The Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Throughout the 1840s and 1850s a major war happened called the Mexican American War which drastically changed the U.S. and Mexico and lead to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to be signed and which established the Rio Grande and not the Nueces River as the U.S Border. This also lead to the U.S. annexation of Texas and lead to the Mexico agreeing to sell California and the rest of the territory for 15 million.

In 1846, two superpowers of the Americas went to war against one another, Mexico and the United States of America. Though the war was purely based upon land expansion, the aftereffects were consequently very important to all the people who lived in either country. The three most important effects of this territorial war, known as the Mexican-American war, include the increase of miners and settlers pushing west, the dramatic decrease of the Native American population, and the increase in sheer number of slaves and popularity of slavery.

“...May the boldest fear and the wisest tremble when incurring responsibilities on which may depend on our countries peace and prosperity…” -James K. Polk. What our 11th president meant by this is that we need to maintain good relations to bring success as this is the opposite of what Mexico wanted. In 1845, many Americans believed in manifest destiny which was the belief that the United States was destined to stretch from coast to coast. As this idea scattered through America, citizens of the U.S. spread with it. Americans going west ran into Mexican territory, where settlement was cheap. These settlers moved in and outnumbered the Mexicans six to one, because of this, tensions arouse. Although the United States war against Mexico may be viewed as controversial, the war was just due to the Mexican government refusing to hear an offer, the boundary dispute, and the 16 American soldiers killed.

The Mexican American War started in 1846 because of Mexican resentment caused by the 1836 loss of Texas and the American’s desire for Mexico’s more northern territory. “On September 9, 1847 after two years of fighting, the Mexican American war essentially ended when the American Army captured Mexico City after the Battle of Chapultepec”( 6). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war. United States leaders then acted morally superior in their negotiations of the treaty 1. During negotiations, United States officials viewed the “forcible incorporations” (1) of almost one half of Mexico’s land as an “event foreordained by providence and Manifest Destiny” (1). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is written evidence of the biggest land acquisition in American history.

Since 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was sworn into presidency, Americans had become attracted to expansion. Their determination to expand is what led to the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the nation’s size. Even long after Jefferson, Americans desired more land; especially lands of the west. On April 25, 1846, the Mexican-American War began giving them the states of California and Texas. The Mexican-American war brought forth six . Three primary wars included the Battle of Palo Alto, the Battle of Monterey, and the Battle of Mexico City; these battles would only last for two years until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed (February 2, 1848) .

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war between the U.S. and Mexico. This war was initiated by the United States and resulted in Mexico 's defeat and the loss of nearly 60 percent of its territory in the north. In the U.S. the war is termed the Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War or the Invasion of Mexico. In Mexico names for the war include Primera intervención estadounidense en México, Guerra de la Invasión estadounidense, and Guerra del 1847. Nonetheless, the Mexican American War was unjust because of President Polk’s thirst for more territory.

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna signed the treaties of Velasco on May 14, 1836. This treaty established the Republic of Texas as an independent nation and withdraw Mexican troops south of the Rio Grande River as the southern border. But the treaty was never ratified by the Mexican government, and Mexico continued to claim the Nieces River as the boundary. This dispute was loved in 1848 when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by Mexico and the United States. The treaty ended the Mexican War and established the boundary between Mexico and Texas.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Officially entitled the treaty of peace, friendship, limits, and settlement between the United States of America and the Mexican Republic. The U.S. pledged to protect the rights of Mexicans living in the newly acquired areas who could choose to become citizens of either nation. Indians were not granted these

“Although most Americans believed in Manifest Destiny, few could agree on exactly which lands the United States was supposed to govern.” -Charles W. Carey Jr.

In the “The Mexican War and the Compromise of 1850” lesson I learned that the abolition movement began as a religious phenomenon rather than a political. And in 1840 the United States had faced many pertaining to slavery. The lesson also talks about how Henry Clay and the Whigs saw the democrat’s position as foolish and dangerous because it amounted to saber rattling with two power full nations. I also learned that President John Tyler signed a bill annexing Texas before James Polk took office in 1845, which then Polk sent troops into the Texas-Mexican border to ensure a war with Mexico. But he avoided war with Great Britain by negotiating a settlement for half of Oregon. Also in 1848 the Whigs party won the presidential election by nominating

With that in mind, Mexican-Americans in the 1960s and 70s started to question the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ceded Mexican territory to the United States and ended the Mexican-American War. According to the treaty, Mexicans in the transferred land would keep their property; however, many lost their land because the U.S. did not fully comply with the agreement (cf. Ramirez N.d.).

The Mexican-American war altered the United States environmentally, culturally and politically. First, on February 2, 1848, Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo two years post the beginning of the war. The treaty not only achieved President Polk’s goal to achieve California from Mexico but also granted the U.S. over 500,000 square miles of new territory. The new land caused approximately 90,000 spanish speaking, mostly Catholic Mexicans under American jurisdiction. Second, Nativism, a rising anti-catholic and anti-immigrant deemed the Mexicans inferior. Third, a new political party specifically dedicated to Nativism erupted called The American Party was established in 1855. In addition, due to the controversial war, President Polk

The big debate across the growing United States was the debate of slavery and which states would come in as free or slavery states. The Mexican-American War was a major turning point in this debate because it settled the debate over which states would become free or slavery states. This war lasted a little over a year and 9 months long on the border of the United States and Mexico (Texas and Mexico City). This war would helped settle many disputes, but the main debate it would settle would be the huge slavery debate.

The Mexican-American War changed the Unites States of America in a monumental way. This war changed The U.S.A.’s relationship with foreign powers and the economic standpoint of the nation. The Mexican- American war, and its strong ties to manifest destiny, shaped the nation in a country bordered by two seas with a chance for common folk and foreigners to have a sustainable life due to the gold rush. The war can also be accounted for the downfall leading to the Civil War over the conflict of slavery due to the land purchased in the wars treaty.

The United States war with Mexico continues to be a divisive topic among many people because of its background. The Mexican-American war was a fight between Mexico and America for land. America’s belief at the time was Manifest Destiny, which meant that they believed that America should extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific ocean. In the end, America benefited from the war and got the land. The United States expanded its size, achieving their dream of Manifest Destiny. Although the United States war against Mexico resulted in the gaining of America’s most valuable land, the war itself wasn’t legitimate because of the revolution in Texas, motivation for superiority, and the U.S. government’s actions.