Feb.04

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

Donald Trump, Historian

For Donald Trump, this America 250 stuff is like catnip to a cat. He is an imperialist and an American exceptionalist, and he can pick and choose historical events to highlight that comport with those "values."

Yesterday, he issued forth with another history lesson, of the sort that should cause anyone with a Ph.D. in U.S. history—or even a bachelor's degree in U.S. history—to facepalm. Here's the bulk of the proclamation he issued in honor of the anniversary of the end of the Mexican-American War:

Today marks the 178th anniversary of our Nation's triumph in the Mexican-American War—a legendary victory that secured the American Southwest, reasserted American sovereignty, and expanded the promise of American independence across our majestic continent.

Guided by the steadfast belief that our Nation was destined by divine providence to expand to the golden shores of the Pacific Ocean, following the bloody War of 1812, the United States was confidently advancing westward and boldly emerging as a continental superpower unlike anything the modern world had ever seen. The people of Texas declared independence from Mexico in 1836, and by the spring of 1846, they voted to join the United States—forcing a reckoning over unsettled border disputes. That April, Mexican forces launched an ambush along the Rio Grande, killing 11 and wounding 6 American troops.

With the promise of Manifest Destiny beating in every American heart, President James K. Polk took swift action to defend our Nation's security, our dignity, and our sovereign borders. In May of 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico, with two American titans—Generals Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott—leading the charge. Despite being vastly outnumbered in battle, American forces consistently reigned victorious through their superior military strategy, modern military capabilities, and steadfast devotion to protecting the national interest. After a series of victories in the Mexican territories of California and New Mexico, in a triumphant victory for American sovereignty, the United States heroically captured the capital of Mexico City in September of 1847—paving the way to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, formally ceding 525,000 square miles of new land to the United States, representing 55% of pre-war territory.

Since taking office as the 47th President of the United States, guided by our victory on the fields of Mexico 178 years ago, I have spared no effort in defending our southern border against invasion, upholding the rule of law, and protecting our homeland from forces of evil, violence, and destruction...

The rest, which can be viewed at the link, is more crowing from Trump about his accomplishments.

And now, a quick fisking, courtesy of the professional historian we happen to have on staff:

1. Not sure what that "reasserted American sovereignty" bit is about. The U.S. had no previous claims to the territory acquired during the Mexican War. The war did clarify the border of Texas, and if you squint real hard, you could maybe describe the resolution of that dispute as "reasserting American sovereignty." But you'd have to stand on your head to do it.
   
   
2. There is no question that Mexico fired the first shot during the war. However, they did so after James K. Polk took the provocative step of aligning the U.S. Army along the border of Mexico (as the U.S. understood that border) because he wanted to provoke a war. Further, the circumstances of those first shots were fuzzy; of particular concern was whether the shots took place on Mexican soil (making them defensive in nature) or on Texas soil (making them offensive). Carping on this issue gained a congressman from Illinois, a fellow named Lincoln, some notoriety. In any event, because the fuzziness was never fully resolved, one cannot say with certainty it was an ambush. And even if it was, it's one the U.S. at least partly goaded the Mexicans into.
   
   
3. "[A] series of victories in the Mexican territories of California and New Mexico"? Where are these people getting their information from? We don't know how many readers can name a Mexican-American War battle, but if they can, then that battle is probably Monterrey, Buena Vista or Chapultepec. All three of those battles, along with 90% of the lesser skirmishes, took place in Mexico. There were only a small number of engagements in California and New Mexico, and the most famous of those, San Pasqual, only involved a couple of hundred combatants.
   
   
4. It is interesting that Trump, Mr. Art of the Deal, does not mention that the U.S. actually "purchased" the land from Mexico. The price tag was either $15 million or $18 million, depending on how you do the accounting. One would think that the President, with his crude grasp of history, would be bragging about that as the deal of the century.
   
   This is actually a very important fact—indeed, a key fact. Even in 1848 money, that payment was a pittance. If you take the higher figure, and adjust for inflation, the U.S. acquired California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona and parts of New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming for about $700 million. Just the land in downtown Los Angeles alone is worth at least twenty times that. The purpose of the payment was to put at least a little bit of lipstick on the pig. It was an obvious land grab, and even in that era that was not a great look, either in the eyes of the American public, or the eyes of the United States' peer nations. Writing a check made it look nominally like a legitimate transaction.
   
   The point here is that, even when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, the whole thing was at least a little bit embarrassing. It's become more so over time, as imperialism has fallen WAY out of favor as a philosophy. But now, here is Trump bragging about it, like it's a noble accomplishment along the lines of defeating the Nazis, or landing on the moon. It's not; even the president who was responsible for the war, old Jem Polk, didn't pound his chest and brag about what he'd done. He knew it was a land grab.
   
   
5. Exactly what Polk's territorial ambitions, and Trump's border policy, have to do with one another, other than that they both involve Mexico, we don't know.
   
   Actually, there is one commonality, but it's doubtful that Trump or anyone else in the White House knows about it. Inasmuch as the U.S. thoroughly defeated Mexico, including conquering that nation's capital, it was at least possible that the entire nation could have been absorbed. Part of the reason it wasn't was that whole optics problem. The other part was that the territory that was "bought" had Mexican residents numbering in the tens of thousands. The territory that remained in Mexican hands had Mexican residents numbering in the millions. Adding millions of brown people to the American population overnight would not have gone over well then, just as it would not go over well today. So, Polk and Trump are both responsible, in various ways, for limiting the Mexican population of the U.S. But again, it is improbable that Trump or any of his underlings—the same ones who think that many important battles were fought in New Mexico—know that.

This isn't the most important news of the day, but you're probably not going to find too many write-ups from historians, so we thought we'd better cover it.

Meanwhile, the whole thing has embarrassed and angered Mexico, as well it should. They lost the war, they lost more than half of their territory, and everyone knows it. There's no need to rub their noses in it. Relations between the nations will be a little bit worse (or more than a little bit worse), it will be harder to work together on border issues, it will be harder to work together on trade issues, etc. And for what? There's something to be said for inspiring the American people with tales of heroic deeds and accomplishments from years past—the Battle of New Orleans, or the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, or Jackie Robinson... things like that. Will a little jingoism centered on a war that ended well over 150 years ago put a shine on the cheek, and a spring in the step, for ANYONE? We are skeptical. Sorry to be vulgar again, but it looks to us like Trump is jealous of that erection that Stephen Miller has been sporting for the last month, and so wanted one of his own. Next time, Mr. President, how about you just take the little blue pill, as opposed to pissing all over a key ally?

Oh, and don't tell Trump, but we're not too far off from the anniversary of the Battle of Queenston Heights, when the Canadians whipped the Americans' collective asses. We bet Trump isn't going to issue a proclamation for that one. (Z)