In 1846 American troops stationed along the Rio Grande faced Mexican soldiers on the river’s southern banks. After a brief skirmish between the soldiers in April, President James Polk asked the U.S. Congress to declare war against Mexico. War fever swept the nation, but some Americans believed that the conflict was unnecessary and would have negative consequences for the United States.

In 1846 American troops stationed along the Rio Grande faced Mexican soldiers on the river’s southern banks. After a brief skirmish between the soldiers in April, President James Polk asked the U.S. Congress to declare war against Mexico. War fever swept the nation, but some Americans believed that the conflict was unnecessary and would have negative consequences for the United States.
Why did some Americans oppose the war with Mexico?
Representative Abraham Lincoln Disagrees with President Polk (1846) Note: Bartolome de las Casas was a Spanish monk from the 1500’s, long before the Mexican War even began.
https://services.wwnorton.com/aws/pdf?file=/wwnorton.college.public/history/am-docs/lincoln-disagrees-with-polk.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Henry David Thoreau, Resistance to Civil Government (1849)
https://services.wwnorton.com/aws/pdf?file=/wwnorton.college.public/history/am-docs/thoreau-resistance.pdf (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
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