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A look back at history: 1848 treaty between Mexico and U.S.

By PHILIP A. RUE | Fontana Herald News
Published: Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:23 AM PST

Mexico and the United States engaged in war in the years of 1846-1848. It was a very complicated situation and there were many military events as well as political situations which made the military activity and the attempts at peace very frustrating.

The State of Texas was in the forefront of the military and political action. Mexico claimed that a section of Texas territory belonged to it. The Nueces River was the boundary claimed by Mexico. Texas people said that the Rio Grande River much farther to the South was the boundary. Battles took place.

The situation was that Texas proclaimed itself an independent state. Then the United States government brought Texas into the U.S. so that instead of Mexico versus Texas, it was now Mexico versus the U.S.

The U.S. Army invaded northern Mexico and won several important battles. Peace was difficult to achieve because neither side would give in, so a stalemate existed.

U.S. General Scott then advanced toward Mexico City and captured it. There are dramatic stories about brave acts by young men who were students of a Mexican military school who became heroes during the battle for Mexico City.

The political situation now changed in Mexico, so treaty discussions reopened. Mexico agreed to cede a large part of its territory, which became all or part of 10 U.S. states, including California.

An interesting situation arose when U.S. President James Polk, frustrated with the slow progress being made by the U.S. agent, Nicholas Trist, told him to leave the negotiations and go back to Washington. Trist was stunned because he thought he was making progress and that the president was not aware of the complications involved. Polk maintained that Trist was not following the directives made by the president and was making concessions. Trist felt that the president was not correct, so he stayed on the job. Even the Mexican negotiators asked him to remain.

Trist ignored the summons to return and continued with the peace details. The Rio Grande became the boundary of Texas and U.S. territory. Where the Rio Grande was no longer the boundary, other means were agreed upon to have Mexico cede territory to the U.S., all the way to the Pacific Coast, where Baja California and Alta California were located.

Trist gave up any claims to Baja and Mexico agreed to include Alta California in its cession territory.

The problem was the line which divided Baja from Alta California because the desirable bay of San Diego was involved. A British survey had determined that San Diego had always been part of Alta or Upper California. This was eventually agreed upon after research, and the line would run a certain distance south of San Diego -- and that's where it is today.

Trist offered $15 million for the 529,000 square miles of former Mexican territory. In addition, the U.S. would pay about $3.3 million for claims owed by American citizens.

The treaty was finally signed on Feb. 2, 1848 at the small village named Guadalupe Hidalgo, the name of the venerated national religious image of Mexico. Hence, the name of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Although Trist brought home a well-written treaty which the Senate approved, Trist was blackballed by the president because he had disobeyed him earlier.

It took an act of Congress, SB 1068, 22 years later to reimburse Trist for salary and expenses amounting to $14,590. He died of a stroke in 1874 at the age of 74.

A recent TV program featuring the late Huell Howser concentrated on the specific spot where the boundary line between California and Baja California was located. It was mentioned that this spot was also the southwestern most spot in the U.S.



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Thanks for the Huell Howser clip!