The United States often makes aid decisions, both military and humanitarian, using the prism of our "strategic advantage."
So, if it would be advantageous to please a military dictator, either because of port access or drilling rights or the use of a base for refueling, it is likely that the aid will be used as an inducement to allow the United States to do those things.
<span>Prior to the Mexican American war president Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico to negotiate an agreement between that the Rio Grande River would be the southern border of Texas. ... The United States annexed the territory of California in 1848 following its victory in the Mexican-American War.</span>
America's fear of communism from 1947-1953 was due to the increased political power of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union had a communist system in which Stalin abused his power and took away civil liberties from his citizens. After World War II, his power continued to increase as the Soviet Union was allied/had control over several different countries in Europe including Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Czechoslovakia. America was worried that this communist influence would continue to spread all over the world.
The fear of communism was not only present overseas, but also in America. During World War II there were Soviet spies in the US that gave information to the Soviet government. This, along with a small communist party in America, allowed for the development of McCarthyism. McCarthyism was essentially a witch hunt for any suspected communists. Anyone perceived as a communist threat could be called in front of Congress in the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).
Based on this passage and what you have learned about the states, the states were unwilling to voluntarily work together in a confederation because each state had its own interests and needs.
Each state was in favor of proceeding their own interests and needs they believed that focusing on their needs would be a much better option in the long run. Unity wasn’t a wide practice during that era too.
