Manifest Destiny And The Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Topic: Encountering New Spain: Manifest Destiny & the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The Mexican-American War was the first American military that fought on soil and the first

to be closely chronicled by the press; the time the war ended with American victory and a treaty

that increased the nation’s size. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo brought peace and an official

end of a defective war between Mexico and the United States after Congressional ratification.

Mexico surrendered California, New Mexico, and Texas for the Rio Grande River for over 15

million dollars also as more than half of prior to the war Mexican land had lost.

The Manifest Destiny was accomplished because of the terms of continental westward

expansion.

Although Polk’s war was successful, he lost public support after nearly two bloody and costly

years of nothing but fighting. Additionally, the controversial war was reignited the slavery

extension debate that would ultimately result in the American Civil War in the 1860s. Polk did

not seek re-elections after his first term, and died at age 53 in June 1849, three months after

leaving office. Zachary Taylor, in the other hand who became a national hero during the

Mexican-American War, ran for president in the 1848 election and won. However, one year and

four months after his initiation, Zachary Taylor had become ill and died.

The Mexican-American War was an embarrassment for Mexico and a goldmine for the

United States, in literal terms. Within days, the important port of Veracruz was blockaded by the

United States navy. The United States army fought their way overland into Mexico from

California, Texas and eventually from Veracruz straight to the capitol. Mexico’s Santa Anna,

back and with much power again this time, had sent a peace treaty to Washington in early

If Trist would have left for Washington like he was ordered to do, the treaty

would of probably never had happened.

With this treaty, American Southwest as we know it today it had officially came under the

United States control and Mexico had lost half of its country. The treaty had established the

Texas-Mexican border along the Rio Grande; fifteen years later it would be the same river that

led to the Chamizal dispute between Mexico and the United States. It was agreed that a group of

surveyors from each country, working together, would set out to map the new 2,000-mile long

border. Just weeks after the treaty was signed, gold was discovered in California (California was

known for a long time as El Dorado, “the land of gold” in Spanish), leading to the largest gold

rush in the history of the United States. But unfortunately for Mexico, El Dorado was no longer

part of Mexico anymore.

In return, the United States agreed to settle the more than $3,000,000 in claims made by

United States citizens against Mexico. With the annexation, the continental expansion of