Talk:Mexican–American War

Wiki Education assignment: Hist401

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 August 2023 and 12 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Peach345, 0Blu3bird (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Ghamilton5000 (talk) 23:32, 18 October 2023 (UTC)

I wish to update the cash value conversion to todays amount.

i would like to update the cash conversion of 25 million in 1846 $785,178,571 --> 999,314,935.06 and instead of it stating "as of today" i would like to make it "as of 10/26/2023. Ilikeupdatingcashvalues (talk) 14:31, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

@Ilikeupdatingcashvalues You can do this yourself by using Template:Inflation. Put the text: {{Inflation|US-GDP|25000000|1846|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}, which produces "equivalent to $758,498,759 in 2023." That is using the US-GDP deflator, which is more accurate for government expenses. You could also use the value "US", which would give the conversion based on regular inflation, but that is less accurate for large expenses. CaptainEek ^{Edits Ho Cap'n!}⚓ 17:47, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

 Not done: @Ilikeupdatingcashvalues: You didn't provide a source for your conversion rate, and it is probably better practice to use the template anyway. The statement "as of today" isn't really accurate though and the template was a bit malformed, so I copied CaptainEek's version but changed the date to 1845, which was the actual year according to the last paragraph of Mexican-American War#Polk's gambits. Liu1126 (talk) 22:01, 26 October 2023 (UTC)

Certain language is just wrong about the Nueces Strip

The border was the Nueces river, and it was claimed to be the Rio Grande only to be able to provoke war with Mexico. Like the phrasing that Mexico sent their military over the border is inaccurate. There were already cities that were established, like Laredo. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth875937/manifest/

You can search that website to see lots of discussion from the Laredo leadership and the seals are of the Mexican flag. The Republic of the Rio Grande existed during 1840 and was defeated by Santa Anna. The capital was Laredo. On the north side of the border.

The way it is written is very... pro polk? Like bordering propaganda in my opinion. 2603:8080:E0F0:8F0:DD07:8D81:1369:83D2 (talk) 03:18, 5 December 2023 (UTC)

Mexican War?

I’ve taught for almost 40 years and have never addressed it as “Mexican War.” Why the hell would you say something that is NOT true. “Fake History.” That slight uneducated statement is very damaging in trying to portray a history that’s not true nor supported by any historical source. If so name your source. ?????? Be Educated not illiterate. What proven background do you have to make this statement? I’m going to bring this to public view and take course to bring your unfounded statements to light demonstrating what dangers are being taken to destroy the credibility of our American History. 2603:8001:24F0:480:8DBB:397E:8570:9FA1 (talk) 14:39, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

The article's references include many sources using the name Mexican War, including multiple sources from the 21st century. There's even a quote or two from Ulysses Grant in which he calls the war by this name. I think the credibility of "our American History" is safe on the Mexican War front. CAVincent (talk) 01:44, 16 December 2023 (UTC)

De Facto vs De Jure

Shouldn't the statement"the Republic of Texas was De Facto a independent country" be replaced with De Jure? 2600:8800:2A0F:F900:959A:EEC3:352E:14A2 (talk) 18:02, 1 January 2024 (UTC)

Unclear, potentially superfluous language

In Background -> Mexico After Independence, a sentence reads "The Mexican military and the Catholic Church in Mexico, both privileged institutions with conservative political views, were stronger politically than the Mexican state." It is not clear what the words 'privileged' or 'conservative' mean in the context of 1830s Mexico and what relationship that might have to why they were stronger politically. Without additional information (or citation), this statement appears to be more of a judgement than a statement of fact. There is a risk that these words would be interpreted according to their present-day meaning, which may not convey an accurate picture of the relationship between the Mexican military, Catholic Church, the Mexican government, and broader Mexican society. I would suggest one or a combination of the following edits: 1) Add whatever information is needed to clarify the sentence and better connect it to the preceding and following paragraphs, 2) Add a [citation needed] tag at the end of the sentence, 3) Remove the phrase "both privileged institutions with conservative political views" altogether 70.59.137.133 (talk) 00:57, 3 February 2024 (UTC)