Under Article VIII and IX of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexican citizens living in the areas of the Mexican Cession were promised protection of their property rights and could choose to become American citizens which would be given to them within one year. However, with the acquisition of the Mexican Cession and subsequent settlement of its territory, these protections were never fully realized. Mexican Americans living in the American Southwest saw their land and citizenship rights severly curtailed and in some cases taken away.
With the finding of gold in California in 1849, settlers and prospectors came to California in waves looking for gold. Within a matter of months Mexican Americans or Californios soon found numerous Americans settling and digging for gold on their property. With no real government in California (it did not become a state until 1850) there was no avenue or vehicle for the protection of Califonios property. Thus, Californios soon found their property being stolen from them right before their eyes. |
In 1850 California became a state and one of the first laws
passed in the state was the Foreign Miners Tax of 1850. This tax required any miner who was a foreigner to pay a tax of $20 for licences in order to mine. Despite the numerous immigrants in CA gold fields, the tax was exclusively levied against Chinese and Mexican miners. Even Mexicans who were granted citizenship under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo were targeted to pay the tax. Meanwhile, Irish and German immigrants in CA's gold fields got away with paying no tax at all. With land owned by Mexican Americans quickly disappearing, Congress got involved and pased the California Land Claims Act. The act gave Mexican Americans an avenue to secure and take back their land claims. However, the act backfired as most Mexican American landowners ended up bankrupt paying legal costs trying to protect their land in court. Despite the act's good intentions, Mexican Americans continued to see their land taken. Finally, in the many years following the treaty, Mexican Americans became subject to elements of racism (as seen in the Greaser Act in California) and sometimes were compelled to lived in segregated areas (barrios) throughout the Southwest. |
Timeline of Events Concerning Mexican Americans
Please visit this timeline concerning events in Mexican American history.
Questions
1. Name two protections promised to Mexicans living in the areas of the Mexican Cession.
2. Name two events found in the timeline that tested whether promises made in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo would be kept.
3. Do you think Manifest Destiny was a good thing for Mexican Americans? Why or why not?
2. Name two events found in the timeline that tested whether promises made in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo would be kept.
3. Do you think Manifest Destiny was a good thing for Mexican Americans? Why or why not?