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Lawyer Explains why the U.S. was NOT Stolen from Mexico
YouTube ^ | Nov 5, 2025 | YouTube - Jake the Lawyer

Posted on 11/08/2025 7:29:10 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica

Today we get into the claim that the U.S. stole northern Mexico, and why that is false.

Knowing this history is incredibly important, and you shouldn't need to hire a lawyer to understand it. That's why I'm here to help!

I'm Jake the Lawyer, your Internet Esquire. On this channel I'll be explaining concepts, history, and legal doctrines we've all heard of, but might not totally understand.

Thank you for watching! I'll be dropping episodes every Wednesday. Please enjoy and have a wonderful day.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: aztecs; aztlan; conquest; mexico; spain; texas; texians
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I learned a lot watching this video. Even though you and I know that land was not stolen, where we often times lose the debate is in the details. The details is the only place to clinch the victory.
1 posted on 11/08/2025 7:29:10 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica
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To: ProgressingAmerica

In today’s world, there’s a problem when one side needs a lawyer, and the other side gets by with “We didn’t cross the border; the border crossed us.” printed on a cardboard sign.


2 posted on 11/08/2025 7:37:26 AM PST by gundog (The ends justify the mean tweets. )
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To: ProgressingAmerica

Who cares if it was?

Mexico is the neighbor from hell. The Southwest was lucky to get out of it.


3 posted on 11/08/2025 7:37:47 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: ProgressingAmerica

They lost the war. That’s how it works. Get over it, Mexico.


4 posted on 11/08/2025 7:39:04 AM PST by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: ProgressingAmerica
Look at how much land in Mexico that we took in the 1846-1848 Mexican-American War and gave back.
5 posted on 11/08/2025 7:45:09 AM PST by DFG
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To: ProgressingAmerica

However white, European, Christian men came to be in possession of our American Southwest, the world is a better place for it. If messyco still had it, it would be merely a larger 3rd world dump than now exists (in messyco).


6 posted on 11/08/2025 7:45:22 AM PST by LouAvul (The Old Testament is merely history. We only follow the New Testament, as well we must. )
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To: ProgressingAmerica

Mexico took the land from Spain-who took it by conquest from the Aztecs and other tribes.


7 posted on 11/08/2025 7:48:38 AM PST by kaktuskid
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To: kaktuskid

Right.

However what everybody misses is that Mexico was trying to steal the land from Comancheria.

The whole entire time this “Mexican land” was nothing more than a signature on a paper somewhere.

It was basically a promise never realized.


8 posted on 11/08/2025 7:53:47 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica (We cannot vote our way out of these problems. The only way out is to activist our way out.)
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To: ProgressingAmerica; Travis McGee

Courtesy of Travis McGee (Matt Bracken):

“The True History of the Southwest, 101”

The amount of historical idiocy and fallacies surrounding the history of the Southwest is staggering, chief among them the “Aztlan” fairy tales. What’s the truth? How did the Spanish Europeans conquer the Southwest? The “conquistadores” (that means “conquerors”) did it with the lance, and the lash.

For example, in 1541 Coronado entered present-day New Mexico (which included present-day Arizona during the Spanish era) searching for the “lost cities of gold.” One of his first actions upon meeting the natives was to burn 100s of them alive in their dwellings, for not handing over suspected horse thieves. That is how Spain conquered the natives of the present US Southwest—not with hugs and kisses. It was certainly no love-fest between long-lost brown-skinned soul-mates, as it is often portrayed today by the delusional Aztlaners, who spin the “new bronze race of Mestizos” toro-mierda.

By 1821, Mexico City was strong enough to overthrow the even more decrepit and ineffectual Spanish rule. However, the distant provinces of the current U.S. Southwest were far beyond the reach of the authority of the independent but strife-torn government of Mexico City. These distant northern provinces received neither military protection nor needed levels of trade from the south. Under Spanish rule, trade with the USA was forbidden, but at least Spain provided trade and Army protection from hostile Indians. Under Mexican abandonment and neglect, the Southwest received neither trade nor protection from Mexico City.

For example, Comanches and Apaches ran rampant in the 1830s in this power vacuum created by Mexican neglect, burning scores of major ranches that had been active for hundreds of years and massacring their inhabitants. Mexico City could neither defend nor keep the allegiance of its nominal subjects in these regions. Nor did it provide needed levels of trade to sustain the prior Spanish-era standard of living. Mexican governmental influence atrophied, withered and died at the same time that American pathfinders were opening up new routes into the region.

Increasingly, a growing United States of America was making inroads into the Southwest, via ships into California, and via gigantic wagon trains of trade goods over the Santa Fe Trail from St. Louis. The standard of living of the SPANISH in these provinces subsequently increased enormously, which is why they did not support Mexico City in the 1846-48 war. In fact, the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the Southwest NEVER considered themselves “Mexicans” at all, ever. They went, in their own eyes, from SPANISH directly to AMERICAN. To this very day, if you want a punch in the nose, just call an Hispanic native of New Mexico a “Mexican!”

So how long did Mexico City have even nominal jurisdiction (in their eyes) over the American Southwest? For only 25 years, during which they had no effective control, and the area slipped backwards by every measure until the arrival of the Americans. The SPANISH inhabitants of the Southwest NEVER transferred their loyalty to Mexico City, because all they received from the chaotic Mexican government was misrule, neglect, and unchecked Indian raids.

Since then, how long has the area been under firm American control? For 150 continuous years, during which time the former Spanish inhabitants of the region, now American citizens, have prospered beyond the wildest dreams of the Mexicans still stuck in Mexico. To compare the infrastructure, roads, schools, hospitals etc of the two regions is to understand the truth. The Mexican government has been mired in graft, corruption, nepotism and chaos from the very start until today. The ordinary Mexican peons have been trampled and abused, while only the super-rich elites have thrived. This is why millions of Mexicans want to escape from Mexico today, to enjoy the benefits of living in America that they can never hope to obtain in Mexico.

And because today Mexico is a corrupt third-world pest-hole, (despite having more millionaires and billionaires than Great Britain), we are now supposed to let any Mexican from Chiapas, Michoacan or Yucatan march into the American Southwest, and make some “historical claim” of a right to live there?

From where does this absurd idea spring?

At what point in history did Indians and Mestizos from Zacatecas or Durango stake a claim on the American Southwest? Neither they nor their ancestors ever lived for one single day in the American Southwest. The Spanish living in the Southwest in 1846 stayed there, and became Americans by the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. There were no Spanish inhabitants of the Southwest who were marched to the border and driven into Mexico. It didn’t happen. The SPANISH in the Southwest welcomed American citizenship, which brought stability, protection from Indian raids, and a vast increase in their standard of living with the increase in trade.

In summary, NO current inhabitants of Mexico have ANY claim on even one single inch of the Southwest!

NOT ONE citizen of Mexico is sneaking into the USA to reclaim property their ancestors were deprived of, NOT ONE.

They are criminal invaders and colonizers, pure and simple.

It’s time Americans learned the true history, as a counter to the prevalent Aztlaner fairy tales.


9 posted on 11/08/2025 7:56:54 AM PST by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: ProgressingAmerica

Mexicans improperly assume that they automatically succeeded to ALL the N. American land forfeited by Spain when it losts colonies — even where no Mexicans lived.


10 posted on 11/08/2025 7:58:49 AM PST by Socon-Econ (adi)
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To: BenLurkin

“The Southwest was lucky to get out of it.”

They’re not out of it. I go to Sam’s in my Colorado town and I could be in Mexico city including the employees.


11 posted on 11/08/2025 8:02:54 AM PST by dljordan (The Rewards of Tolerance are Treachery and Betrayal)
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To: kaktuskid

Agreed. Then Mexico sent troops across the Rio Grande and fought our troops. That was their FAFO.


12 posted on 11/08/2025 8:06:30 AM PST by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: ProgressingAmerica

Jake does a great job providing context.

Other articles have been written as well that are quite good, but Jake has the detailed history of what led to what.

The biggest thing to note is he mentions what I have always noted: the comical hubris of the Spaniards when they walked into new territory for them and immediately declare all of it as “theirs”. Talk about Delusions of Grandeur.

At the time of the Mexican-American War there were approx. 7000 non-aboriginal people in California, and 150,000 aboriginals.

So uh, who was “the Majority” and who “owned” the land? The Californio Spanish/Mexican people barely kept themselves fed and were basically isolated due to the hilariously feeble Mexican “State” which was 1500 miles to the South.

There were some intense battles and great heroism on both sides, but the rump Mexican control of small parts of California was overturned quickly in 1846.

https://www.mymexicanwar.com/battles/461206-san-pasqual.html

Spain and later Mexico never owned in any credible way the vast land masses they claimed.


13 posted on 11/08/2025 8:07:46 AM PST by Regulator (It's fraud, Jim)
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To: DFG

But we kept the part with the paved roads. Not fair! (/s)


14 posted on 11/08/2025 8:12:10 AM PST by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: FreedomPoster; Travis McGee

That was a reasonably accurate portrayal of the transition from Spanish rule, to effectively anarchy, to American governance with the exception of a single and important omission: It wasn’t the introduction of the lance and lariat that permitted the Spanish conquest; it was the horse, which became the principal tool of the Comanche under Quanah Parker.


15 posted on 11/08/2025 8:19:09 AM PST by Carry_Okie (The tree of liberty needs a rope.)
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To: gundog
Not all lawyers wear capes. But some do.


16 posted on 11/08/2025 8:25:44 AM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait.)
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To: kaktuskid

Very well done video.

It makes an excellent point the Comanches controlled about half the land that Mexico claimed. The Comanches were able to do it because they were early adopters of the horses brought to the New World by the Europeans.


17 posted on 11/08/2025 8:27:10 AM PST by marktwain
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To: ProgressingAmerica

My short answer from memory. We defeated them in war and won the land. It was legally ceded to the USA in the Treaty of Hildago. I think that was 1848? (I didn’t look it up to confirm).


18 posted on 11/08/2025 8:35:48 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom ( )
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To: ProgressingAmerica

Won in war, paid in gold Mexico to give up all claim to it, TWICE!
So why are they claiming it was “Stolen”? remember the US got it when it was a wild WILD country.Now it is settled and civilized. Remember the cartoon Horton Hatches the Egg? Lazzie Mazzie...”The work is all done now WE WANT IT BACK!”


19 posted on 11/08/2025 8:37:05 AM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar (REOPEN THE MENTAL HOSPITALS CLOSED IN THE 1970s!)
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To: kaktuskid
"Mexico took the land from Spain-who took it by conquest from the Aztecs and other tribes."

Exactly right! It's time those Mexican bastards just "moved on."

So why doesn't Mexico give all their land back to the Aztecs?

The story of how Hernán Cortés' small army (500) allied with local tribes was able conquer the Aztecs is quite the tale.

If every battle that ever ceded land throughout history was litigated or contested, nothing else would get done in the world. My family lost a lot of land, factories and homes when the Soviets invaded Danzig in Spring 1945. We lost a fortune. All gone.

20 posted on 11/08/2025 8:41:39 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom ( )
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