Essay on The Treaty Of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Q1: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was settled in 1848 between the U.S and Mexico, where Mexican citizens and their property living in California, New Mexico and Texas were to be incorporated into the U.S. During the signing of the treaty, General Santa Anna proposed that there would be a buffer zone separating both counties. Initially, General Santa Anna hoped that this new buffer zone would help in defending attacks in the frontier. Mexican citizens were given the option to stay in the United States and gain citizenship or to go back to Mexico and remain a Mexican citizen. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo stated that before Hispanics can become citizens, “former Mexican citizens would have to take an oath of affirmation...renouncing allegiance to the Mexican republic.” According to article VIII, a person had a year to make his decision as to where their citizenship would remain. Author R. Griswold de Castillo, states that “states and federal governments were the primary beneficiaries of the legal system’s interpretation of the Treaty of the Guadalupe Hidalgo”, however the treaty resulted to be violated. Even though a large number of Mexican’s claimed their citizenship to the U.S, in the state of California there were issues of race and citizenship problems. Mexicans who physically looked Indian faced racial discrimination. In fact the Supreme court acknowledged that the treaty did not increase nor validate the rights of Hispanics in the U.S Article IX of the treaty…