Between the 1820s and 1840s there was a vast conflict between America and Mexico. Mexico had just declared its independence from Spain in 1821, thus opening trade with America. Although trade flourished over the next two decades between the United States and Mexico, relations along the Texas border worsened. Mexico and the United States eventually went to war because America was eager to colonize westward and dispute over where the border is in Texas. After years of fighting, America claimed victory. America won because of all the disadvantages Mexico faced during the war, such as a weak central government, lack of technology, and war with the Indians. The huge dispute over immigration and slavery in 1820s Texas foreshadowed an imminent war between the United States and Mexico. . At first the Mexican government allowed American immigration to Texas. They also looked the other way when Americans brought slaves to help grow cotton. But as tensions grew, the Mexican government banned slavery, raised taxes, and halted American immigration. Because the Americans thought it was the United States' manifest destiny to expand westward, they decided to venture through Texas anyway, resulting in a clash at the Alamo that led to the deaths of many Texans. When Sam Huston and his newly trained army defeated Santa Anna's army in 18 minutes and captured Santa Anna, they forced him to surrender Texas in exchange for his life. Only to see the compromise ignored by the Mexican government. In 1844, the new President Polk was elected and had a vision of expanding the United States westward, provoking war with Mexico. When Polk was first elected he focused on the land to the northwest that was owned by...... middle of paper ...... mine moved west were following the path that the Navajo, the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache had already traveled within the last decade, making it easier for the United States to defeat Mexico in 1847. In conclusion, the US-Mexico War occurred as a result of a nation seeking to expand westward and of the border dispute with Texas. I believe that even if Mexico had not contested the Texas border, America would have looked for another reason to provoke a war to take control of the West. The United States won because of all the disadvantages the Mexicans faced, such as a weak central government, lack of military technology, and were already at war with the Indians. The United States not only wanted to migrate west because it felt that moving west was the manifest destiny of the United States, but it also wanted to expand agriculture and become more powerful and richer..