Sure! Here are four reasons the Mexican-American War happened, explained in simple words:
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Land Desire: Many Americans wanted more land to live on and farm. They thought it would be great to have new places, like California and Texas.
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Texas Independence: Texas used to be part of Mexico, but it became its own country. The U.S. wanted to join Texas to the United States, which upset Mexico.
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Border Disagreement: There was a fight about where the border between Mexico and the U.S. was. Both countries had different ideas about where the line should go.
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U.S. Expansion: Some people in the U.S. believed it was their duty to make the country bigger and spread their way of life, which they called "Manifest Destiny." They thought it was right to take over more land.
These reasons led to the war between the two countries.