In some of the immigration protests recently, there have been spokesperson’s who make the claim that the American Southwest is actually Mexican land to begin with. It was “stolen” in the Mexican-American War. Indeed, the Southwest was added to US territory as a result of war. If you read the history of the war, it was not a shining moment in American history, as many, including future President Lincoln realized. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in 1848, and America paid Mexico $628,0000,000 (in 2000 dollars) for the land. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson at the time, "Most of the great results of history are brought about by discreditable means."
Does the US “owe” Mexico the land back? Well, let me introduce the topic of “infinite regression.” This means if one thing is true than you have to go back and the things that led up to that truth are true, as well. Here is what it looks like:
The US gained Mexican territory as a result of war and payment through a treaty. How did Mexico acquire the land?
They took it from the Spanish after they declared independence in 1821. They didn’t pay anything for it.
How did the Spanish acquire the land?
They took it from the Indian tribes that were living in the area. They paid nothing.
How did the various Indian tribes get the land?
They took it from earlier Indian tribes. Paid nothing.
According to anthropologists, the first settlers in American territory came from Mongolia and migrated across the frozen Bering Strait. So, there is technically no such thing as “native Americans,” only early Americans. How did these migrants originally get the land in Mongolia?...Welcome to infinite regress.
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