Blog Post 2

What were the main goals of each nation-state relative to the border, and how did they change over time?

The main goals for each of the nation-state relative to the border was that each nation had their own different goals. There was and imaginary boundary between the US and Mexico. The main goal for the US was to expand their territory. They wanted to have an established dominance. Mexicos goal was to protect the sovereignty to prevent any trespassing by any of the US. This is why there was so much conflict between the borders. St. John talks about how there was an ongoing struggle of negotiation between the US and Mexico. The struggle is about the difference between the borders. The changes in the political aspects made the US and Mexico had a huge rise in many issues. One of the issues was illegal immigration. There are many on going challenges with illegal immigrants.

How did the border surveys impact and shape social relations along the border?

The surveys that impacted and shaped the social relations along the border were more then just limiting to mapping out physical boundaries. There was a significant influence on the cultures and the social dynamic of the border region. St. John talks about how the documentation of the border landscape uses its resources from the communities that live along the borderlands to provide many insights into the social society of the areas. St. John also talked about the possession and ownership of the land. There was traditional ways of the ownership usage. The surveys bring that attention to the economic differences between the US and Mexico. The US has its economic and the military power. The wanted to claim a large section of land. Mexico on the other hand was struggling with poverty and the political instability. They began to feel threatened and marginalized. This made the fight between the US and Mexico worse.

What were some of the main reasons that borderlands wanted increased security along the line in the timeframe studied by St. John?

Some of the main reasons that the borderlands wanted to increase security along the line in the time frame studied by St. John was that there was a growing demands for an increase for security. The security was to be along the border lands. There was invasions and raids that were happening from the surrounding territories. The borderlands were at risk to attack any tribes that were looking to seize their land. This made the countries have fear throughout the borderlands. There was a ride of illegal activity that was happening. There was smuggling, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. This is why there was a huge increase for the security along the borderlands. The borderlands were becoming the prime location for illegal activities.