How the West Was Stolen: The U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-48

This mostly forgotten war led to Mexico losing over half its territory and the United States expanding to the Pacific. The lecture examines the political and economic background of the conflict, what led to it, and the roles of such factors as Texas annexation in 1845, slavery, racism, the Democratic and Whig parties, and Manifest Destiny. Also covered will be key figures such as US Presidents Jackson, Tyler, and especially James K. Polk, as well as Congressman Abraham Lincoln, and lesser known figures such as Nicholas Trist. Was it "a wicked war"? A very young officer in the war, U. S. Grant, thought so. And we will discuss how this war connects to US militarism in 2025. 

Joe Belden is a Washington, DC- based writer and lecturer.  He has taught courses and lectured at American University’s OLLI program, the Biblioteca Publica and Allende Institute in San Miguel de Allende, and other venues. Topics have included “How Trump won the rural vote,” “Can Trump win again?,” “Bridging our divides,” and “The role of nonprofits.” From 1989-2015 he was Deputy Executive Director of the Housing Assistance Council, a Wash., DC, national nonprofit. He also worked at USDA, on Capitol Hill, and for several DC-based think tanks. He is the principal author of Housing in Rural America: Building Affordable and Inclusive Communities (Sage 1998; 2019) and Dirt Rich, Dirt Poor: America’s Food and Farm Crisis (Routledge 1986).