A Piece of History to Young Readers, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: A Legacy of Conflict by Richard Griswold del Castillo

In this paper, I will be summarizing the following chapters: Chapter 3: "A Legacy of Hate: The Conquest of Mexico’s Northwest”; Chapter 4: “Remember the Alamo: The Colonization of Texas”; and Chapter 5: “Freedom in a Cage: The Colonization of New Mexico. All three chapters are from the book, “Occupied America, A History of Chicanos” by Rodolfo F. Acuna. In chapter three, Acuna explains the causes of the war between Mexico and North America. In chapter four, Acuna explains the colonization of Texas and how Mexicans migrated from Mexico to Texas. In chapter five, Acuna explains the colonization of New Mexico and the economic changes that the people had to go through.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1948 would have lasting negative effects on Mexican Americans. The Treaty was signed after America had won the Mexican American war. America gained possession of the southwest states that had been part of Mexico for the price of around eighteen million dollars. In Article IX of the Treaty, it states that the Mexicans "shall be maintained and protected in the free enjoyment of their liberty and property, and secured in the free exercise of their religion without restriction"(Vargas 139). And as Rachel Rivera points out Article VII promised the Mexicans the right to keep their land which previously belonged to Mexico. However, the Treaty would not grant the

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, officially ended the war between Mexico and the United States. Even though it happened over 168 years ago, its legacy persists, because the treaty redefined the border and the border region. Under the terms of the treaty, Mexicans who suddenly found themselves living in the United States choose either Mexican citizenship, in which case they would have to relocate south of the new border, or to stay where they were and become citizens of the United States. About 80 percent—a total of seventy-five thousand Mexican people—remained in the United States (Passel, 2011). Since then, continuing economic and political difficulties in Mexico, combined with economic opportunities in the United States, have encouraged the flow of migration from Mexico to the United States in large numbers. Today, Mexican Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States and the estimated Mexican American population in 2000 was 20.6 million people, the largest Mexican population outside of Mexico (Center for Immigration Studies, 2010). Most Mexican Americans entered the United States legally and have become full U.S. citizens, however, the number of illegal immigrants arriving from Mexico has been an alarming and concerning issue in the United States and especially the state of Arizona. Arizona is in a unique geopolitical location in the United States because it shares a 370-mile border with Mexico. Much of the border is open and

Restall’s ultimate goal in writing this book is to provide readers and scholars alike with a more realistic viewpoint and history of the Spanish conquest. He wishes to dispel the many myths that accompany the epic tale so as to provide a better understanding of who the natives were and, more importantly to Restall, who the Spanish were. He does an excellent job of questioning the who, what, and where of the personalities and motives of the men involved in conquest. These questions are heartily answered in a well-written and easy to read history book.

The Mexican-American war was the dispute over the southern border of Texas, regarding if it was Mexican or American territory creating tensions between the North and South regarding whether it was free or slave territory. However, it did lead to controversial reforms such as the Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas- Nebraska Act. Therefore, the Mexican- American war was a key turning point for the slavery institution in the U.S.

     The author of Mexican Lives, Judith Adler Hellman, grapples with the United States’ economic relationship with their neighbors to the south, Mexico. It also considers, through many interviews, the affairs of one nation. It is a work held to high esteem by many critics, who view this work as an essential part in truly understanding and capturing Mexico’s history. In Mexican Lives, Hellman presents us with a cast from all walks of life. This enables a reader to get more than one perspective, which tends to be bias. It also gives a more inclusive view of the nation of Mexico as a whole. Dealing with rebel activity, free trade, assassinations and their transition into the modern age, it justly

Negotiating Conquest is a scholarly work written by Miroslava Chavez-Garcia, which analyzes women 's roles in history, and discusses how the political system has affected their roles. It covers the period between the 1770 's to the 1880 's, the periods before and after American Conquest. Likewise, this book is divided into two sections, chapters 1-3 discusses "Women in Spanish and Mexican California," and chapters 4-6 discusses "Women in American California." This work analyzes the major ideas present within each period and how it affected women 's roles and power. The time and effort put into this book, is something that the author enjoyed, calling it a "labor of love." Overall, she then claims that her purpose in writing this work is to, "honor and recognize woman of all ethnic backgrounds, social classes, and regions, who established households, nurtured and reared families, and rose above personal adversity in societies that often ignored, overlooked, and rendered them invisible."

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed by the United States and Mexico to end the Mexican War, was a factor in the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. In the Treaty of Hidalgo, under Article VIII and Article IX, it states that pre-existing property rights were ensured by the United States for Mexicans that remained in the United States after the Mexican War (United States and Mexico). “During the 1960’s, a group of Mexican-Americans attempted to reclaim federal land in the United States” (Ramirez). Unfortunately, the United States decided not to honor a part of the agreement of the Hidalgo treaty, resulting in loss of lands for many Mexican-Americans. During the Chicano Movement, many Mexican-Americans claimed that they owned parts of lands in the United States (Ramirez). The Chicano Movement activists attempted to convince the federal government to honor the Treaty of Hidalgo ("Chicano! A History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement").

One of the weaknesses of this book was the way in which a strong opinion of the author frequently came to the surface. The impression given when reading was one of bias in that the Spanish were wrong to come in and refine everything. This was reflected in the fact that periodically within the book, when the Spanish conquistadors did something to the Indians, it was pointed out how inhumane it was. Yet, when the Indians retaliated in some way, it was quickly pointed out how justified they were. The mentioned advantages that the Indians gained through the Spaniards were infrequent and underdeveloped.

Dr. Henderson’s purpose for writing A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States is to explain the causes of Mexico going to war with the United States in 1846, and the reasons Mexico suffered severely from it. Dr. Henderson’s focus throughout the book is not solely on the military tactics, but rather on the political and diplomatic maneuvering. This approach to the book is to provide to the reader the conflict’s real significance, as to the how and why the United States and Mexico went to war. This book does not point blame at either side, but tells the war from the Mexican point of view. Furthermore, Dr. Henderson explores Mexico’s weaknesses at the time and how those weaknesses led to the war with the United States.

Another important section of this chapter was simply called “Texas”. The author provides the context of the Great Plains in 1720 including the French-Spanish rivalry and the corresponding rivalry between the Pawnee and Wichita Indians and the Apache and Pueblo Indians. The Spanish colonies were populated mostly with unarmed missionaries, while the French-controlled regions

In the 16th century Spaniards Herman Cortes and Christopher Columbus set out on endeavoring journeys in search of new worlds. Christopher Columbus encountered, in the Caribbean islands, a group of extremely simplistic Native Americans. Herman Cortes however encountered a much more advanced Native American group in Meso America; we formally know this area to be Mexico. In my essay I will be comparing and contrasting several aspects between both of these Native American Civilizations including sophistication, technology, housing, weapons, religion and their reaction to the Spaniards. Letters written by Columbus and Cortes will be used to make these comparisons.

By Charles H. Harris III and Louis R. Sadler (Albuquerque: Univ. of New Mexico, 2007. Print.)

The Mexican-American was very important to our country. We not only annexed Texas but, gained other states what is now modern day California, Utah, and Nevada. Mexico also obtains from the war which was debt relief. This paper explains how America and Mexico went from enemies to allies.

Eisenhower, John S. D. So Far From God: The U. S. War with Mexico 1846 – 1848. New York: Random House, 1989, xxvi, 436.