In 1846, President Polk gave a message in which he addressed the relationship between the United States and Mexico. He began by saying that America wanted to maintain peaceful relations with Mexico, but that they also wanted to protect their territorial rights. Then, he says how he commissioned John Slidell to try and negotiate the boundaries of Texas with Mexico. However, the Mexican government was less than cooperative and was not trying very hard to avoid violence between the two countries. He further states how Mexico had wronged them in the sense that their government had been very resistant to peaceful negotiations and that they were wronging American citizens. The Mexicans then sent John Slidell home. Then, Polk said that he put military troops "between the Nueces and the Del Norte," just in case the Mexicans got aggressive and violent. While this was all happening, Texas became a part of the USA. Tensions between the two countries kept rising to the point where almost all interactions between them became seriously hindered. Ultimately, because Mexico crossed into our territory and threatened the people of our country, they had created a state of war.
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