The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

by Richard Griswold del Castillo

Signed in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war between the United States and Mexico and gave a large portion of Mexico’s northern territories to the United States. The language of the treaty was designed to deal fairly with the people who became residents of the United States by default. However, as Richard Griswold del Castillo points out, articles calling for equality and protection of civil and property rights were either ignored or interpreted to favor those involved in the westward expansion of the United States rather than the Mexicans and Indians living in the conquered territories.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was for research but I liked it

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic study of one of the most important but overlooked treaties in American history, and perhaps the most important in Mexican history. Especially strong in describing the treaty negotiations.

[Maggie Gately]

school

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until I read this book by Del Castillo, I confess I hardly knew what the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is. American history in U.S. schools does not necessarily cover the unpleasant topics of usurping Indian and Mexican territories, other than to discuss "Manifest Destiny" in general terms. With few exceptions, history taught in schools has ignored the effects the Mexican war and treaty had for Mexican Americans. It is startling to read this treaty is still in effect and has been violated by the U.S. on countless occasions. In particular, the Senate decided to reject Article X of the treaty, which would have protected the validity of Mexican land grants to the same extent that the same grants would be valid if the said territories had remained in Mexico. Thousands of Mexican-American property holders lost their land because ambiguities in the treaty left the door open for court rulings that required Mexican property holders to submit their claims to American courts for validation. The process was expensive and usually ended in the sale of the property to pay court costs. Article X would have allowed Mexican property holders to fulfill the terms of their grants under Mexican law. So thousands of Mexicans who chose, per the treaty, to stay and become American citizens had their land stripped from them and became, in effect, second-class citizens.
A must read as this work illuminates an important part of our history.

[Neal Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It gave good legal analysis of the case law built up interpreting the treaty. Moreover, its frank discussion of racism against Mexican-Americans in the US from the 19th c. to the late 20th c. is a much needed opening to a dialog about the broader issues of race and class in the United States.

[christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

basically, we screwed over mexico and took much of what is today the american southwest. war is a bitch.