Trump accused of distorting history of Mexican-American War to justify heavy hand in Latin America
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Historians and observers have accused the Trump administration of trying to rewrite American history to legitimize its own foreign policy decisions directed at Latin America by broadcasting a “historically inaccurate” version of the Mexican-American war.
In a statement commemorating the battle’s anniversary on Monday, the White House described the conflict as “a legendary victory that secured the American Southwest, restored American sovereignty, and extended the promise of American independence across our glorious continent.” In the statement, parallels emerged between the period of US history and its own period. Increasingly aggressive policies towards Latin AmericaHe said this would “ensure that the Hemisphere remains safe.”
Although unsigned, he said, “Guided by our victory on Mexican fields 178 years ago, I have spared no effort to defend our southern border against invasion, uphold the rule of law, and defend our homeland from the forces of evil, violence, and destruction.”
In the post, the White House does not mention the key role slavery played in the war and glorifies slavery more broadly. “Manifest Destiny” era, this resulted in the removal of hundreds of thousands of Native Americans from their lands.
Spark criticism
Alexander Aviña, a professor of Latin American history at Arizona State University, said the White House statement “underestimates the massive amount of violence” to expand the United States toward the Pacific coast at a time when the Trump administration is wringing its hands on Latin American affairs in a way not seen in decades. Removing the president of Venezuela, meddling in elections And Threat of military operation against Mexico and other countries.
“U.S. political leaders have since viewed this as an ugly aspect of U.S. history, a pretty clear example of U.S. imperialism against its southern neighbor,” Aviña said. “The Trump administration is actually embracing this as a positive development in U.S. history and framing it—historically incorrectly—as a kind of defensive measure to prevent Mexico from invading them.”
On Tuesday, criticism of the White House’s statement spread quickly on social media.
Asked about this statement at a morning news briefing, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum laughed, joked and said “we have to defend sovereignty.” Sheinbaum, who has aligned himself closely with the Trump administration, responded to Trump with a balanced tone and sometimes with sarcasm, such as when Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Historical sticking point
Mexican-American war (1846–1848) It was triggered by long-standing border disputes between the United States and Mexico and the U.S. annexation of Texas in 1845. In the years leading up to the war, Americans had gradually moved into what was then Mexican territory. Mexico had outlawed slavery, and U.S. abolitionists feared that the U.S. land grab was in part an attempt to add slave states.
Following the outbreak of hostilities and successive U.S. victories, Mexico ceded more than 525,000 square miles of territory to the United States, including the territory that now encompasses Arizona, California, western Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.
This moment turned Texas into a key chess piece during the U.S. Civil War, leading former President Ulysses S. Grant to later write that the conflict with Mexico was “one of the most unjust conflicts waged by a stronger country against a weaker country.”
The Associated Press was founded when five New York City newspapers financed a pony express route through Alabama to deliver news of the Mexican War (as it was sometimes known in the United States) north faster than the U.S. Post Office could deliver it.
The war remains a historical point of conflict, especially between the two countries. sheinbaum repeatedly Reminds Trump that his country is a sovereign nation When Trump openly weighed taking military action against Mexican cartels and He is pressuring Mexico to submit to his will.
rewrite history
Stanford University history professor Albert Camarillo called the statement a “distorted, ahistorical, imperialist version” of the war and said the White House statement was in line with broader actions taken by the Trump administration to shape the federal government’s language around its faith.
Aviña said the statement served to “rhetorically assert that, regardless of its historical accuracy, the United States was justified in establishing its so-called ‘America First’ policy in the Americas.”
Trump administration orders rewrite of book History on display at the Smithsonian Institutionhe said it was “to restore truth and sanity to American history.”
Management scrubbed government websites history, legal records and data that he found distasteful. Trump also ordered the government to remove any signs that “inappropriately disparage past or living Americans.” References to slavery, destruction of Native American cultures, and climate change.
“This statement is consistent with many other statements that seek to whitewash and reframe U.S. history and erase generations of historical scholarship,” Camarillo said.
