Punitive Expedition in Mexico, 1916-1917 Essay

Hidalgo’s following grew from 300 to over ½ million people and in not time Hidalgo’s enraged revolutionaries tore through Mexico. After moderate success Hidalgo was defeated by a band of Royalists and while fleeing the country for the US he was disowned by one of his fellow companions and killed. Another priest named Jose Morelos from then on would lead the fighting. He would finally accomplish what Hidalgo had set out to do, lead Mexico to independence, from Spain in 1821.

Knowing that the Texans were not obeying Mexico’s laws, the Mexican President sent Antonio López de Santa Anna to fight and stop the revolting Texans. “Santa Anna gained his earliest military experience fighting for the Spanish army

Mexico also had a system of railways which connected to the United States at key points which made invading the Mississippi valley, to in essence cut the nation in two plausible with a Mexican ally. Mexico also faced the nationalistic advantage and the Yankee hatred which fueled much of the war talk of murdering the gringos. The Mexicans had justified reasons to hate the gringos. During the latter stages of their civil war the US bombarded the city of Veracruz in order to destroy munitions supplying Huerta's forces. The US also launched an invasion involving twenty thousand men or two thirds of the regular forces to invade Mexico and capture Mexican generalismo Poncho Villa. These forces were led by Gen. Pershing and were ultimately unsuccessful on their 3 month trek in the deserts of Mexico. This sense of nationalism would be essential if Mexico were to launch an offensive campaign against the US, but without strong leadership they would fail miserabliy. Mexico lacked a strong central figure for over twenty years. Mexico had been going on an on going struggle with a three prong civil war between Huerta, Villa and Caranza. Forces from former governments were still lingering about and occasionally one leader would seize power for a short time just to be ousted. Because of Mexico's geographical advantages it would be perfect for fighting a war with the US but because of what it lacked in stability it could never fight any war. The situation is best described in some

the people of Gonzales and when Castañeda returned a second time he was met with a fight.

One popular paining is of Vicente Guerrero, one of Mexico’s generals, whom lead the fight of Mexico’s independence.

The Mexican revolution started in 1910 and by 1940, all fights and revolutions were resolved (history.com). The revolution was led by several men including Francisco Madero, Pascual Orozco, Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. The mexican revolution started because of political issues. At this time Diaz is the president. There was an election for the presidency and Madero was running against Diaz. Madero was becoming very popular and Diaz was fearful of losing the election. This fear led Diaz to putting Madero in prison (mexicanhistory.org). Madero broke out of jail. He wanted to warn the people of Mexico of the corruption in the election.

On March 19, 1836, James W. Fannin lead his large army of rebels away from Goliad and was heading to Coleto, near the Coleto Creek. Taking large carts of supplies and lots of men, they tried settling after a long day. Suddenly, mexican cavalry appeared and the texans were struck by the element of surprise. The mexicans completely surrounded the rebels and attacked. The alamo fired their long rifles and cannons at the mexicans but still received heavy damage. Still fighting, the rebels were still trying to settle and were waiting on more supplies. The alamo, short on supplies, kept receiving damage and were being harmed badly. A few hours into the battle, the texans ran out of water and were low on ammunition. After a long battle, the mexicans seemed to gain control and the alamo surrendered. The mexicans took the great amount of rebels left and lead them back to Goliad, where Santa Anna ordered the sad

During the Mexican Revolution there were many prominent figures that emerged during the long struggle. Some of the figures had a positive impact on the region, and some others a very negative impact on the people of Mexico and their quest for an uncorrupted government. One figure that stands out in the border region between Mexico and The United States during this time is General Francisco “Pancho” Villa. To understand Pancho Villa’s significant role during this uprising it is important to understand who Villa was prior to the revolution, and what acts lead to his rise to power.

This book is put together with documented evidence and interviews with key figures. Carroll explains the reason behind why Longoria’s incident ignited activism. There were more severe acts of discrimination against Mexican Americans that were not brought into the spot light. He clarifies why this particular incident became such a turning point in nationalism and emotion between the Mexican and American cultures. Felix Longoria was a first class private who earned many metals including: a Bronze Service Star, a

Since Francisco “Pancho” Villa had strong relations to Pablo Valenzuela, who had allegedly stolen goods by Francisco “Pancho” Villa and Ignacio Parra, Francisco “Pancho” Villa was spared from the death sentence which was enforced on some captured bandits. Francisco “Pancho” Villa was forced into the Federal Army which was a common practice adopted under President Porfirio Diaz regime to deal with troublemakers. Several Months after Francisco “Pancho” Villa was arrested, Francisco “Pancho” Villa deserted the Federal Army and fled to the state of Chihuahua. In 1903 Francisco “Pancho” Villa killed an army officer and stole his horse, this is when Francisco “Pancho” Villa got his nickname Pancho Villa. For the next seven years Francisco “Pancho” Villa didn’t do many outstanding or horrible acts, other than stealing and some cases of

José Doroteo Arango Arámbula AKA Pancho Villa was a revolutionary who left a mark on History. Pancho Villa left a mark in history by leading the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920 to fight against the perpetrator who let foreign businesses to come into Mexico: Porfirio Diaz.

In January of 1836 about 145 Texans were fortified in the soft walls of the Alamo also known as Cottonwood. Some of the important people here were lieutenant Colonel William Berret Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crocket. Meanwhile Santa Anna drove his troops into Texas in the dead of winter to level the Alamo. They arrived and began their siege on February 23. Fighting Ensued for about 13 days with minimum casualties. But on the 13th day of battle March 6, 1836 Santa Anna ordered a surprise attack from all sides in the dead of night. All defenders of the Alamo died that night.

During the first weeks of 1911, Zapata continued to build his organization in Morelos, training and equipping his men and consolidating his authority as their leader. Soon, Zapata's band of revolutionaries, poised to change their tactics and take the offensive, were known as Zapatistas. On February 14, Francisco Madero, who had escaped the authorities to New Orleans, returned to Mexico, knowing that it was time to restart his revolution with an all-out offensive. Less than a month later, on March 11, 1911, "a hot, sticky Saturday night," the bloody phase of the Mexican Revolution began at Villa de Ayala. There was no resistance from the villagers, who were mostly sympathetic to the revolution, being sharecroppers or hacienda workers themselves, and the local police were disarmed quickly. Not all battles that followed were this quick, however. The revolution took its bloody course with the legendary Pancho Villa fighting in the northern part of Mexico, while Zapata remained mainly south of Mexico City. On May 19, after a week of extremely fierce fighting with government troops, the Zapatistas took the town of Cuautla. Only forty-eight hours later, Francisco Madero and the Mexican government signed the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez, which ended the presidency of Porfirio Díaz and named Francisco León de la Barra, former

He then moved south gaining more enemy forces at Matamoros. On September 20 1846 general Zachary Taylor led a group of 6500 U.S. soldiers and volunteers to attack the northern Mexico City of Monterrey. The city was well fortified and protected by artillery installations and 10,000 Mexican soldiers under the command of General Pedro de Ampudia. (Staff U. A., 2014)

The author provides background into the events leading up to the war, particularly the collapse, imprisonment, and exile of Santa Anna. Events and key personnel on the American side are also outlined in detail. President Tyler is described as “seizing the initiative” to shift public opinion against Mexico by assigning a troublemaker, Wilson Shannon, as the minister to that country in 1844. Eisenhower provides a detailed description on the implementation of weaponry and tactics during all stages of warfare. He often refers to the performance of the main characters in other conflicts such as the war of 1812 and forward to the civil war. The cause of this war is summed up early in the text followed by