Transcript Mexican Cession - Cloudfront.net

Mexican Cession
Expanding Westward
During the first half of the 19th
Century, nationalism ran
rampant throughout the United
States. Americans were looking to
expand out of the east into
territory that was both
unorganized and not federally
owned.
Yet this did not stop Americans
from seeking additional lands for
themselves. The notion of
Manifest Destiny drove
individuals west; it also drove the
United States into a conflict with
Mexico over land.
War with Mexico
The American war with Mexico was
primarily over land. President James
K. Polk wanted Mexican held lands
in the western part of the nation to
expand upon. Originally, he offered
a hefty monetary sum to the
Mexican government to cede the
California and New Mexico
territories to the United States.
Mexico, however, declined his offer.
Polk then moved to begin military
exercises on the border and in
waters around Mexico. This sparked
a retaliatory strike by a radical
Mexican political regime. On May 9,
1846, Mexico crossed the Rio
Grande and launched an assault on
American patrolmen. On May 11,
1846, the United States was at war.
The war lasted roughly two years,
the United States overwhelming
Mexico with its military superiority
and leadership. General Zachary
Taylor and General Winfield Scott
achieved impressive victories in the
campaign against Mexico, with Scott
eventually capturing Mexico City in
September 1847.
Arranging for Cession: The Treaty
of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo,
ratified on March 10, 1848, was the
principal document that ended the
Mexican-American War and
initiated the process of post-war
Mexican cession (cession means the
legal transfer of an object to another
party not to be confused with
secession).
Under the agreement, the United
States provided a number of
provisions that the interim
Mexican government quickly
accepted. So what did Mexico
cede?
First, Mexico agreed to establish
an official boundary dividing the
two nations at the Rio Grande
River. This granted the United
States the entirety of the disputed
territory of western Texas and
prevented any additional
differing claims to the area.
Second, the United States paid 15
million dollars for the territories
of California, New Mexico and
Utah. As a part of this financial
package, the United States agreed
to assume 3 million dollars worth
of Mexican debt to the American
government.
Finally, Mexico surrendered its
people living within the newly
acquired United States territory.
Fortunately, for those Mexicans,
the United States provided the
option to either stay and assume
American citizenship or leave
and face uncertainty in a
devastated Mexico.
The only setback to staying, was
that the federal government
refused to offer protection to
lands provincially tended to by
Mexicans.
Another Win for Manifest Destiny
The war with Mexico and the peace
treaty signed by both nations greatly
increased the United States' size. As
a result of the Mexican cession
outlined in the Treaty of GuadalupeHidalgo, the United States achieved
its largest land acquisition since the
Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
Territory Ceded by Mexico
Mexico ceded over 500,000
square miles of territory to the
United States and westward
expansion began immediately.
Yet with every achievement, there
is always a cog in the wheel of
success.
While President Polk and the
federal government drastically
expanded the nation, it also
ignited a sectional conflict that
polarized the nation for the next
decade. Mexican cession
commenced the United States'
path toward the Civil War.