TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO
At the time, the United States wanted as many Mexicans as citizens as they could get—so much so that if Mexicans in the new American territories did not elect American Citizenship within 1 year, they became American Citizens automatically.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo[a] officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Guadalupe Hidalgo. After the defeat of its army and the fall of the capital in September 1847, Mexico entered into peace negotiations with the U.S. envoy, Nicholas Trist. The resulting treaty required Mexico to cede 55 percent of its territory including the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, and most of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. Mexico also relinquished all claims for Texas and recognized the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of Texas. In turn, the U.S. government paid Mexico $15 million "in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States" and agreed to pay American citizens debts owed by the Mexican government. Mexicans in areas annexed by the U.S. could relocate within Mexico's new boundaries or receive American citizenship and full civil rights.
