The second conquest of Mexico: American volunteers, republicanism, and the Mexican War

The Mexican War was one of the most significant events in American history, but only recently have historians begun to examine the men who fought it. Building on the pioneering work of these social, cultural, and intellectual historians, this study furthers our understanding of the participants in the Mexican War. By combining elements of the new military history and studies of Jacksonian America this dissertation focuses new light on why men volunteered for service, and how their understanding of that service changed over time.;Beginning with an examination of how and why Americans volunteered for the war, the dissertation then takes a detailed look at what these men believed they knew about Mexico. The study makes use of many of the most popular books written about Mexico that were available to the potential recruits, and determines that their views of the nation were deeply shaped by these works. From there the dissertation examines what Americans believed they were fighting for once they arrived in Mexico. Influenced by their own society, volunteers believed that they were crusaders for republicanism. Their goal was to turn Mexico into a nation more in step with the United States. The dissertation concludes by following the volunteers back to America after the war. By looking at their memoirs, and other writings, it is clear that the hope to spread republicanism was generally left in Mexico.