Comments by "Arthur Mosel" (@arthurmosel808) on "How Johnny Harris Rewrites American & Mexican History" video.
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Lets see after New Spain became Mexico, the overland route to California was closed due Native Americans, the only way to reach it was by sea from Mexican Pacific ports. Mexico used California as a tax farm. Manufactured goods had to arrive at Gulf of Mexico ports. Carried across Mexico by ox cart, loaded on ships and sent to California. So, little manufactured goods were available at higher prices. The Californians were expected to pay taxes in coin; however their only real product was cattle hides. The Californians did have a market, New England that needed pulley belts for their growing industries. A sailing vessels from New England could carry as much or more manufactured goods at a lower price to California, and was willing to trade goods and pay for the hides in coin. A this time, many California families were happy to marry their daughters to captains in this trade.
Today's Arizona and New Mexico had similar stories. The population of the at area had dropped drastically as Mexico was unable to protect them due to its internal conflicts. Santa Fe only saw one caravan from Mexico proper a year; because it was the tax collectors coming and it was escorted. Most manufactured goods came from the US via the Santa Fe Trail. In both, only a small number of population centers remained in the area. Many previously working mines were lost when the Native Americans wiped out them miners. An interesting aside, while slavery was illegal the Mexican population old raid the Native American populations and take people hold them in virtual slavery to teach them to become "people of reason"; that didn't help relations very much. In fact when US 5roops first arrived during the Mexican American War they were cheered as saviors from the Natives.
Now, you omitted a very important fact mention in documents of the period. Mexico and the US had virtually come to an agreement before the fighting when the British Ambassador stuck his nose into the matter. He pointed out that Mexico had around 32,000 battle hardened troops on hand while the entire US ABrmy was authorized less than 9,000 (even less in fact) and had not fought an organized army since the War of 1812. The US militia had been less than effective then. He convinced them that they could beat the US. It has been considered that since the New England states were opposed to such a conflict that the US might breakup and Great Britain be able to gain the area. He did not realize that various militia reforms had taken place which resolved many of the War of 1812's issues; nor did he realize that. A number good military schools have produced good potential officers in an emergency. This wasn't the case in Mexico where politic, money and family played as big or bigger part in whether someone was an officer.
As to whether a Polk pushed the war by troops in the disputed territory, remember the Mexicans put troops there as well. It could be said that they were trying to get the US to attack first.
This was a war that shouldn't have happened. Mexico was well on the way of losing their northern most territory to Native Americans or local insurrection well before the war. Britain's ambassador piled the fuel on to create it and pride on both sides ignited it.
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