The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo set the U.S.-Mexico border at the Rio Grande; compensated Mexico for war damages; secured for the United States an area encompassing present-day New Mexico, Arizona, California, and parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming; and protected the rights of Hispanics residing in the territory.
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, manuscript, signed with wax seals February 2, 1848
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
In March 1848 the U.S. Senate approved for ratification the treaty ending the Mexican War, which was signed in Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico, on February 2. In exchange for war-damage compensation of $15 million, Mexico ceded to the U.S. more than half its territory. The treaty redefined the U.S.-Mexico border and extended U.S. territory to the Pacific coast, intensifying congressional debates about the westward extension of slavery. Though the treaty protected the rights of former Mexican nationals who resided in the territory, many lost their land.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo set the U.S.-Mexico border at the Rio Grande; compensated Mexico for war damages; secured for the United States an area encompassing present-day New Mexico, Arizona, California, and parts of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming; and protected the rights of Hispanics residing in the territory.
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
