First came the New England Pilgrims and their Virginia cousins. Then came the Revolutionary War, followed by the Louisiana Purchase. The Monroe Doctrine restrained European competition in our hemisphere and the concept of Manifest Destiny gave moral authority to our westward push. The pesky Texians colonized the Mexican territory of Tejas, conquered it, then, in 1845, joined it to the United States. That led to war in 1846 ("From the Halls of Montezuma," etc.). We won, but, to tell the truth, it wasn't all that easy. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 gave us the rest of what is now the American Southwest, just in time for the California Gold Rush of 1849. Whew! That was close!Meanwhile, south of the (new) border, Mexico had borrowed heavily from France, England and Spain to finance the war. Payments fell behind and that irked the European lenders. Along came our Civil War and we were temporarily unable to enforce the Monroe Doctrine. The Europeans seized the opportunity to invade Mexico and demand payment. Mexico reached separate agreements with the English and Spanish, who turned around and went home. But the rascally French had all along intended to conquer Mexico and use it as a platform to enrich themselves and support the Confederacy, thereby weakening the U.S. On May 5 (cinco de mayo), 1862, French forces met Mexican forces at Puebla. The Mexicans prevailed. Decisively. The battle was won, but not the war. Not until the American Civil War ended did the U.S. turn its attention southward again. The French were finally forced out in 1867. ¡Salud!
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