President Wilson’s recognition of the Carranza government did not bring an end to political
instability in Mexico.
Carranza did not have the support of all of his people, and those opposed to him rallied
behind a rebel group led by Francisco “Pancho” Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
Villa, in the past, had sought good relations with the United States, but Wilson’s recognition
of the Carranza government angered him.
Villa saw Carranza as another Porfirio Diaz-type dictator and vowed to oppose him.
Zapata believed that more land reforms were needed to aid peasants in Mexico.
Together the two men would fight to undermine the Carranza government.
In early 1916, Carranza asked for American engineers to take over and manage mines in
Northern Mexico.
The Mexico North Western Railway train the Americans were travelling on was stopped by
Villa’s men near Santa Isabel, Chihuahua.
The Americans were removed from the train and shot.
Villa followed up by crossing the US border in March of 1916 and launching an attack on
Columbus, New Mexico.
Villa’s men attacked a detachment of US Cavalry troops, burned the town, and seized
horses, mules, and military supplies.
Seventeen Americans died in the fighting, along with 80 of Villa’s men.
Angered by the invasion of US soil, many Americans wanted retaliation against Villa.
With the public calling for action, Wilson sent Brigadier General John Pershing and 15,000
US soldiers to capture Villa dead or alive.
For nearly an entire year, Villa managed to elude American forces.
With small skirmishes erupting along the US-Mexico border (on both sides), Wilson also called
out 150,000 National Guardsmen to secure the southern border.
As the campaign wore on, many Mexicans became angry over the presence of US troops in their
country.
President Carranza responded by demanding the withdrawal of US troops from Mexico, but
Wilson refused.
After US troops clashed with Carranza’s forces in June of 1916, war between the US
and Mexico seemed imminent.
However, the attention of the US government would soon become distracted as WWI raged
on.
With the US likely to be drawn into the conflict in Europe, Wilson sought peace on the southern
border.
Wilson ordered Pershing and his troops back to the United States in February of 1917.
Mexico adopted a constitution in September of that same year, and the document gave control
of the nation’s oil and minerals to the Mexican government.
Strict regulations were also placed on any foreign investors.
Carranza continued to rule Mexico until 1920, when a much more moderate Alvaro Obregon gained
power.
Obregon’s term marked the end of the unrest and civil war in Mexico.
The early 20th Century saw a great deal of change in the way the US dealt with its neighbors.
Through various approaches, the US sought to extend the reach of its political and economic
systems.
A new, modern navy had also been established in order to protect US interests abroad.
The precedent of the US acting as an international police power had clearly been established.