A while back I was parked facing the old cannon at the San Bernardino City Library parking lot, finishing up a Pumpkin Spice Latte before I went inside. As I sipped away I could see the inscription on the side of the War Memorial monument facing me. The top line said , “Mexican American War – 1845-1848,” and under it “To those Who Carried the Flag for Freedom and Gave Us This Beautiful Southwest."
It struck me that the wording was strangely euphemistic since actually it was mainly guns, not flags, which we carried into California; we intended to take Mexico’s land from them. Land swiping and nation building have always gone hand in hand and the U.S. has done its share. But since my study of California history was so long ago, I decided to use the library time that day to refresh my recollection of the circumstances of how it was that “This Beautiful Southwest” came to be ours and not Mexico’s.
As nearly as I can tell, the War itself was provoked by President James K. Polk who, in order to establish by might and right that the southern border of Texas was the Rio Grande, not the more northerly Nueces River, ordered detachments sent to the border to build fortifications. On April 24, 1846 the Mexican cavalry attacked and captured one of the American detachments at Fort Brown near the Rio Grande. War was proclaimed by the U.S. and the rest is history.
How did California get in the act? The U.S. forces invaded Mexican territory on several fronts, one of which was California. The U.S. Navy sent John D. Sloat to occupy California and claim it for the U.S. because of concerns that Britain might also attempt to occupy the area. (Aha!) Shortly thereafter U.S. Army troops under Stephen W. Kearny and naval reinforcements under Robert F. Stockton insured that the U.S. would be the ultimate “owner” of California, not Mexico nor England. California’s ownership was formalized by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February of 1848.
On my way out of the library, I read that wording on the memorial again: “To Those Who Carried the Flag of Freedom and Gave Us This Beautiful Southwest.” It seems to me that California was not “given” by anyone; rather, I think it was “took.” In the case of this battle monument, it honors young men who were doing a job that their Commander in Chief asked them to do. Whether we approve or disapprove of a military action, we still need to honor patriotic warriors. But down the road I think we need to remember that reasons for battles are not always what the politicos would like us to believe. I’m not going to ask that the San Bernardino memorial be re-chiseled into something a little more honest and less euphemistic, but I do think its sentiments are more than a little misleading.
A final thought: Maybe I’d better park somewhere else next time I have part of a Latte to finish! If I don't, no telling what idea I'll come up with.
It struck me that the wording was strangely euphemistic since actually it was mainly guns, not flags, which we carried into California; we intended to take Mexico’s land from them. Land swiping and nation building have always gone hand in hand and the U.S. has done its share. But since my study of California history was so long ago, I decided to use the library time that day to refresh my recollection of the circumstances of how it was that “This Beautiful Southwest” came to be ours and not Mexico’s.
As nearly as I can tell, the War itself was provoked by President James K. Polk who, in order to establish by might and right that the southern border of Texas was the Rio Grande, not the more northerly Nueces River, ordered detachments sent to the border to build fortifications. On April 24, 1846 the Mexican cavalry attacked and captured one of the American detachments at Fort Brown near the Rio Grande. War was proclaimed by the U.S. and the rest is history.
How did California get in the act? The U.S. forces invaded Mexican territory on several fronts, one of which was California. The U.S. Navy sent John D. Sloat to occupy California and claim it for the U.S. because of concerns that Britain might also attempt to occupy the area. (Aha!) Shortly thereafter U.S. Army troops under Stephen W. Kearny and naval reinforcements under Robert F. Stockton insured that the U.S. would be the ultimate “owner” of California, not Mexico nor England. California’s ownership was formalized by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in February of 1848.
On my way out of the library, I read that wording on the memorial again: “To Those Who Carried the Flag of Freedom and Gave Us This Beautiful Southwest.” It seems to me that California was not “given” by anyone; rather, I think it was “took.” In the case of this battle monument, it honors young men who were doing a job that their Commander in Chief asked them to do. Whether we approve or disapprove of a military action, we still need to honor patriotic warriors. But down the road I think we need to remember that reasons for battles are not always what the politicos would like us to believe. I’m not going to ask that the San Bernardino memorial be re-chiseled into something a little more honest and less euphemistic, but I do think its sentiments are more than a little misleading.
A final thought: Maybe I’d better park somewhere else next time I have part of a Latte to finish! If I don't, no telling what idea I'll come up with.
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