The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
In November 1835, the northern part of the Mexican state of Coahuila-Tejas
declared itself in revolt against Mexico's new centralist government headed
by President Antonio López de Santa Anna. By February 1836, Texans
declared their territory to be independent and that its border extended to
the Rio Grande rather than the Rio Nueces that Mexicans recognized as the
dividing line. Although the Texans proclaimed themselves citizens of the
Independent Republic of Texas on April 21, 1836 following their victory over
the Mexicans at the Battle of San Jacinto, Mexicans continued to consider
Tejas a rebellious province that they would reconquer someday.
In December 1845, the U.S. Congress voted to annex the Texas Republic and
soon sent troops led by General Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande (regarded
by Mexicans as their territory) to protect its border with Mexico. The inevitable
clashes between Mexican troops and U.S. forces provided the rationale for
a Congressional declaration of war on May 13, 1846.
Hostilities continued for the next two years as General Taylor led his
troops through to Monterrey, and General Stephen Kearny and his men went
to New Mexico, Chihuahua, and California. But it was General Winfield Scott
and his army that delivered the decisive blows as they marched from Veracruz
to Puebla and finally captured Mexico City itself in August 1847.
Mexican officials and Nicholas Trist, President Polk's representative,
began discussions for a peace treaty that August. On February 2, 1848 the
Treaty was signed in Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of the capital where
the Mexican government had fled as U.S. troops advanced. Its provisions
called for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory (present-day Arizona, California,
New Mexico, and parts of Colorado, Nevada and Utah) in exchange for
fifteen million dollars in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican
property.
Other provisions stipulated the Texas border at the Rio Grande (Article
V), protection for the property and civil rights of Mexican nationals living
within the new border (Articles VIII and IX), U.S. promise to police its
side of the border (Article XI), and compulsory arbitration of future disputes
between the two countries (Article XXI). When the U.S. Senate ratified the
treaty in March, it deleted Article X guaranteeing the protection of Mexican
land grants. Following the Senate's ratification of the treaty, U.S. troops
left Mexico City.
- First page of Treaty
- First page of Treaty, enlarged
- Article VIII, page 12
- Article VIII, page 12, enlarged
- Article IX, page 13
- Article IX, page 13, enlarged
- Article IX, page 14
- Article IX, page 14, enlarged
|
- Article IX, page 15
- Article IX, page 15, enlarged
- Article IX, page 16
- Article IX, page 16, enlarged
- Additional and Secret Article
- Additional and Secret Article, enlarged
- End of Article X, Article XI
- End of Article X, Article X, enlarged
|
|
Copyright and Other Restrictions for "Guadalupe
Hidalgo Treaty"
The Library is offering broad public access to the "Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty" as
a contribution to education and scholarship. Some materials in these collections
may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and/or by
the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. More information
about
U.S. Copyright is provided by the Copyright Office.
Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms
of Library of Congress gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy
and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction
of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission
of the copyright owners.
The nature of historical archival collections means that copyright or other
information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine.
Whenever possible, the Library provides information about copyright owners
and other restrictions in the catalog records, captions, and other texts
that accompany materials. The Library provides such information as a service
to aid patrons in determining the appropriate use of an item, but that determination
ultimately rests with the patron.
As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own
rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission
fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish
or otherwise distribute material in its collections. It is the patron's obligation
to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing
or otherwise distributing materials found in the Library's collections.
The Library of Congress is eager to hear from any copyright owners who
are not properly identified so that appropriate information may be provided
in the future.
|