No matter what decade or country a person lives in, there seems to be a reckless disregard for the toll a war can take in terms of human lives. When the Alamo was defeated in February 1836, it was about Texas independence from Mexico. In retaliation for the death and destruction of life, Sam Houston took revenge in April by killing 630 Mexican soldiers and taking General Santa Anna prisoner (Tindall & Shi, 2010). This was the beginning of Texas' independence and pursuit of annexation by the United States, which ultimately led to the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. This article will briefly explain the reasons for the Mexican-American War and describe the outcome of the war. The Reasons Numerous reasons can be cited for the Mexican-American War. Americans living in Texas wanted more representation and power from the Mexican government and the ability to keep their slaves. Unfortunately, they were denied on both accounts. The Mexican government opposed slavery. After the capture of General Santa Anna in 1836, he was however forced to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Texas (Hickman, 2011); the Mexican government still considered Texas a province and would not honor General Santa Anna's agreement. General Santa Anna was exiled in Cuba until he defeated President Polk in 1846 and regained command of the Mexican Army. Over the next nine years, the United States refused to annex Texas into the union because it was concerned about having another slave. state. Other members of the government were concerned about Mexico and provoking conflict. Before President Tyler left office and Polk became the eleventh president of the United States in 1845, he initiated the Union. The citizens of Texas wanted to break away from Mexican control. President Polk also wanted the territories of California and New Mexico. Unfortunately, Mexico would not sell. The Mexican-American War lasted from 1846 to 1848 with casualties and wounded soldiers on both sides of each nation totaling over 40,000. Some have said that it was the most unjust war ever waged and that the civil war that will take place in the future was our punishment for the wicked Mexican War (Tindall & Shi, 2010). Works Cited Hickman, K. (2011). Mexican-American War: Roots of the Conflict. http://www.militaryhistory.about.com/od/mexicanamericanwar/a/MexicanCause.htmLee, R. (2011). "The History Guy: The Mexican-American War." http://www.historyguy.com/Mexican-American_War.htmlTindall, G., & Shi D. (2010). America: A Narrative History. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.