Everything about The Mexican Cession totally explained
The
Mexican Cession is a historical name for the region of the present day
southwestern United States that was ceded to the U.S. by
Mexico in 1848 under the
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which ended the
Mexican-American War. The treaty was signed on
3 February 1848,
ratified by the
U.S. Senate on
10 March 1848, and by the Mexican government on
19 May 1848.
Background
The cession of this territory from
Mexico was a condition for the end of the war, as United States troops occupied
Mexico City, and Mexico risked being completely
annexed by the U.S. The United States also paid $15,000,000 ($298,310,309 in 2005) for the land, and agreed to assume $3.25 million in debts to US citizens. The land ceded by Mexico is 12% of the total area of the current United States territory. 1.36 million km² (525000 square miles, or 55% of its pre-war territory) was lost by Mexico.
For the 39 years between 1810 when Mexico declared its independence from
Spain (or from 1821, when Mexican independence was secured), and 1848, the region had formed approximately 42% of the country of Mexico; prior to that, it had been a part of the Spanish colony of
New Spain for some three centuries. Beginning in the early seventeenth century, a chain of Spanish missions and settlements extended into the New Mexico region, mostly following the course of the
Rio Grande from the
El Paso area to
Santa Fe, which was a colonial capital under the Spanish, and which is now the capital city of the U.S. state of
New Mexico. Spanish settlement and missionary work followed the course of the
Colorado River northward from its mouth along the current border between California and Arizona. Beginning in the late eighteenth century, Spain had also built a system of fortresses and
missions throughout Alta California (now southern half of the US state of California), from
San Diego to
San Rafael north of
San Francisco.
Territory
The region includes all of the present-day states of
The treaty also specified the Texas-Mexican border as being at the
Rio Grande (Río Bravo del Norte). Previously the portion of
Texas between the
Nueces River and the Rio Grande had remained disputed throughout the existence of the
Republic of Texas. The United States had already claimed the area as part of the
Texas Annexation in 1845.
Organization
The land of the Mexican Cession was an
unorganized territory of the United States until Congress created three successor entities, on
September 9,
1850:
The northeastern portion became the Utah Territory, with the addition of some land from the Texas Annexation. It included modern-day Utah, most of Nevada, part of Colorado, and a small part of Wyoming.
The southeastern portion became the New Mexico Territory, with the addition of some land from the Texas Annexation. This included modern-day New Mexico, Arizona, and a small part of Nevada. It would be later expanded southward by the Gadsden Purchase of 1853.
The western portion became the state of California.Further Information
Get more info on 'Mexican Cession'.
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