge 7

It shouldn't be forgotten that in the Gadsden Purchase of 1854 we paid for much of that land.

The Gadsden Purchase only paid for a part of Southern Arizona and New Mexico.

However, we did pay for the lands taken from Mexico after the war. But, is coercing a country to sell us land the right thing to do? Not at all. The U.S. was just saving face there. Hell, we could have taken all of Mexico if we wanted to.

The Mexican-American War was a land grab. There was a disputed area after the Texas Annexation. Polk sent the troops across the Nueces to the Rio Grande looking for a fight. Mexican forces, feeling threatened by the advance attacked. The Mexicans would have never advanced like this, they knew the U.S. was much too powerful. The stalemate should have been kept at the disputed area until diplomatic solutions were exhausted. But, hey, I'd rather be living under U.S. rule here in California anyways.

Originally Posted by airmanpatroler

hey now santa anna invaded TEXAS not the USA the USA eventually annexed Texas and declared war on mexico. Why? because The United States felt they had an obligation after The Alamo when the volunteers came from all over the USA; however; the Texan forces still defeated santa anna. Then Old Fuss and Feathers swept down and took a tour of the halls of montezuma.

Okay lets go back and reread our American and Texas Histories. You are lumping the Texas Revolution in with the Mexican American War like it's the same conflict.

Texas Revolution 1836

Mexican American War- 1846-1848

The annexation of Texas had nothing to do with the Alamo nor it's defenders nationality. US filabusters were in every Texan Contingent from Gonzalzes to Goliad to San Jacinto. But what everyone forgets is the Tejano Contingents attached to the Alamo and Houstons Forces both lead by Capt. Juan Seguin (ordered out of Bexar by Travis to brief Houston).
The annexation of Texas to the Nueces River had everything to do with manifest destiny. The Mexican War was a continuation of this.

why else did we (americans) want to start some mexican american war? we wanted this entire continent and more! it is sad, that is probably the only reason we started the war, we wanted land.