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What part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo did the United States not honor in New Mexico and California?

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Final answer:

The United States did not fully honor the promises made in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to Hispanic Americans in California and New Mexico. This involved ignoring the Spanish land grants in New Mexico and allowing the forceful displacement of Californios (Hispanics in California) by White settlers, often without legal redress. Similarly, the cultural rights and property protections promised to Mexicans who opted for U.S citizenship were largely disrespected.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed in 1848, played a paramount role in American expansion, with Mexico ceding nearly half of its territory to the United States. While the treaty made certain promises to Mexican citizens who were now part of the U.S. - specifically those in New Mexico and California - not all these promises were honored.

According to the treaty, the United States vowed to recognize the Spanish land grants to the Pueblos in New Mexico and to confer U.S. citizenship to Mexican citizens in these ceded territories once they became recognized states. However, the treaty's promise to protect residents from Native American raids and to uphold the Spanish land grants was not honored in its entirety. In California, a similar situation occurred where Californios - Hispanics in California - rapidly lost their lands to White settlers, often via forceful displacement. Legal attempts at redress were frequently avoided, leaving many Hispano landowners without their rightful lands and without means for recovery.

Similarly, the cultural rights and property protections promised to Mexicans who became state residents were often ignored. Within a generation of acquiring U.S. citizenship, these new Hispanic Americans found their culture assaulted and legal protection of their property rights largely disregarded.

Learn more about Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

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User Daniel Messner
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