Hey Guys,
We haven't had a chance to cover the US involvement in the Mexican Revolution, so I thought I'd go ahead and post about it.
The Mexican Revolution took a turn for the worst in 1913 when the popular revolutionary president was murdered and replaced by General Victoriano Huerta. In this period of turmoil, many Mexicans immigrated to the US.
This chaotic period also was menacing to Americans' lives, for about 50,000 US citizens had taken up property south of the Rio Grande. Newspapers began to call for American intervention, yet Wilson, hating aggressive foreign policy, refused to intervene.
In April of 1914, a small party of American sailors were arrested at the Atlantic seaport of Tampico. The Mexicans immediately apologized and released the sailors, yet the refused the American admiral's demand for a 21 gun salute. This incident caused Wilson to finally realize something needed to be done, now that the US had been wronged and had a legitimate reason to intervene. Wilson ordered the navy to seize the port of Vera Cruz, not waiting for Congress to approve his request for the authority to use force against Mexico.
At this point, war between the US and Mexico seemed pretty imminent. Yet before any gunfire could begin. the ABC Powers (Argentina, Brazil, and Chile) intervened and pressured Huerta to step down in July of 1914. Huerta's rival Venustiano Carranza, who hated Wilson's meddling in Mexico's affairs, succeeded him. The whole process of this US intervention only irritated Mexico, leading to a future of rickety relations between the two countries.
Even after the potential war had been pacified, more conflict came about. "Pancho" Villa came into the spotlight when he and his men went on an American killing spree, murdering 35 men in an effort to challenge Carranza's authority and punish the US for giving arms and diplomatic recognition to Mexico. However, this was quickly put to an end when General Pershing was sent in to break up the bandits, effectively doing so yet failing to capture Villa himself. Nevertheless, Pershing's troops were withdrawn in 1917 to be prepared for the looming threat of war with Germany.
Overall, the US intervention in the Mexican Revolution never really caused any fighting between the two countries because of the intervention of the ABC Powers. However, this intervention of the US did serve as a precursor to the poor United States-Mexican relations in the future, as it did make both the US and Mexico aggravated and unhappy with one another. Do you think Wilson's intervention was called for, or should he have just continued to stay out of foreign affairs like this as much as possible?
Great post Chelsea; your summary covered all the major points and was concise. In response to your question, I think in the end it was probably best for him to intervene. As a result, Huerta stepped down from the presidency and ended his bloody rule. Although Mexico ended up with its pride bruised, it was better than allowing Huerta to continue ruling.
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned by Mr. Stewart in his lecture before the test, Wilson's foreign policy was aptly named moral diplomacy. The events in Mexico reflected the White House's diplomacy efforts and attitude towards other nations. Looking back at Wilson's actions many, although many of them had a moral justification they were neither realistic nor effective.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to note that America did not have the option of taking up an isolationist policy with Mexico. By this, I mean that the U.S. could choose to stay out of European conflicts because the massive Atlantic Ocean provided a safety barrier for the U.S. On the other hand, with Mexico, any civil war or turmoil could easy spill over the U.S. - Mexico border. While sending in military forces may not have been the most effective option, I still believe that Wilson had to take some sort of action in order to keep the nation safe.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ashwin, I don't think it was really possible for the US to stay out of this one since it affected them so much. It was literally across the border and a lot of immigrants were coming to the US.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there was much racism against Mexican Americans because of the war? I'm guessing there must have been some antagonism toward them.