The Mexican-American War, a significant battle in 1846, changed the borders and fortunes of the two countries. This conflict, fueled by territorial aspirations and predestined outcomes, provoked heated arguments and left a legacy recorded in the words of those who witnessed it.
These brief yet powerful quotations capture the raw emotions, reasons, and condemnations surrounding the conflict.
From troops on the battle lines to politicians in heated debates, these words provide insight into the chaotic era that permanently changed the American and Mexican landscapes. Here are some famous quotes from the Mexican-American war and the inventor of the quotes.
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“Remember the Alamo!”
— Battle cry of American soldiers
“Mexico has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.”
— President James K. Polk
“We were sent to provoke a fight, but it was essential that Mexico should commence it.”
— Ulysses S. Grant, future U.S. President
“We do not want the territory which is inhabited by Mexicans. We only want the American blood to be avenged.”
— Congressman Alexander Stephens
“I had gone into the Mexican War with a belief that it was right, but I had no doubt of its justice. I gradually became convinced that I had been mistaken.”
— General Robert E. Lee
“The United States will conquer Mexico, but it will be as the man swallows the arsenic, which brings him down in turn. Mexico will poison us.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist and philosopher
“The war with Mexico has been a war of rapine, murder, and infamy.”
— John Quincy Adams, former U.S. President
“Our march has been continued through a country of vast wilderness, crossed by rapid rivers and mountains capped with snow, and exhibiting every variety of soil and climate that nature can afford.”
— General Winfield Scott
“From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we will fight our country’s battles on the land and on the sea.”
— Marine Corps Hymn
“A grave injustice has been done to Mexico. Our nation has committed an act of war, masked as defense.”
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— Senator Thomas Corwin
“The events of this war have cast a dark cloud over the soul of our nation, an expansionist greed disguised as noble destiny.”
— Henry David Thoreau, American transcendentalist
“I regarded the war as a wicked and disgraceful affair. I have always thought so, and I do not regret my participation in it only as far as it served to develop my own understanding of its infamy.”
— Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and writer
“The Mexican War was a path marked with blood, death, and destruction. No gain was worth the cost.”
— William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist
“We have been deceived by the rhetoric of our leaders, who claim to act in the name of liberty while shackling others to the yoke of tyranny.”
— John C. Calhoun, U.S. Senator
“The Mexican-American War was an unjust war, brought about by the cupidity of our government in the acquisition of territory.”
— Abraham Lincoln, future U.S. President
“It was not a war of defense, it was an act of aggression aimed at extending slavery’s reach.”
— Charles Sumner, U.S. Senator
“The victory we have achieved will echo through history, yet the stain of this conflict will remain on our nation’s soul.”
— Henry Clay, U.S. Senator
“American blood has been spilled on foreign soil, yet the conquest we seek is driven by our own ambition.”
— Daniel Webster, U.S. Senator
“We have overthrown a neighboring republic, yet in doing so, we have lost a part of our own republican virtue.”
— John P. Hale, U.S. Senator
“The expansion of our territory comes at a price, and that price is the loss of our moral standing.”
— Salmon P. Chase, future U.S. Chief Justice
“This war has been nothing more than a guise for territorial expansion, a pretext for imposing our will on a weaker neighbor.”
— Thomas Hart Benton, U.S. Senator
“The sacrifice of human life for the sake of territorial gain is a stain upon our national character.”
— Joshua R. Giddings, U.S. Congressman
“The conquest of Mexico may give us more land, but it will not make us a greater nation.”
— William Seward, future U.S. Secretary of State
“Our nation’s pursuit of land and power will one day be our downfall.”
— Horace Greeley, American newspaper editor
“We may have won the war, but we have lost something far more valuable—our conscience.”
— Wendell Phillips, American abolitionist
“The Mexican-American War was a conflict driven by a lust for territory, a war of conquest masked by the rhetoric of liberty.”
— John C. Fremont, U.S. Army officer and explorer
“This war has been a blight on our national character, a stain that can never be washed away.”
— Charles Francis Adams, U.S. diplomat
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“The horrors of this war will haunt our nation for generations to come.”
— William Tecumseh Sherman, U.S. Army general
“We have traded our honor for land, our principles for power.”
— George Washington Julian, U.S. Congressman
“Pursuing manifest destiny has led us down a path of destruction and moral decay.”
— Gerrit Smith, American social reformer
“This war has been a tragedy, a conflict that has brought nothing but pain and suffering to both nations.”
— Samuel Gridley Howe, American physician and abolitionist
“We have expanded our borders, but we have also expanded the reach of slavery, and in doing so, we have betrayed our founding principles.”
— Salmon P. Chase, future U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
“The Mexican-American War was a war of aggression, a war of conquest, and a war of shame.”
— John L. O’Sullivan, American columnist and editor
“We have won the war, but at what cost? Our nation’s soul has been tainted by the bloodshed.”
— Edward Everett, U.S. politician
“The Mexican-American War was a conflict born of greed and ambition, a war that has left a scar on our nation’s conscience.”
— George W. Julian, U.S. Congressman
“This war has been an exercise in futility, a conflict that has brought nothing but death and destruction.”
— Alexander Stephens, future Vice President of the Confederate States
“We have sacrificed our principles for the sake of territory, our honor for the sake of power.”
— Charles Sumner, U.S. Senator
“The Mexican-American War was a tragic conflict, a war that has left a lasting legacy of bitterness and resentment.”
— Henry Wilson, U.S. Senator
“Our nation’s pursuit of manifest destiny has led us to commit great wrongs, and those wrongs will haunt us for generations to come.”
— John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet
“The Mexican-American War was a conflict that should never have been fought, a war that has left a deep wound on our national soul.”
— James Russell Lowell, American poet
“We have won the war, but we have lost our way. Our nation’s moral compass has been shattered.”
— Theodore Parker, American transcendentalist
“This war has been a blight on our nation’s character, a conflict driven by greed and ambition.”
— John Brown, American abolitionist
“The pursuit of land and power has led us down a path of destruction, a path that has cost us our moral integrity.”
— Charles Francis Adams Jr., American historian
“The Mexican-American War was a conflict that should never have occurred, a war that has left a lasting stain on our nation’s conscience.”
— Lyman Trumbull, U.S. Senator
“We have expanded our territory, but we have also expanded our capacity for injustice and cruelty.”
— George F. Hoar, U.S. Senator
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“This war has been a tragedy, a conflict that has brought nothing but pain and suffering to all involved.”
— Benjamin Wade, U.S. Senator
“The Mexican-American War was a war of conquest, a war of aggression, and a war of shame.”
— Charles Sumner, U.S. Senator
“We have won the war, but at what cost? Our nation’s soul has been tainted by the bloodshed.”
— Joshua R. Giddings, U.S. Congressman
“The Mexican-American War was a conflict born of greed and ambition, a war that has left a scar on our nation’s conscience.”
— Thaddeus Stevens, U.S. Congressman
“This war has been an exercise in futility, a conflict that has brought nothing but death and destruction.”
— Henry Clay, U.S. Senator
“We have sacrificed our principles for the sake of territory, our honor for the sake of power.”
— William Seward, future U.S. Secretary of State
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