This post on the Mexican-American War Causes is a continuation of my previous post. Part one (read here) detailed the reasons why the US and Mexico were upset with each other in 1845. Today’s blog describes the events that caused war to break out in 1846, but it won’t make full sense unless you’ve read […]
Tag: Mexico
Causes of the Mexican-American War – More Important Than You Think?
The causes of the Mexican-American War are, surprisingly, still a matter of some debate. Normally, that isn’t true of things that happened 176 years ago. Generally, historians can figure things out after two centuries. But in this case, dispute remains, at least regarding the events immediately preceding the war. And this dispute involves many of […]
Smallpox and the Columbian Exchange
In my last post about the Columbian Exchange, I mentioned in passing what happened to the Incas and Aztecs when they met with Europeans after 1492. Today, it is time to flesh out that story and how it relates to the Columbian Exchange by describing the importance of smallpox. You might have heard a version […]
Human Extinction & the Columbian Exchange
It seems a dramatic thing to state, it’s true. The Columbian Exchange could have caused human extinction. Today I’ll explain how. It involves a bit of counterfactual history, of course, given that humanity is not extinct. If you need to read my last post to understand how this became possible, click here. We left off […]
The Values of Manifest Destiny, Part 2
In my last post, (click here to read) I laid out the values of Manifest Destiny. Hopefully, I made the case that it was among the most influential doctrines put forward in US history. Today, I’d like to show how the values of Manifest Destiny interacted with some other events in American history. I’ve already […]
Real Pirates of the Caribbean
The Battle of New Orleans, fought in January 1815, remains an important conflict in American history. Interestingly, however, the importance is not in its military consequences, considering that the battle itself occurred about three weeks after the War of 1812 was over. (The peace treaty was signed in Europe, and in 1815, news traveled only […]