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When the issue was brought to the attention of a higher Mexican Official, the sailors were released and Mexican´s gave them an informal apology.
The Tampico Incident-
President Wilson's Message to Congress
April 20, 1914
The incident can not be regarded as a trivial one, especially as two of the men arrested were taken from the boat itself—that is to say, from the territory of the United States—but had it stood by itself it might have been attributed to the ignorance or arrogance of a single officer. Unfortunately, it was not an isolated case. A series of incidents have recently occurred which can not but create the impression that the representatives of General Huerta were willing to go out of their way to show disregard for the dignity and rights of this Government and felt perfectly safe in doing what they pleased, making free to show in many ways their irritation and contempt....
The United States interests were for Mexican´s to issue the raising of their flag in their soil, so that they showed honor and respect to their country.
As President Wilson says in his letter:
"I, therefore, felt it my duty to sustain Admiral Mayo in the whole of his demand and to insist that the flag of the United States should be saluted in such a way as to indicate a new spirit and attitude on the part of the Huertistas."
They were basically giving the Huertistas an opportunity.
It is to take into consideration that this whole incident was a complete mistake and misunderstanding from the Mexican´s. The defenders of the bridge anticipated an attack, based on the two consecutive days of battles and fighting that had just happened.
Considering it was a mistake, they did not agree to raise the American flag in their soil.
Nonetheless, President Wilson did not recognize Huerta´s presidency, being a reason for Huerta to be resented and angry.
In April 20, Wilson sought Congressional approval for armed intervention in Mexico.
While waiting for authorization of Congress to carry out such action, Wilson was alerted of a delivery of weapons for Victoriano Huerta due to arrive to the port on April 21 on the German-registered cargo-steamer SS Ypiranga.
As a result, Wilson issued an immediate order to seize the port's customs office and confiscate the weaponry.
The president ordered the immediate occupation of Vera Cruz. Fighting was fierce; more than 300 Mexicans and about 90 Americans were killed.
Huerta had taken power with the assistance of the American ambassador Henry Lane Wilson during a coup d'état in early 1913 known as La decena trágica.
The Wilson administration's answer to this was to declare Huerta a usurper of the legitimate government, embargo arms shipments to Huerta, and support the Constitutional Army of Venustiano Carranza.
Bibliography:
1. "Tampico Affair." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampico_Affair>.
2."The Tampico Incident." The Tampico Incident. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1072.html>.
3."Occupation of Vera Cruz." Occupation of Vera Cruz. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1073.html>.
4."The Tampico Incident." The Tampico Incident. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.historycentral.com/documents/Tampico.html>.
The U.S. was exorbitantly angry about what happened in this incident. The fact that their sailors were arrested from the boat, which was basically their territory, angered them more. They felt that Mexican´s, particularly President Huerta´s representatives, treated without proper respect their countries dignity and rights. Nevertheless, Mexican´s did not agree to salute the American flag in their soil, as American´s had demanded. They did not like how Mexican´s regarded their country as inferior, nor how they disrespected and dishonored it. This particular incident built up with the previous ones recently occurred, as President Wilson said. This mostly demonstrated to the US that Huerta did not honor their country.