Essay Sample on U.S.-Mexico Border: From 1801 to the Present Day

The U.S. Mexican border has been a disputable issue for centuries. Conflicts arose time and again as nations made efforts to gain ownership of the borderland. Countries sent their best surveyors, lawyers, and engineers to sign treaties to reduce conflicts between the various parties involved. As such, the paper is premised on the description of events that led to today's U.S. - Mexico border.

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In 1801, the land was desolate, acres of land stretching down the Mississippi River up to the Rocky Mountains. As time went by, Spain, France, and England made efforts to take hold of different regions in North America. The efforts involved sending surveyors to view the land, signing treaties to prevent conflicts, and sending troops if necessary (Estrada, Balagot, Fierro, Kriner, IniguezStevens, Kjemtrup, & Foley, 2020).

In 1821, Mexico gained her independence from Spain, and for the first time in history, they shared a border with the United States of America. Before action could be made to define the true nature of the border, the piece of land stretched its way between the two countries. There was peaceful coexistence between the U.S. and Mexico, but not for long. Mexico soon found its streets filled by Americans, the majority being illegal cases (Estrada et al., 2020). Before measures could be made to resolve the problem, a war broke out. In 1845, America sent soldiers to the Rio Grande to help resolve the matter. Things go from bad to worse when the President of the United States, James K. Polk annexed Texas in 1845. The U.S then offered to buy California and New Mexico from Mexico for 30 million dollars but to no avail. Troops were then sent by the U.S. to the region to resolve the matter, but instead, another war broke out, resulting in the death of some American soldiers. Provoked, the U.S sent more troops to the region. The war went on till 1847 when the U.S captured Mexico's capital (Nevins, J. (2019). A treaty was then signed where Mexico sold a large part of present-day California for half the price offered before to cover for damages. The war went on till 1848. It was after the war that the U.S. and Mexico decided to resolve the border matter through agreements. Each country sent surveyors, lawyers, and representatives to the border.

After a hard dispute, the U.S. and Mexico decided to form an International Boundary Commission in 1889 to handle all the boundary matters involving the two countries. The conflict did not subside, and things were still worse between the two countries (the U.S. and Mexico). The conflict called for the implementation of a border law governing the operations among the borders. The law was implemented, and in the early 20th-century, border patrol in which soldiers provided security and controlled movement across the borders became a norm (Nevins, 2019). Border patrol has, however, not been enough to reduce tension around the borders. Immigration remains a problem as immigrants illegally make their way between the U.S. and Mexico. Measures to build a physical barrier along the border then took effect, resulting in the tall fence running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

In summary, the U.S. - Mexican border has undergone various political reforms through the ages. In the 17th century, different colonies showed different interests marking different territories. Two neighboring countries, the U.S. and Mexico, always had fights between them. After losing many human lives in the Mexican-American war, the two countries decided to resolve their issues by forming a boundary between them, as discussed herein.