Abstract
The decision to invade and occupy Veracruz, Mexico in 1914 by the Americans was a serious mistake. This brought about the development of resentment by the Mexicans of America, as it came on the heels of the loss of Mexican territory to the United States. President Wilson’s decision was clearly an example of the meddling that was to be typical of the United States in order to promote its hegemony around the world. That the United States would go as far as making decisions on who would become the leader of states such as Mexico and other neighboring countries such as Cuba was to become the original sin of the relations of the United States with these nations. This case of meddling was obviously a mistake on the part of Wilson and the United States, and it triggered a whole succeeding historical phase of animosity and tenuous relations between them
Introduction/Thesis
The United States’ invasion and occupation of Veracruz, Mexico took place in 1914. This incident stemmed due to the arrest of several US soldiers for trespassing in an off-limits area in Tampico, Tamaulipas. The soldiers were eventually released, but the naval commander demanded an apology and a 21-gun salute from the Mexicans. While the apology was given, the salute was not rendered. The customs house, the post and telegraph offices of Veracruz were seized and locked down by US soldiers under the instructions of US President Woodrow Wilson (Sweetman, 1987).
Historians and other political experts aver that this decision to invade Veracruz was a geopolitical mistake by the US Presidency. As a result, mistrust and the perception of negative hegemony was created among the Mexicans. This negative perception also spread throughout most of Latin America, whose sympathies were with their fellow Spanish-speaking brothers. Also, as Mexico was embroiled in its own revolution – the Mexican Revolution, then the timing of the invasion could not have been more inconsiderate and reckless as well.
Impact of the Invasion on the Veracruzans, Mexicans and Latin Americans in General
It is said that the people most impacted by the invasion were the Veracruzans themselves. They did not have the regular armed forces to defend them, as most of the armed forces were heavily involved in the Mexican Revolution. The people reacted with rage and hatred. There were stories of ordinary people embroiled in the fight. The very young Judith Oropeza stayed on top her roof to hurl down bricks at the American soldiers; a prostitute nicknamed “America” who took on some ammunition in order to fire at the Americans, and the famous Jose Azueta who used an old and dilapidated machine gun in order to cover his countrymen who were retreating from the Americans. While one of the objectives of the invasion was to stop a shipment of weapons for then Mexican President General Huerta, this event did little to influence the outcome of events in Mexican history. Mexican nationalism underwent a revival and a surge during this time, and this incursion also influenced and helped bring about waves of nationalism in several Latin American countries (Krauze, 2014).
It is also likely that this resentment and mistrust of the United States spread to other parts of Latin America. This strong resentment could be seen clearly in Cuba. After Spain ceded its territories to include Cuba to the United States in 1898, the new US protectorate was made the haven for Mafia conferences, and almost all the industries were given to American businessmen, who took what resources were available. It was predicted by a Cuban journalist in 1922 that hatred for the North Americans would become the main religion of the Cubans.
During the occupation, American citizens were expelled from Mexican territory, with most of them moving to Veracruz. In Veracruz, these Americans were pelted with rocks, tomatoes and eggs. Americans were now running for their lives and heading for the border. They were often picked up by US troops. The US government had to set up refugee camps in El Paso, New Orleans, San Diego and in Texas City to accommodate Americans who were being driven out by the locals (Garcia, 2010).
Even President Huerta himself, while embroiled in civil war, used the US invasion to stir anti-American sentiment among the Mexicans. Even to this day, this incident is tattooed in the minds of the Mexican people as one of the most unpleasant acts that any foreign country has committed against Mexico. Wilson thought that he would have the upper hand by invading Veracruz, such that Huerta would be removed from power, but many aver that this act only served to strengthen Huerta’s position. Wilson even tried to talk Carranza, Huerta’s main opposition, but the latter refused American intervention altogether. When Carranza himself became President of Mexico after the Veracruz siege, the country’s new constitution would state that the Mexican government could appropriate any property within its boundaries as long as doing so would benefit Mexican society. This meant that Carranza had the authority to take over resources such as mines with foreign investments, as well as farmlands and oil fields even if these were covered by foreign investments (Garcia, 2010).
What President Wilson and his advisers probably did not realize is that since Mexico became independent from Spain, it already had tenuous and uneasy relations with its next-door neighbor, the United States. Mexico was originally thought to be the destination for “people of color”, with Texas as the main destination when it still was part of Mexico’s territory. However, the government of Mexico demanded that these immigrants convert to Catholicism and learn Spanish. Many immigrants thus failed to integrate, and by 1844, the annexation of Texas was on the agenda of the US government. After losing the US-Mexican War, Mexico lost over half of its territory to the United States. Unfortunately, just after the Treaty of Hidalgo was signed, the California Gold Rush took place, and Mexico lost out on this precious resource. The US-Mexican War is seen as the original sin of the relations between the two countries. The Mexicans who had opted to stay in Texas and in the other former Mexican territories waited for their own citizenship, and became an ethnic minority in their own homeland. Thus the incident at Veracruz only helped to increase the already festering animosity between the two countries. When World War I broke out, Mexico refused to come to the aid of the United States when it had to participate in the war (Keller, 2016).
Mexico was independent for barely a century when the United States sought to show its hegemony and influence by interfering in its affairs of state. This meddling was also noted by several Latin American countries at the time. Cuba surely took note of this state of affairs, as the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista (who was a staunch ally of the United States) and his government soon collapsed under the revolutionary forces led by Fidel Castro in 1958. Fidel Castro was known for his opposition to US geo-political influence around the world and the strategies implemented in order to achieve this. Cuba somehow, despite the US embargo, would transform itself from a backward agricultural nation to an iconic nation with some level of influence around the world (Smith, 2007).
Conclusion
President Wilson’s decision to invade Veracruz in 1914 in order to halt an arms shipment to a person they could not work with as an ally was really a geopolitical mistake. It caused the creation of so much resentment on the part of the Mexican people. The country was already embroiled in its own civil war, and with the recent Treaty of Hidalgo, over half of Mexico’s treaty was ceded to the United States. Emotions on the removal of territory still clearly ran high in the hearts of the Mexicans, and with the former residents of Texas as part of Mexico now as ethnic minorities in their own homeland, resentment against America was at an all-time high. This resentment was such that Mexico refused to side with the Americans during World War II, and sided with Germany instead.
References
Garcia, N. 2010. The Mexican Revolution: Legacy of Courage. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris.
Keller, R. 2016. US-Mexican Relations: From Independence to Present. Retrieved from: http://americanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-269
Krauze, E. 2014. The April Invasion of Veracruz. Retrieved from: 269https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/opinion/krauze-the-april-invasion-of-veracruz.html?_r=0
Smith, W. 2016. Castro’s Legacy. Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20071011012120/http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/02/02/castros_legacy.php
Sweetman, J. 1987. The Landing at Veracruz: 1914. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.
