We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God

We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God By Howard Zinn col. Ethan Allen Hitchcock, a profes- Republic.” In 1845, the U.S. Congress brought it sional soldier, graduate of the Military Academy, into the Union as a state. commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, a In the White House now was James Polk, a reader of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Hegel, Spinoza, Democrat, an expansionist, who, on the night wrote in his diary: of his inauguration, confided to his secretary of the Navy that one of his main objectives was the Fort Jesup, La., June 30, 1845. Orders came acquisition of California. His order to General last evening by express from Washington City Taylor to move troops to the Rio Grande was a directing General Taylor to move without any challenge to the Mexicans. It was not at all clear delay to … take up a position on the banks of that the Rio Grande was the southern boundary or near the Rio Grande, and he is to expel any of Texas, although Texas had forced the defeated armed force of Mexicans who may cross that Mexican general Santa Anna to say so when he was river. Bliss read the orders to me last evening a prisoner. The traditional border between Texas hastily at tattoo. I have scarcely slept a wink, and Mexico had been the Nueces River, about thinking of the needful preparations. … Vio- 150 miles to the north, and both Mexico and the lence leads to violence, and if this movement of United States had recognized that as the border. ours does not lead to others and to bloodshed, However, Polk, encouraging the Texans to accept I am much mistaken. annexation, had assured them he would uphold Hitchcock was not mistaken. Jefferson’s their claims to the Rio Grande. Louisiana Purchase had doubled the territory Ordering troops to the Rio Grande, into ter- of the United States, extend- ritory inhabited by Mexicans, ing it to the Rocky Moun- was clearly a provocation. tains. To the southwest was Taylor’s army marched in par- Mexico, which had won its allel columns across the open independence in a revolu- prairie, scouts far ahead and tionary war against Spain in on the flanks, a train of sup- 1821. Mexico was then an plies following. Then, along a even larger country than it is narrow road, through a belt of now, since it included what thick chaparral, they arrived, are now Texas, New Mexico, March 28, 1846, in cultivated Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Cali- fields and thatched-roof huts Archive fornia, and part of Colorado. hurriedly abandoned by the After agitation, and aid from Mexican occupants, who had the United States, Texas broke fled across the river to the city Images/Hulton off from Mexico in 1836 and of Matamoros. Taylor set up declared itself the “Lone Star Col. Ethan Allen Hitchcock Getty camp, began construction of a fort, and implanted his cannons facing the white ticle of right to be here. … It looks as if the houses of Matamoros, whose inhabitants stared government sent a small force on purpose curiously at the sight of an army on the banks of to bring on a war, so as to have a pretext a quiet river. for taking California and as much of this country as it chooses. … My heart is not in ‘Our Manifest Destiny’ this business … but, as a military man, I am bound to execute orders. The Washington Union, a newspaper expressing the position of President Polk and the Democratic On May 9, before news of any battles, Polk party, had spoken early in 1845 on the meaning was suggesting to his cabinet a declaration of war. of Texas annexation: “Let the great measure of Polk recorded in his diary what he said to the cabi- annexation be accomplished, and with it the ques- net meeting: tions of boundary and claims. For who can arrest I stated … that up to this time, as we the torrent that will pour onward to the West? The knew, we had heard of no open act of aggres- road to California will be open to us. Who will stay sion by the Mexican army, but that the the march of our western people?” danger was imminent that such acts would It was shortly after that, in the summer of be committed. I said that in my opinion we 1845, that John O’Sullivan, editor of the Demo- had ample cause of war, and that it was cratic Review, used the phrase that became famous, impossible … that I could remain silent much saying it was “Our manifest destiny to overspread longer … that the country was excited and the continent allotted by Providence for the free impatient on the subject. … development of our yearly multiplying millions.” Yes, manifest destiny. The country was not “excited and impatient.” All that was needed in But the president was. When the the spring of 1846 was a mil- “It is our manifest dispatches arrived from Gen- itary incident to begin the eral Taylor telling of casualties war that Polk wanted. It came destiny to overspread from the Mexican attack, Polk in April, when General Tay- the continent allotted summoned the cabinet to hear lor’s quartermaster, Colonel by Providence for the the news, and they unanimously Cross, while riding up the agreed he should ask for a decla- Rio Grande, disappeared. His free development of ration of war. Polk’s message to body was found eleven days our yearly multiplying Congress was indignant: “Mex- later, his skull smashed by a millions.” ico has passed the boundary of heavy blow. It was assumed the United States, has invaded he had been killed by Mexi- our territory and shed American can guerrillas crossing the river. blood upon the American soil. …” The next day (April 25), a patrol of Taylor’s Congress then rushed to approve the war soldiers was surrounded and attacked by Mexicans, message. The bundles of official documents and wiped out: sixteen dead, others wounded, the accompanying the war message, supposed to rest captured. Taylor sent a dispatch to Polk: “Hos- be evidence for Polk’s statement, were not tilities may now be considered as commenced.” examined, but were tabled immediately by the The Mexicans had fired the first shot. But they House. Debate on the bill providing volunteers had done what the American government wanted, and money for the war was limited to two hours, according to Colonel Hitchcock, who wrote in his and most of this was used up reading selected diary, even before those first incidents: portions of the tabled documents, so that barely half an hour was left for discussion of the issues. I have said from the first that the United States The Whig party also wanted California, but are the aggressors. … We have not one par- preferred to do it without war. Nevertheless, they would not deny men and money for the campaign as a means of extending the southern operation and so joined Democrats in voting slave territory. One of these was Joshua Gid- overwhelmingly for the war resolution, 174 to dings of Ohio, a fiery speaker, physically pow- 14. In the Senate there was debate, but it was erful, who called it “an aggressive, unholy, and limited to one day, and the war measure passed, unjust war.” 40 to 2, Whigs joining Democrats. John Quincy After Congress acted in May of 1846, there Adams of Massachusetts, who were rallies and demonstra- originally voted with “the tions for the war in New stubborn 14,” later voted for “I have said from the York, Baltimore, Indianapolis, war appropriations. Philadelphia, and many other Abraham Lincoln of Illi- first that the United places. Thousands rushed to nois was not yet in Congress States are the aggressors volunteer for the army. The when the war began, but after … It looks as if the poet Walt Whitman wrote in his election in 1846 he had the Brooklyn Eagle in the early occasion to vote and speak government sent a small days of the war: “Yes: Mexico on the war. His “spot reso- force on purpose to bring must be thoroughly chastised! lutions” became famous—he … Let our arms now be car- challenged Polk to specify the on a war, so as to have a ried with a spirit which shall exact spot where American pretext for taking teach the world that, while we blood was shed “on the Amer- California and as are not forward for a quarrel, ican soil.” But he would not America knows how to crush, try to end the war by stopping much of this country as well as how to expand!” funds for men and supplies. as it chooses.” Accompanying all this Speaking in the House on July aggressiveness was the idea 27, 1848, he said: that the United States would be giving the blessings of lib- If to say “the war was unnecessarily and erty and democracy to more people. This was unconstitutionally commenced by the intermingled with ideas of racial superiority, President” be opposing the war, then longings for the beautiful lands of New Mexico the Whigs have very generally opposed and California, and thoughts of commercial it. … The marching an army into the enterprise across the Pacific. The New York midst of a peaceful Mexican settlement, Herald said, in 1847: “The universal Yankee frightening the inhabitants away, leaving nation can regenerate and disenthrall the peo- their growing crops and other property to ple of Mexico in a few years; and we believe it destruction, to you may appear a perfectly is part of our destiny to civilize that beautiful amiable, peaceful, unprovoking procedure; country.” but it does not appear so to us.

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