The United States is one of the largest countries on the planet in terms of territory size, yet many of its current regions had been acquired during wars. The Mexican–American War, which occurred between 1846 and 1848, became one of the most notable events in the history of the two countries in the 19th century. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the aforementioned war but also yielded the United States a substantial share of its current territory and created the modern Sothern border of the country.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed by the representatives of the two countries after almost two years of war. The Mexican–American War occurred as a result of the United States’ annexation of Texas, which Mexico viewed as its own territory (Deverell & Hyde, 2018). The treaty put an end to the conflict and was negotiated by the American representatives, Nicholas Trist and General Winfield Scott, and the Mexican ones, Don Bernardo Couto and Don Miguel Atristain. The signing of the treaty became possible after a successful invasion conducted by the United States which led to the occupation of many Mexican cities. The treaty became an important event in U.S. history because it allowed the country to add more than 500,000 square miles of land (Kidd, 2019). Additionally, the country gained access to numerous natural resources such as oil and forced Mexico to recognize the Rio Grande as America’s southern boundary.
The treaty could be potentially undermined by the organizations in the United States which condemned the invasion. For instance, Abraham Lincoln was against the war, therefore, a group of politicians could attempt to overthrow the government to stop the war and prevent the treaty from being signed (Graebner, 2018). If the treaty was not signed, the modern United States would have a much smaller territory size and would not have access to certain natural resources.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo became a major event in 19th-century American history since it expanded the size of the U.S. territory. The treaty was preceded by a war between the United States and Mexico, which lasted almost two years and led to the occupation of many cities of Mexico. The treaty allowed the United States to receive new lands and to gain access to additional resources, which aided the development of its economy in the future.
References
Deverell, W., & Hyde, A. (2018). Shaped by the west, volume 1: A history of North America to 1877. University of California Press.
Graebner, N. (2018). Empire on the pacific: A study in American continental expansion. Pickle Partners Publishing.
Kidd, T. (2019). American history, volume 1. B&H Publishing Group.